Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton entered Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders with a spotless record as a starter and left without a blemish. With news of former No. overall pick Bryce Young’s benching coming early in the week, the Red Rifle looked to add another win to the column as the Panthers looked to spoil the Raiders’ home opener.
The Panthers started with a bang, ending a 20-game drought in opening drives as Dalton led the offense on a 70-yard drive capped by a pass short right to Chuba Hubbard for the 6 yard score. The Raiders later tied the game with a first quarter drive of their own that included a monster 54 yard pass from Gardner Minshew to Tre Tucker. Alexander Mattison punched it in from 2 yards out a few plays later to make it 7-7 with a few seconds left in the opening quarter.
After that, it was all Carolina for the rest of the half. The Panthers answered with a 5-yard touchdown reception by Diontae Johnson and the Raiders struggled to move the ball before the intermission. The Panthers added another score with less that 30 seconds remaining before the half, going 68 yards in 44 seconds. After a 35 yard catch and run by Johnson, Thielen hauled in a 31 yard touchdown to give the Panthers a 21-7 lead that stood when Daniel Carlson’s 57-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right with time expiring.
Carolina’s defense- highly scrutinized after giving up 73 points in the first two weeks of the season – forced the Raiders into a 3-and-out to open the second half. The Panthers went on to score on all three of their possessions of the third quarter – two field goals by Eddy Pineiro and a 1 yard touchdown carry by Miles Sanders to take a commanding 33-7 lead early in the fourth. Las Vegas cut into the lead with a 15-play drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown reception by Jakobi Meyers. A successful two-point conversion trimmed the lead to 18 with 11:03 left in the game. After holding Carolina to a punt, Minshew was intercepted by cornerback Mike Jackson leading to another Pineiro field goal to give Carolina a 36-15 lead with 4:47 to go.
Aidan O’Connell replaced Minshew in the fourth quarter and threw an 8 yard touchdown to Tre Tucker to close out the scoring. Dalton stayed a perfect 4-0 against the Raiders while throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 132.2 passer rating. He’s now thrown for ten touchdowns and no interceptions in his four games facing the black and silver. Johnson led all receivers with 122 yards and a touchdown while Hubbard added 123 scrimmage yards in the air and on the ground. Minshew finished with 214 yards, one touchdown, and interception. The Panthers improve to 1-2 and host the Cincinnati Bengals back at Bank of America Stadium next week.
