The Carolina Panthers came up just short in a 30-27 loss on Sunday to the Kansas City Chiefs. But Bryce Young went toe-to-toe with the best team in the NFL, and one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the league, and didn't blink.
Young completed 21-of-35 passing for 263 yards and a touchdown. It was the second-most passing yards in his short career. Trailing 27-19 with just over two minutes to play, Young engineered a game-tying touchdown drive. He dropped a dime to Xavier Leggette that was dropped but picked up a crucial 4th-and-3 completion to Adam Thielen.
Young threw up a contested ball into the endzone to Thielen on the next play that resulted in a pass interference. Chuba Hubbard punched in the touchdown and the two-point conversion to tie the game. Unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes did what he often does and led the game-winning drive for the Chiefs to hand the Panthers the loss. But this was proof of concept for Young more than any other game in his career so far. He looked like a legitimate NFL starting quarterback and flashed all the potential that made him the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Bryce Young’s numbers today aren’t going to blow anyone away, but his performance against a very good Chiefs defense does speak to the argument for letting young players develop and grow before making an ultimate judgement on them.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) November 24, 2024
Bryce Young had a 73rd percentile EPA/play against the Chiefs, handled the blitz, and thew the ball well down the field
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) November 24, 2024
Young was 11/14 for 123 yards and a TD against the blitz and 9/16 for 165 yards on throws 10+ yards down the field, per NFL Pro pic.twitter.com/PTianrtl4v
After struggling through the first two weeks of the season, Young was benched in favor of veteran QB Andy Dalton. It looked like Young's career in Carolina was over after just 18 starts. Pundits and fans had already labeled him a bust, and his future in the NFL was uncertain.
Young clearly took the benching to heart and spent the few weeks he was Dalton's backup watching and learning. For the first time, he was able to sit back and watch a veteran QB operate. It speaks to how important it is for young quarterbacks to not be rushed to start and to have a veteran around to show them the ropes.
Because as soon as Young got back into the starting lineup following Dalton's thumb injury, he hasn't relinquished the job even with Dalton healthy.
Young has now started four games since coming back and has led the Panthers to a 2-2 record. He led them to back-to-back wins over the Saints and then the Giants in Germany. After a bye week, Young looked better than he ever has as a pro against the Chiefs.
Young is still just 23 years old. He is undeniably talented. He began his career in difficult circumstances with little help surrounding him in Carolina. He still doesn't have a ton, but he's making the most of it and getting more comfortable by the day.
It was far too early to give up on him. The Panthers are seeing that now. And while it still remains to be seen what his future will be in Carolina, it would be hard to move on from him after how well he has played in recent weeks.
All the fans and pundits who were ready to label Young not only as a bust but perhaps the biggest bust in NFL history, owe him an apology. An apology that was just as loud as all the disrespect was.