The Panthers look like a completely different team with Andy Dalton at quarterback and have a 21-7 lead over the Raiders at halftime.
It’s not hard to see why head coach Dave Canales benched Bryce Young for Dalton with the veteran QB’s first-half performance. Dalton began the game with a touchdown drive, hitting a 17-yard pass to Diontae Johnson and a 20-yard throw to Tommy Tremble to put Carolina deep in Las Vegas territory. Then Dalton finished the possession with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chuba Hubbard for an early 7-0 lead.
While the Raiders put together a 97-yard drive to tie the game at 7-7, Dalton engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive to put the Panthers up 14-7. He converted third-and-14 with a 23-yard pass to Diontae Johnson, keeping the possession alive. Then on third-and-goal, Dalton layered a pass to Johnson for a 5-yard touchdown…