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Andy Dalton cost the Panthers points with an inexcusable mistake

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 3:21 PM ET

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton made a rookie mistake during Sunday’s game that caused his team to leave valuable points on the board at halftime.

The Panthers were facing 3rd and goal from the 4-yard line during Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. With 16 seconds left in the half and no timeouts, Dalton had to be aware of the clock, and the only thing he could not really do was take a sack.

That was precisely what Dalton did. Buffalo’s Greg Rousseau got to him, the Panthers were unable to get the field goal unit on quickly enough, and time ran out on the half.

Andy Dalton just took a sack with no timeouts left, that’s half.

You can’t make this up. https://t.co/Mbfmon5wbe pic.twitter.com/LAMmf2Gc8x
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 26, 2025

This is all on Dalton. The Panthers almost certainly have three points in the bag unless he turns the ball over or takes a sack. These are the sorts of mistakes a 15-year veteran is not supposed to make under any circumstances.

Dalton started Sunday in place of Bryce Young, who is injured. It did not go well, as the Bills had a 19-3 lead at halftime while Dalton struggled to get anything going.

There has been some chatter that the Panthers might be losing faith in Young as their franchise quarterback. Even if that is the case, Dalton is clearly not the answer, even for the immediate future.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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