Report: Carolina Panthers expect Bryce Young to miss 1-2 games with ankle injury
The Carolina Panthers will face the Seattle Seahawks on the road this weekend without starting quarterback Bryce Young. The first-year QB suffered an ankle injury that will keep him sidelined for Week 3, and potentially Week 4 as well, according to the Athletics‘ Joe Person.
The two-week timeline for Young’s return to play is a cautious approach, Person claims, which means the Panthers could bring him back sooner. Next week, Carolina welcomes the Minnesota Vikings for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff at home.
With Young out, veteran Andy Dalton is working with the first team. Dalton has yet to attempt a pass this season, but he has thrown for more than 38,000 yards in his career.
Young and the Panthers are off to an 0-2 start after falling to the Saints on Monday. Carolina was competitive against New Orleans but ultimately suffered a 20-17 loss.
Bryce Young was solid against the Saints in his second NFL start, going 22 of 33 passing for 153 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. He was also second on the team in rushing with 34 yards.
On the season, Young has passed for 299 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Seahawks are favored by 6.5 points ahead of Sunday’s game.
Dalton takes ownership of Panthers offense
After practicing with the first team offense this week, Dalton was asked Thursday if the week of preparation has been more enjoyable personally for himself despite the unfortunate circumstances.
“For me? Obviously. Absolutely. Absolutely,” Dalton said. “It’s always nice because . . . I’ve had a certain way of operating, like, my whole career. And I think when you go from starting to being the backup, that’s one of the things that you miss. Scout team’s one thing. You’re lookin’ at a card and you’re runnin’ the other team’s offense. But when you get a chance to kinda take ownership of what you’re doing and to know how you want it to look and how you want it to feel and you actually get to execute it, that’s what makes football fun.”
In March of this year, Dalton signed a two-year, $10 million deal with Carolina, as the team looked to have a veteran signaler caller back up their rookie quarterback and work as a mentor.
But now that Young is injured, Dalton’s role shifts from teacher to QB1, as he’ll be tasked with leading the Panthers’ offense into one of the most hostile road environments in the entire NFL.
“My goal is to win,” Dalton said. “Especially here—this is Bryce’s thing. I’m not here to make this a competition, make this anything. I’m here to help the team.”
On3’s Matt Connolly contributed to this report.