Broncos drop Panthers in Denver, marking Carolina’s fifth straight loss

DENVER — With no Andy Dalton, no Adam Thielen, and no Diontae Johnson, things started rough and got worse for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Going into the matchup against the Denver Broncos, all eyes were on Bryce Young, and understandably so. The former No. 1 pick was benched for nearly a third of season but back in the lineup Sunday after an unexpected, and unfortunate, turn of events.

Quarterback Andy Dalton was out with a sprained thumb. As we’ve reported, he and his family were in a crash on Tuesday. Outside of the sprain, everyone is OK.

That brings us to Bryce Young in at starter.

On the opening drive, defensive tackle Shy Tuttle punched the ball out, forcing a fumble and recovering the ball for the Panthers. That gave Carolina a chance to do something they haven’t done all season: Score a touchdown off the turnover.

Bryce Young closed the drive by throwing his first touchdown pass of the season to rookie Xavier Legette.

But though the Panthers struck first, they didn’t put any more points up the rest of the game.

Tied up in the second quarter, the Broncos went to work. Bo Nix threw to his tight end Adam Trautman, who made a one-handed grab that put the Broncos up 14-7.

Then with just over a minute left in the half, Denver piled it on. The Broncos scored back, to back, to back — just in the second quarter.

The Broncos got the win, 28-14.

As for the burning question in Carolina, who’s up at quarterback?

“We will look at all the information, we’ll look at Andy’s [Dalton] health over the next couple of days and we’ll make that decision,” coach Dave Canales said. “We’ll have an answer for you in the next couple days.”

Regardless of the quarterback, the Panthers just dropped their fifth straight game.

Next up, it’s back to division play, when they host the New Orleans Saints.

(WATCH BELOW: In a tribute to his late mother, Panthers receiver Xavier Legette remodeling his childhood home)