CHARLOTTE — Andy Dalton will turn 38 this week. He's started in 169 games in his 15 years in the league. And since he's a backup, he never knows how many chances he's going to get.
What he knows for sure is that this wasn't the performance he or the Panthers wanted or needed on Sunday.
Dalton turned it over three times in the 40-9 loss to the Bills, and admitted after the game that it was troubling for him on a number of levels.
"Because I didn't play like I was capable of playing," Dalton said. "I felt like I didn't give us a chance, and, yeah, it's tough. I know what I've been able to do. I know what I can do, and so it's not played to the standard that you expect. I mean, that's why it's tough. And at this stage in your career, you only get so many of these opportunities out there.
"I mean, every time I'm out there, I want to play a good ball, and you never know how many more you're going to get. I was looking forward to being out there today and, yeah, it's tough from that standpoint too because you never know when the next one's going to come."
Dalton turned it over twice in the first half, which led to 10 Buffalo points. By the time his second fumble of the day led directly to another Bills touchdown, the game had gotten away from them.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he did not consider putting backup Hendon Hooker (promoted from the practice squad for the week) into the game, regardless of how poorly it was going for Dalton.
The Panthers did manage a late touchdown — with Chuba Hubbard reaching the end zone — which was of little consolation.
"Yeah, I just wanted to give him a chance to get us a successful drive, and we were able to move the ball down there and get a touchdown on that one," Canales said. "You know it was just a chance to bounce back. I love finish.
"I preach finish, talk about the guys trying to give them an opportunity, after a really sloppy first half to go back in there and try to get something going."
Of course, Canales also preaches taking each game as an individual unit. So, no matter the fact that they had won three straight (or four in a row at home going back to last year), he spent his postgame in the locker room stressing that it was one of the 17 results they'll either endure or enjoy this year.
"We really look at it as one game," Canales said. "There's a lot of good football right in our rearview mirror, and we've just got to get back to playing that kind of good football. So for us, it's just one opportunity to the next, the next opponent, look at them and try to attack our game plans, and fix those things.
"But we have to keep our focus right here, right now, and be able to get back to work."
Dalton was starting because Bryce Young was out with an ankle injury suffered last week in New York, and Canales said the plan was to get Young on the practice field Wednesday with hopes of getting him back for the trip to Green Bay next week.
Canales said Young was "pretty close," but they didn't even dress him as an emergency third quarterback Sunday. He stayed on the sidelines and stayed in constant communication with Dalton throughout the game.
"He made progress throughout the week," Canales said of Young. "We didn't feel confident enough to get him out there to be able to do all the things that he needs to do, to be successful, but we'll circle back around early this week, and the hope is to get him back out there on Wednesday doing something. But again, we've got to be smart and do the right thing."
The Panthers have a number of issues on offense that transcend the quarterback, however.
With three more injuries on the offensive line, the Panthers were down to their last five healthy blockers. And while part of the seven sacks are on Dalton (who lacks Young's escapability), the offensive line had a hard time establishing a consistent run game, which put them in unenviable situations.
"This league's tough, injuries are almost 100 percent, it's going to happen," Dalton said. "And for him who has been so versatile and meant so much to this team for a long time, ever since he got here, to be able to kind of just plug and play wherever we need him and the work that he's done to be able to get to that point, after missing a season a couple of years ago, and then to have this. I mean, it's tough, but I know if anybody can handle it, it's him.
"You know, he's got the right support system, and I'm included in that. He's a guy that I'm going to be checking on and making sure that, if he ever needs anything, because I mean, it is tough. I mean, that's the nature of this business, unfortunately."
Take a look at some of Sunday's best shots from the Panthers Week 8 game against the Bills.
