Smiling ear-to-ear, Bryce Young embraced Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales after walking off the field on Sunday following a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over the New Orleans Saints. It was the return of that million-dollar smile that had disappeared for the majority of his tenure in Carolina. The joy had been zapped from the former Alabama Crimson Tide Heisman Trophy winner. On Sunday, at least for one afternoon, that joy was back.
Young was benched after the second game of the 2024 season. The Panthers had been blown out by the Saints and Chargers, mustering 13 points across the two games. It looked like the franchise was giving up on the player they took No. 1 overall just 18 months prior. Veteran Andy Dalton was given the reigns.
Dalton led the Panthers to a victory in his first start, but Carolina lost four in a row following that, shocking everyone that the team's issues went far beyond one position.
Dalton injured his thumb in a car accident, which opened the door for Young to start again. He returned last week against the Broncos in a 28-14 losing effort. He threw for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss, but looked more confident and sure of himself.
On Sunday, Young engineered a game-winning drive with just over two-minutes to play to lead the Panthers to a 23-22 win over the Saints. Young threw for 171 yards on 16-26 passing with a touchdown and an interception. The interception is a microcosm of the lack of support that has plagued him in his year and a half in Carolina. two minutes
Bryce Young making this throw and taking a +1 in the INT column is just unfair.pic.twitter.com/50fRTSsl9b
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) November 3, 2024
This was a DOT. Box score watchers will use this as evidence of Young still struggling, but he should have had a clean sheet yesterday. This throw was not interception worthy in the slightest.
It is unclear what this performance means for Young moving forward. Canales said in the postgame that he is undecided on whether Young will continue to start or if the team will go back to a healthy Andy Dalton.
In the worst case, Young's performance should make him more appealing as a trade candidate in the offseason. Many teams are still interested in his talent and would give him an opportunity with a clean slate. His performance the last couple of weeks, even if he finds himself back on the bench, increased his trade value.
If nothing else, just seeing Young happy to be playing the game he loves again was a big enough win.