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Andy Dalton Owns a Stat That No Other NFL QB Has Produced This Season

The Red Rifle's exceptional season debut shined a light on the poor performance of NFL quarterbacks this season.

Tom Dierberger

Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-37 passing in the Panthers' 36–22 win over the Raiders.
Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-37 passing in the Panthers' 36–22 win over the Raiders. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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The Carolina Panthers' controversial decision to shelve franchise quarterback Bryce Young in Week 3 in favor of grizzled veteran Andy Dalton couldn't have worked out much better.

On the first possession of his season debut, Dalton conducted a nine-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in a six-yard touchdown pass to running back Chuba Hubbard for a 7–0 advantage—the first lead for Carolina this season. At halftime, the Panthers led 21–7, scoring eight more points than they did over the first two weeks of the season combined.

The Panthers went on to beat the Las Vegas Raiders 36–22 for their first win since Dec. 17, 2023. It was the Panthers' first win while scoring more than 20 points since Dec. 24, 2022, a 37–23 victory over the Detroit Lions.

Dalton starred for Carolina all game, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-37 passing, good for a 123.6 passer rating. He's the first—and only—quarterback this season to throw for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns this season.

For context, there were 14 games of at least 300 yards passing and three touchdowns over the first three weeks of the 2018 NFL season.

In Week 1 this season, Tua Tagovailoa and Matthew Stafford were the only two quarterbacks to throw for over 300 yards, but both connected on just one score apiece. Geno Smith, Brock Purdy and Jared Goff passed the 300-yard mark in Week 2 but combined to throw just two scores.

Heading into the Monday Night Football doubleheader, four quarterbacks—Dalton, Dak Prescott, Caleb Williams and Jalen Hurts—threw for 300+ yards in Week 3 but only the "Red Rifle" tacked on three passing touchdowns to that stat line.

A pretty impressive debut, to say the least.

With one win under his belt, Dalton will assuredly retain the starting job under center in Week 4 when the Panthers host the Cincinnati Bengals at Bank of America Stadium.

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Tom Dierberger

TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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