Andy Dalton slated to start for Panthers with Bryce Young ailing
Andy Dalton Media Availability Buffalo Week
CHARLOTTE (NC) — Carolina Panthers veteran quarterback Andy Dalton will start Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills whether or not Bryce Young is active, ESPN reported Friday.
Carolina listed Young as doubtful on Friday due to the sprained right ankle that prevented him from practicing all week. Panthers coach Dave Canales didn’t rule Young out of the game, but ESPN cited a team spokesman saying Dalton will start regardless of Young’s availability.
DAVE CANALES FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
Young was injured during last Sunday’s 13-6 victory over the New York Jets and exited the game in the third quarter.
“He’s made progress every day, and we want to just keep our options open right now,” Canales said Friday. “Didn’t want to rule him out, just wanted to say, ‘OK, you woke up today, it was better than you did yesterday, so tomorrow we’ll move around.’ We rested it pretty good today. We had two good days of work on that ankle, so we’ll take a look at it again tomorrow, and then we’ll make the best decision from there.”
Dalton is in his third season with Carolina and will be making his seventh career start for the team. He compiled a 1-5 record in the first six.
“Every opportunity I get to be out there, I’m going to enjoy every moment,” Dalton said earlier this week. “You never know how many you’re going to get.
“Obviously, you hate that Bryce got hurt, but I get to be in there and get to be a part of it and impact the game, so every chance you get you look forward to it.”
Dalton, who turns 38 on Wednesday, has seen action in three games this season. He’s completed 9 of 13 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown, including completing 4 of 7 attempts for 60 yards after relieving Young against the Jets.
The 15-year veteran was a Pro Bowl pick three times during his nine seasons (2011-19) with the Cincinnati Bengals before bouncing around the league. He has totaled 39,618 passing yards, 254 touchdowns and 150 interceptions in 178 games (168 starts).
Young, 24, has passed for 1,288 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in seven games this season, his third in the NFL. He was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
The Panthers Huddle: Buffalo Preview
This season is going about as well as possible for the Carolina Panthers.
The Buffalo Bills, on the other hand, have experienced some unexpected glitches.
On Sunday, the Bills will try to alter the course of their season — and that of the Panthers, as well — when they travel to Charlotte.
The Bills (4-2) lost two straight games before a week off. When coming off an open date, Buffalo is 8-0 in the next game since 2017.
“We’re looking forward to getting back on track,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said. “We don’t have to do a complete overhaul. I think it’s very correctable.”
Carolina (4-3) has won three games in a row and is above .500 at any point in a season for the first time since 2021. They’ve won all three of their home games this season.
“We have not seen our best football,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “We have seen glimpses of it.”
Buffalo coach Sean McDermott, a former defensive coordinator with the Panthers, said the Bills are anxious to get back on the field, particularly with a week off following two defeats.
Allen, who has never lost three straight games as a starter, has thrown for 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. His 254 rushing yards are the second-most for a quarterback this season.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Allen said. “But this is a team that wants to do that work.”
Two of Allen’s top four receivers have missed time recently. Tight end Dalton Kincaid has dealt with an oblique injury and missed Buffalo’s most recent game — a 24-14 loss at Atlanta on Oct. 13 — while Joshua Palmer exited the Atlanta game with an ankle injury. Palmer was one of three Bills, along with defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (calf) and safety Taylor Rapp (knee), to sit out practice Wednesday.
“They can attack you in a lot of different ways,” Canales said of the Bills.
Both teams rate high in rushing offense this season. The Panthers went with Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle alternating series last week against the New York Jets with Hubbard back from a two-game injury absence. Canales said there’s no rush to sort out the running back position.
“I liked that we went into the fourth quarter with two physically fresh backs,” the coach said.
Jaycee Horn Media Availability Buffalo Week
Buffalo’s James Cook is averaging 89.5 rushing yards per game, ranking second in the league.
The Bills could restock portions of their roster with defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and defensive end Michael Hoecht eligible to return from six-game suspensions for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. McDermott was noncommittal on whether Ogunjobi and/or Hoecht would play this week. Ogunjobi played collegiately for Charlotte.
There are questions about Bills linebacker Matt Milano, who was limited in Wednesday’s practice. Rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston was at Wednesday’s practice as he works back from a knee injury. Kinkaid was also limited, along with linebacker Terrel Bernard (ankle).
First-year Buffalo linebacker Shaq Thompson makes a return to Charlotte, where he played his first 10 NFL seasons with the Panthers. He posted a season-high 10 tackles in the Atlanta game.
Quarterback Mike White is on Carolina’s practice squad after spending 2024 with the Bills.
“There’s no secret code involved here,” Canales said. “He’s a Panther right now, so trying to get as much info as we can.”
Buffalo is 6-2 all-time against the Panthers, including 2-1 in Charlotte.
Tetairoa McMillan Media Availability Buffalo Week
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Wildcats Radio 1290 is your Southern Arizona home for Carolina Panthers Football with, Arizona Football 2025 Ring of Honoree Tetairoa McMillan and Salpointe Catholic High School legend Lathan Ransom both in their rookie seasons with the club.
Coverage today begins at 9 a.m. with Carolina Panthers Countdown to Kickoff.
Don’t forget you get a complete recap on Sunday’s game plus a preview of Carolina’s next opponent every Monday Night on Panther Talk which airs at 7:05 p.m. right after the Brent Brennan Radio Show.
This week’s show will air at 5:05 p.m. due to Monday Night’s Arizona men’s basketball exhibition game with Embry-Riddle.
— Field Level Media
David Kelly contributed to this story
