Antonio Pierce Has Blunt Response After Learning Bryce Young was Benched

Through two weeks of the NFL season, the Raiders are 1-1, sitting at an even .500 after a major upset win against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.

Now all eyes are onto Week 3 and the Carolina Panthers who are 0-2 after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers and the New Orleans Saints. The Raiders however will be getting a different version of the Panthers than their first two opponents, as it's been announced Bryce Young has been benched and Andy Dalton will be starting.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce was made aware of the news during a press conference and clearly was already preparing for Young.

"I got to go back to the drawing boards wasn't prepared for that one," said Pierce.

The good news for Pierce is the Panthers look really bad through two weeks so the idea that a simple change at quarterback will completely turn their fortunes around is a long shot.

Also, the Raiders defense has looked stellar through two weeks of the season, including an effort in Week 2 against Lamar Jackson that showed they're legit.

Andy Dalton has become a journeyman since leaving the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. He's bounced around the league as a backup and bridge type starter in moments like these where the young guy on the roster is running into issues, or a starter goes down with an injury. If the Raiders were banking on inexperience playing a part in their game plan they'll have to think again as this is Dalton's 13th season and he's no slouch.

The Raiders will be looking to get above .500 in Week 3 and the Panthers could easily be a trap game with Dalton under center. This is the type of game in the past where the Raiders are expected to win handily and they find a way to "Raider up" the whole game, the outcome of this game could be telling for the rest of the season.

Related: Three Standouts From the Las Vegas Raiders' Win Over the Baltimore Ravens