5 winners and losers from the Carolina Panthers defeat at Seahawks in Week 3
By Dean Jones
Winner No. 1
Andy Dalton - Carolina Panthers QB
Losing Bryce Young to injury was the latest in a series of body blows for the Carolina Panthers in recent weeks. But it's a next-man-up mentality, which gave quarterback Andy Dalton a chance to show he still has something left in the tank after accepting a backup/mentor role under the new regime.
Dalton was brought in to provide Young with an experienced figure to lean on. If the No. 1 overall selection was forced to miss time, the Panthers had someone who could step in at a moment's notice to ensure little momentum is lost.
That's exactly where Dalton found himself in Week 3 at the Seattle Seahawks. And in fairness to the former second-round selection, he was far from the team's biggest problem during an impressive individual display overall.
Carolina's offense looked more efficient with Dalton under center. He protected the football, took risks downfield when opportunities arose, and did a nice job of finding receivers with pressure in his face for good measure.
The one-time TCU stud was asked to throw the ball 58 times - a career-high. This wasn't exactly a recipe for success and even though Dalton played well, the signal-caller caller acknowledged afterward that a lack of offensive balance proved to be their undoing.
If this is the last time we see Dalton as the team's starter, he left a good impression. Something that might not go unnoticed by another organization looking for quarterback help before the trade deadline.