LAS VEGAS — Andy Dalton has been grinning all week — since he never imagined he'd get another opportunity like this.

So, for that chance to go like this was more than he could have ever dreamed.

Dalton was sensational in his first start for the Panthers this year, a 36-22 win over the Raiders that featured 319 passing yards and three touchdowns (all in the first half).

To put that into context, it was the first time the Panthers had thrown for three touchdowns in a half since 2015, and they gained more yards (437) than they did in the first two games combined (352).

So if it seemed like they were having fun, they were.

"I got a chance to just be me and play and to be out there how I normally am," Dalton said. "I'm normally pretty calm; I'm normally relaxed. You know, guys were having fun. I was trying to make sure the guys were having fun because you put in a ton of work for this thing, and for you to get out there, it's like now you get time to just go and enjoy the work that you put in.

"And it makes it nice when the day goes like it did today. And they're not all going to go like this, but when they do, you've got to enjoy that."

There was a subdued celebration for the Panthers before the long plane ride home because they knew this was a long season and this was just one.

But there was an absolute relief after this one because the offense performed in a way it had not this season or the season before.

For Dalton to close out a game by taking knees in the victory formation was significant for a team that hadn't led for a single second of a fourth quarter in its previous 20 games. But it started from the first possession of the game, in which they drove down the field for a touchdown in seven plays, the kind of start that was unlike their recent experiences.

"We made a mindset that we're going to go out there and put our best foot forward and see what happens," said veteran wideout Adam Thielen. "And obviously, Andy did a great job of just communicating and leading us and starting fast. That was his message to us. Like we've got to go start fast and he was able to lead that first drive and get the momentum.

"I mean, I think when you go and score early, that's a huge help. But yeah, his communication, his confidence and then again, just being able to start fast and he really controlled that by the way that he played."

That's the kind of confidence that's only born out of experience and having been in similar situations. In his 14th season and within sight of his 37th birthday, it's hard to rattle Dalton because he's seen so many things.

(Also, he became the fourth quarterback in Panthers history on the other side of his 35th birthday to start and win a game, joining Rodney Peete, Steve Beuerlein, and Vinny Testaverde.)

"Honestly, it's just what I expected out of him," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. "You know, we practiced the things, the receivers were in the right spots for him, and he took advantage when they gave us favorable coverages."

If there was a subtext to the subdued edge the party had, it was the fact this week began with Canales benching former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, the guy Dalton signed here to be a backup for. Canales called it a "heavy week," and Dalton said he's had a number of conversations with Young that he wanted to keep private.

"I mean, it definitely was a heavy week," Dalton said. "And hard on a lot of people."

But with that came the lightness of a win, a relief that they hadn't enjoyed in some time (their last victory was Dec. 17, 2023 against the Falcons).

Players talked about the happiness that came with complementary football and how Dalton and the offense's early juice lifted the entire team.

"I thought our guys came out with the right attitude, the right mentality from the start and we never slowed down," Dalton said. "And that was the fun part about it is we didn't just put one drive together, we were able to do it the whole game, play complementary football, and guys were having a ton of fun, and that's how it should be."

Fun has been in short supply on those long rides home (the last road win was in the 2022 season finale in New Orleans, and there were two coaching changes since then). And as much as they enjoyed it, there was also a recognition that there were no promises this season.

This was one good day. It was one a lot of people needed.

"I mean, it shows what we can do," Dalton said. "And I think that's for us, it's like, all right, we showed what our standard is now, we know what we can do and the goal is to be able to prove that each week.

"And for us, this was a big win, first one of the year and now it's like, OK, let's go. We know the possibilities out there. We've got to go play to that standard."