The “Pink Rifle” was pink sizzling on Sunday as Andy Dalton and the Carolina Panthers shocked the Las Vegas Raiders on the street in a 36-22 victory for the workforce’s first win of the season.
One of many largest storylines this week was Dave Canales’ determination to bench the Panthers’ 2023 No. 1 general decide, Bryce Younger, in favor of Dalton at quarterback after a horrific 0-2 begin by which the offense could not get something going.
Properly, the Panthers are going to have extra Younger inquiries to reply after what Dalton was capable of do in Canales’ system, and it got here instantly for Carolina to begin this recreation in Sin Metropolis.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Dalton, understanding the Panthers scored simply 13 mixed factors in its first two losses on the 12 months, led a nine-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by working again Chubba Hubbard’s six-yard move for the landing.
It was the primary landing by a place participant on the Panthers this season as Younger was the one scorer in rubbish time in Week 1 in opposition to the New Orleans Saints. And Hubbard performed a serious position on this offensive outburst, ending the sport with 114 yards on 21 carries whereas catching 5 passes from Dalton for 55 yards.
However this recreation wasn’t a blowout from the get-go as Gardner Minshew and the Raiders matched the Panthers’ opening-drive landing with a 10-play, 97-yard drive by which Alexander Mattison punched it in from two yards out to knot it up at 7 apiece.
NFL LEGEND JIMMY JOHNSON TORCHES PANTHERS OWNER DAVID TEPPER AMID TUMULTUOUS START TO 2024 SEASON
However the wheels fell off for the Raiders when Dalton responded on the following drive, this time discovering his main receiver on the day, Diontae Johnson, for a five-yard rating to take a 14-7 lead. Johnson had eight catches for 122 yards.
Then, after some back-and-forth by each offenses, Dalton fired his third landing move of the primary half, this time hitting veteran receiver Adam Thielen, by a good window between two Raiders defenders for 31 yards and a 21-7 lead with 21 seconds left within the second quarter.
Thielen suffered a hamstring damage on the play and didn’t return for the remainder of the sport after notching three catches for 40 yards.
Within the second half, Dalton continued to place collectively scoring drives for Carolina.
After back-to-back discipline objectives on the primary two drives of the second half, Dalton picked his manner down the sector with chunk performs by Johnson and Hubbard. And after 11 performs and 84 yards, Miles Sanders busted into the top zone to make this a blowout in Las Vegas, 33-7.
The Raiders confirmed somewhat life on the following drive as Minshew discovered Jakobi Meyers for a 13-yard landing. Meyers completed the sport with seven catches and 62 yards.
Nonetheless, Minshew’s subsequent drive noticed an interception on the second play from scrimmage as he and Davante Adams (4 catches, 40 yards) weren’t on the identical web page.
That led head coach Antonio Pierce to bench Minshew in favor of Aidan O’Connell, who obtained his first snaps of the brand new 12 months. He would lead a garbage-time landing drive by which Tre Tucker, the workforce’s main receiver with 96 yards, discovered the top zone to make it 36-22.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
However all indicators have been pointing to the Panthers, a workforce that many believed was on observe to have the worst document within the NFL once more this season, gathering its first win of the 12 months, exhibiting that the transfer to bench Younger was the precise name for this week.
Observe Fox Information Digital’s sports activities protection on X and subscribe to the Fox Information Sports activities Huddle publication.