Dave Canales benched his franchise quarterback after two games. The decision sparked immediate debate across the league. Bryce Young, the 2023 first overall pick, watched from the sideline on September 22, 2024 as Andy Dalton dismantled the Raiders 36 to 22 at Allegiant Stadium.
319 yards. Three touchdowns. Zero interceptions. Dalton delivered exactly what Carolina needed. Chuba Hubbard racked up 169 total scrimmage yards. Diontae Johnson caught eight passes for 122 yards and a score. The Panthers had scored 13 points in their first two games combined before dropping 36 on Las Vegas.
Table of Contents
Game Leaders
| Category | Carolina Panthers | Stats | Las Vegas Raiders | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | Andy Dalton | 26/37, 319 YDS, 3 TD | Gardner Minshew | 18/28, 214 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Chuba Hubbard | 21 CAR, 114 YDS | Zamir White | 10 CAR, 34 YDS |
| Receiving | Diontae Johnson | 8 REC, 122 YDS, 1 TD | Tre Tucker | 7 REC, 96 YDS, 1 TD |
| Tackles | Mike Jackson | 9 SOLO, 1 INT | Robert Spillane | 7 SOLO, 1 SACK |
Quarterback Duel
Dalton became the first quarterback in 2024 to reach 300 yards and three touchdowns in a single game.
“The way this game went today is exactly how you want it to go,” Dalton said after the victory. A 123.6 passer rating marked a complete reversal from Carolina’s offensive struggles.
| Quarterback | Team | CMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACKS | RATING |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Dalton | CAR | 26 | 37 | 319 | 3 | 0 | 2 for 13 | 123.6 |
| Gardner Minshew | LV | 18 | 28 | 214 | 1 | 1 | 2 for 8 | 84.5 |
| Aidan O’Connell | LV | 9 | 12 | 82 | 1 | 0 | 1 for 12 | 120.8 |
Young struggled through two games with minimal passing production. Dalton threw for 212 in the first half alone.
Dalton’s 31 yard strike to Adam Thielen with 33 seconds left before halftime put Carolina up 21 to 7. Thielen caught the touchdown but was injured during the play. Hamstring. Done for the day.
Las Vegas blitzed Dalton on 59% of his dropbacks, more than doubling their Week 1 and 2 rate of 25.4%. Quick decisions. On-time throws. The pressure didn’t matter. Dalton released the ball in 2.02 seconds on average against the blitz according to Next Gen Stats.
Minshew completed just 64.3% of his passes before getting pulled in the fourth quarter. Mike Jackson intercepted Minshew’s pass with 8:45 left, killing any comeback hopes. Forced throw to Davante Adams on the right side. Jackson secured the pick at the Raiders 37 yard line.
Game over.
Team Statistics
| Team Stats | Panthers | Raiders |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 437 | 331 |
| First Downs | 24 | 20 |
| Third Down | 5/12 (41.7%) | 3/11 (27.3%) |
| Fourth Down | 0/0 | 1/3 (33.3%) |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 7 for 51 yards | 6 for 54 yards |
| Time of Possession | 36:02 | 23:58 |
| Red Zone | 3/5 (60%) | 3/3 (100%) |
Carolina controlled the ball for over 36 minutes. They averaged 6.2 yards per play compared to 5.6 for Las Vegas. A 106 yard margin in total offense reflected complete domination.
Carolina converted 41.7% of third downs, a dramatic improvement from their offensive struggles in Weeks 1 and 2. Ball security proved critical. Zero turnovers for the Panthers. One for the Raiders that sealed their fate.
Strip away the two garbage time touchdowns Las Vegas scored in the final 10 minutes and this was a 33 to 7 beatdown. Real margin? 21 points, not 14. The final score flattered the home team.
How the Opening Drive Changed Everything
Carolina hadn’t scored a touchdown on their opening drive in 20 games. That streak died on the first possession.
First play: Dalton hit Adam Thielen for four yards. Three plays later: 17 yard completion to Diontae Johnson down the left sideline. Chuba Hubbard gained 14 combined yards on back-to-back runs. Then Dalton found Tommy Tremble over the middle for 20 yards to the six yard line.
Second and six from the six. Dalton found Hubbard leaking out of the backfield for the touchdown.
Nine plays. Seventy yards. Four minutes and 47 seconds.
Seven to nothing Panthers.
Carolina hadn’t held a lead since being up 9 to 7 over the Falcons on December 17, 2023.
Ground Game Statistics
| Player | Team | Attempts | Yards | Average | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 21 | 114 | 5.4 | 14 | 0 |
| Miles Sanders | CAR | 7 | 17 | 2.4 | 6 | 1 |
| Zamir White | LV | 10 | 34 | 3.4 | 9 | 0 |
| Gardner Minshew | LV | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 10 | 0 |
| Alexander Mattison | LV | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | 3 | 1 |
Hubbard forced eight missed tackles after forcing just five in Weeks 1 and 2 combined.
114 rushing yards matched his best performance since Week 15 of 2022 when he ran for 125 against Detroit. Those 169 scrimmage yards set a career high.
“I feel like we all played as one today,” Hubbard said after the victory.
Why did the run game work? Simple. Play action forced safeties back. Dalton’s willingness to attack downfield opened up the box. Las Vegas couldn’t stack eight defenders when they had to respect the vertical passing game.
The Raiders entered Week 3 ranked 32nd in rushing at 49 yards per game. They got worse, managing just 55 total yards on 16 attempts. Zamir White carried 10 times for 34 yards before Las Vegas abandoned the run completely in the second quarter.
Pass Catchers
| Player | Team | Targets | Receptions | Yards | Average | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diontae Johnson | CAR | 14 | 8 | 122 | 15.3 | 35 | 1 |
| Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 5 | 5 | 55 | 11.0 | 20 | 1 |
| Xavier Legette | CAR | 3 | 2 | 42 | 21.0 | 35 | 0 |
| Adam Thielen | CAR | 5 | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 31 | 1 |
| Tommy Tremble | CAR | 3 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 20 | 0 |
| Tre Tucker | LV | 9 | 7 | 96 | 13.7 | 54 | 1 |
| Jakobi Meyers | LV | 9 | 7 | 62 | 8.9 | 16 | 1 |
| Brock Bowers | LV | 4 | 3 | 41 | 13.7 | 21 | 0 |
| Davante Adams | LV | 9 | 4 | 40 | 10.0 | 15 | 0 |
| Alexander Mattison | LV | 3 | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 22 | 0 |
Johnson drew 109 of Carolina’s 191 targeted air yards (56.8%). Six of eight targets on in breaking routes resulted in catches for 100 of his 122 yards. The veteran wideout finally looked like the player the Panthers traded for in March.
Five completions over 20 yards in the first half. Zero passes over 15 yards in the first two games combined.
Downfield passing finally materialized.
Tucker’s 54 yard catch in the first quarter set up the Raiders’ only first half touchdown. Second and 10 from the Las Vegas 20. Minshew connected deep with Tucker, who raced to the Carolina 26 before Mike Jackson dragged him down. Five plays later, Alexander Mattison punched in a two yard touchdown run.
That was the last time Las Vegas looked competitive until O’Connell came in during garbage time.
Davante Adams caught just four of nine targets for 40 yards. The seventh time since joining the Raiders in 2022 he’s been held to 40 or fewer receiving yards. Carolina bracketed him with safety help over the top on nearly every snap.
The Mike Jackson Show
Jackson’s performance deserves its own section. Nine solo tackles. Three pass deflections. One interception.
The fourth quarter pick sealed it. Minshew tried forcing a ball to Adams with Carolina up 33 to 15 and 8:45 remaining. Jackson jumped the route on the right side and secured the interception at the Las Vegas 37 yard line.
Carolina ran out seven minutes of clock on the ensuing drive before kicking a field goal.
Nine solo tackles matched Jackson’s career high since entering the league in 2019. All nine were unassisted. No help needed.
Three pass deflections disrupted the Raiders timing routes all afternoon. Minshew couldn’t trust his windows. When he tried forcing throws, Jackson made him pay.
Defensive Statistics
| Player | Team | Total | Solo | Sacks | TFL | QB Hits | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Jackson | CAR | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Shaq Thompson | CAR | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Scott | CAR | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josey Jewell | CAR | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| LaBryan Ray | CAR | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jadeveon Clowney | CAR | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jayden Peevy | CAR | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Robert Spillane | LV | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Epps | LV | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Jones | LV | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Clowney recorded eight total pressures according to Next Gen Stats data. Four came in under 2.5 seconds. He beat his man cleanly on a fourth quarter sack, dropping Aidan O’Connell for a 12 yard loss.
Carolina generated 18 total pressures compared to just 13 in their first two games combined. Carolina’s pass rush awakened.
Ray and Peevy each notched their first sacks of the season. Spillane led Las Vegas with 11 total tackles and a sack. Marcus Epps recorded 10 solo tackles before his knee injury ended his day in the third quarter.
Without Epps, Carolina extended drives late with ease.
Special Teams
| Player | Team | Position | FG | Long | XP | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddy Pineiro | CAR | K | 3/3 | 43 | 3/3 | 12 |
| Daniel Carlson | LV | K | 0/1 | 0 | 2/2 | 2 |
| Johnny Hekker | CAR | P | 4 punts | 51 | 44.3 avg | |
| AJ Cole | LV | P | 5 punts | 58 | 52.2 avg |
Pineiro: Perfect. Six for six. Three field goals from 43, 35, and 26 yards. Three extra points. Those 12 points represented one third of Carolina’s scoring output.
Carlson’s 57 yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half sailed wide left. Las Vegas missed a chance to cut the deficit to 21 to 10 before halftime. They went to the locker room down 14 instead.
Momentum matters. That miss killed it.
Scoring Breakdown
| Quarter | Panthers | Raiders | Key Scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 7 | 7 | Hubbard 6 yd TD pass, Mattison 2 yd TD run |
| 2nd | 14 | 0 | Johnson 5 yd TD pass, Thielen 31 yd TD pass |
| 3rd | 6 | 0 | Pineiro 43 yd FG, Pineiro 35 yd FG |
| 4th | 9 | 15 | Sanders 1 yd TD run, Meyers 13 yd TD pass, Tucker 8 yd TD pass |
| Final | 36 | 22 |
The second quarter belonged to Carolina. 14 unanswered points. Johnson’s five yard touchdown catch came on third and five at 9:28. Ten plays. Seventy five yards. Three third down conversions on the drive.
Thielen’s 31 yard touchdown with 33 seconds left before halftime pushed the lead to 21 to 7. Four plays. Sixty eight yards. Just 44 seconds off the clock.
Canales called four straight passes. All four completions. 68 yards. Touchdown. Aggression rewarded.
Pineiro made field goals in the third quarter. Both successful from 43 and 35 yards. Carolina led 27 to 7 entering the fourth quarter.
Miles Sanders punched in a one yard touchdown run with 13:33 remaining. The 11 play, 84 yard drive consumed over four minutes and effectively ended the competitive portion. The two point conversion attempt to Xavier Legette fell incomplete.
Las Vegas scored twice in the final 10 minutes against prevent defense. Jakobi Meyers caught a 13 yard touchdown plus the two point conversion with 10:56 left. O’Connell replaced Minshew and led a 13 play, 70 yard touchdown drive capped by Tucker’s eight yard score with 56 seconds remaining.
Too little. Too late. Carlson’s onside kick failed and Carolina kneeled out the clock.
Why the Offense Finally Worked
Canales’ scheme relies on play action passing off outside zone runs. Young’s hesitation in the pocket destroyed the timing. Dalton hit his back foot and released on schedule.
That 2.02 second release time against the blitz wasn’t luck. It was scheme mastery.
Carolina’s second scoring drive showed the difference. Third and 14 from their own 32. Dalton dropped back and found Johnson running behind the defense for 23 yards. Dalton trusted his receiver and delivered.
Carolina completed 16 of 20 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown against man coverage. Dalton’s completion percentage over expected was plus 7.7%. He knew where to go with the ball before the snap.
Young will get another chance eventually. September 22, 2024 belonged to the veteran who restored competence to Carolina’s offense.
“The scheme wasn’t good enough, the design of the plays wasn’t good enough today,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said after the loss. That’s coaching speak for getting outplayed.
Historical Context
Dalton improved to 4 and 0 lifetime against the Raiders. He’s thrown for 1,027 career yards and 10 touchdowns in four starts against Las Vegas. His three first half touchdown passes marked a rare feat for Carolina’s offense.
Johnson and Hubbard became the first Panthers duo to each surpass 100 yards from scrimmage in the same game since D’Onta Foreman and D.J. Moore against Denver in Week 17 of 2022.
Both teams moved to 1 and 2. Carolina returned home to host Cincinnati. Las Vegas prepared for Cleveland at Allegiant Stadium the following Sunday.
Las Vegas entered Week 3 off a 26 to 23 road upset at Baltimore. Their disappointing home opener raised serious questions about offensive philosophy and execution.
Bottom Line
Canales earned his first victory as a head coach in his third game. His decision to bench Young proved correct immediately. The Panthers scored 36 points after managing 13 combined in losses to New Orleans and the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Carolina held a fourth quarter lead for the first time in 20 games. They controlled possession for over 36 minutes while outgaining Las Vegas by 106 total yards. Dalton’s presence changed Carolina’s offensive identity immediately.
The numbers from this Panthers victory over the Raiders prove Canales made the right call benching Young.
