Should Panthers QB Andy Dalton play second half for Panthers?

Beating the Buffalo Bills off a bye week was always going to be a tall task for the Carolina Panthers, but with Bryce Young, things are possible. Without him, their chances took a major hit. Andy Dalton has been a capable backup before, but the last time we saw him in the preseason, he looked pretty bad.

Unfortunately, that's been true on Sunday. A solid defensive first half has completely gone to waste because of Dalton. Dave Canales' foolish running back choices have also hurt, but Dalton has been dreadful. Should he continue?

Panthers must bench Andy Dalton

With all due respect to Andy Dalton, he doesn't have it anymore. His first half against the Bills has been dreadful. He's missed open throws, which happens to everyone, even Bryce Young, but he's also turned the ball over twice.

He has failed to avoid pretty avoidable sacks, too. His fumble in the red zone ruined a potentially tying or lead-taking drive that Rico Dowdle had done well on. A later interception turned a nine-point deficit into 16, and it was ugly. He threw it directly into the stomach of a defender on a screen pass.

He even took a sack to end the half on third-and-goal. He just couldn't even get the ball out to live to try another down. Instead, time ran out. And time should run out on Dalton. Hendon Hooker can't be worse, and the Panthers need a more viable backup if Young can't get healthy. He's not expected to go on IR, but the Panthers can't last much longer without him and with Dalton.

This second half is going to be noncompetitive, so we need to see what Hooker has. Dalton isn't long for the NFL regardless, and the Panthers will need a backup behind Young for the foreseeable future, so now is as good a time as any.

Dalton did decently enough taking over for Young last year, but the backup magic did not extend into this year. Dalton is too slow, not accurate enough, and is just not having a good mental day, either.

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