Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will start on Sunday versus the Denver Broncos, head coach Dave Canales said on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
The announcement comes after starting quarterback Andy Dalton suffered a sprained thumb during a car crash in southeast Charlotte on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
“Scary moment for sure, everyone is ok,” Canales said. “Unfortunately, he [Dalton] did sprain his thumb. So Bryce will be playing this week for us.”
Dalton did not practice Wednesday and stood on the sideline with his right hand in the hoodie pocket. Canales said he wants to wait to see if Dalton can serve as the backup this week.
Officials said Dalton and his family were involved in a wreck while traveling westbound on Sardis Road near Providence Road. Specific details about the crash were not immediately known. It was unclear who was driving the Dalton’s vehicle, or if any other vehicles were involved.
According to a Panthers spokesperson, Dalton was riding in the car with his wife, three children, and dog. None of them were taken by emergency medic personnel.
The quarterback situation
Dalton has been the starting quarterback since first-year head coach Dave Canales made the surprising decision to bench Bryce Young — the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft — earlier in the season. Dalton impressed with a three-touchdown performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in his first week as the starter, but results have been less inspiring since, with the team currently on a four-game losing streak.
The latest loss was a 40-7 blowout against the Washington Commanders last weekend.
“We have to look ourselves in the mirror and say ‘alright, why do these games keep going like this?’“ Dalton said in his postgame press conference. “For us, there’s so many little details that we’re going to go back and look at…we have to have things happen a certain way.”
About 10 years ago, then-Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was injured in a car crash near Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
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