Panthers QB Bryce Young sustained an ankle injury in Sunday's win against the Jets. What is his status against the Bills? By DIAMOND VENCES
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales played it coy Monday in his press conference, saying on five separate occasions that quarterback Bryce Young’s status after an ankle injury was “day-to-day.” Canales also wouldn’t say what sort of injury it was (“just an ankle”) and seemed fully intent on trying to keep the Buffalo Bills guessing as to whether they will see Young or backup quarterback Andy Dalton on Sunday.
Despite Canales’ reticence, there’s little guesswork involved. Barring an injury-recovery miracle, Dalton is going to start this game as Young rests his problematic ankle. So could the Panthers still beat the Bills — who sport the NFL’s reigning MVP in Josh Allen and are coming off a bye — with a backup quarterback?
Absolutely.
The way to do that is simple: Run, run, run the ball.
The Bills (4-2) aren’t vulnerable in many places, but their run defense is their biggest Achilles heel. They rank 31st in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, stacked between Miami and Dallas. If those two teams sound familiar, they should — Panthers running back Rico Dowdle lit them up for 473 combined total yards earlier this month.
Andy Dalton warms up in September 2025, before a game. Dalton is expected to get his first start of the NFL season Sunday. Jordan Bank Getty Images
Dalton can certainly hand the ball off as well as Young, and that’s what he will mostly need to do at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. Carolina (4-3) is an underdog by 7.5 points to Buffalo.
But the Panthers have won three games in a row for the first time since 2021 and are going to have a chance with Dalton. Best to not rush Young back from what has been reported in numerous places (but by NFL Network first) as a high-ankle sprain, which is usually a 2-4 week recovery.
Young led Carolina to all 13 of its points Sunday in a grind-it-out, defense-based, 13-6 win over the New York Jets. But Dalton, who turns 38 later this month, made two massive plays when he played the entire fourth quarter. One you likely remember; one you likely don’t.
Carolina Panthers quarterbacks Bryce Young (left) and Andy Dalton talk during a 2024 game. Dalton is expected to start for Young on Sunday at home against the Buffalo Bills, as the Panthers try to extend their three-game win streak. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
The one you remember is when Dalton threw a deep pass to Xavier Legette late in the fourth quarter on a key third down, putting it in a perfect place for Legette. The result was a 33-yard reception from Legette, who was terrific, that sealed the game.
The play you likely don’t: Dalton got sacked early in the fourth quarter on another third down. He was hit on the blind side just as he was about to throw the ball.
Somehow, Dalton held on to the football. As Canales said, describing the play by Dalton on Monday: “He miraculously pulled the ball back in to secure it, so that we could end up getting into that situation to punt it and make them have to go full field.”
If Dalton had been strip-sacked — and I’d argue that at least half the quarterbacks in the NFL would have lost the ball due to the violent surprise of the hit — the Jets might have turned it into points. But no way were the Jets going to go 85 yards Sunday against the Panthers; their offense is just too anemic. The play just went down as a sack, but it was extremely important.
Dalton has won 84 games as a starter in the NFL, most of them in Cincinnati. Only one has come in his years with the Panthers, and in the long term you certainly want Young to be the starter. His mobility adds an aspect to the offense that it just doesn’t have under Dalton, who doesn’t run well and isn’t going to extricate himself from many potential sacks.
However, you don’t want to push Young back onto the field too soon, even though he’s going to try like heck to get healthy quickly. And the Panthers won’t. These Panthers have a chance to actually do something good this season, but Young’s mobility is one of the biggest keys. Dalton can hold the fort for a game, or two, as needed. On Sunday, the way to hold it is going to be to hand the ball off.
Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle had 79 yards against the New York Jets compared to starter Chuba Hubbard’s 31 and is clearly the more effective back at the moment. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
And, by the way, at least 70% of those handoffs should be to Dowdle.
I’m all for Chuba Hubbard being worked back into the Panthers’ lineup, but let’s not pretend that the two players are equally effective at the moment. Hubbard can continue to start if Canales believes that is symbolically important, as he apparently does.
But only one of these backs has a chance at a 100-yard plus rushing day on Sunday. That’s Dowdle.
Dalton handing the ball off, Dowdle running it behind that veteran offensive line. If the Panthers are going to win this game, that’s the best way to do it.
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