Bryce Young spent the bye week resting and, no doubt, enjoying the adulation he was receiving from the national media. It's been a sensational start for the quarterback, who is making people think a little differently about the Carolina Panthers these days.
However, a stern test of his credentials awaited him upon returning to action.
Young and the Panthers traveled to Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. While they are dealing with real offensive issues and are without quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley, their defense remains a force.
This posed a challenge for Young. Vic Fangio is one of the league's most accomplished defensive coordinators. Getting one over on him would be immensely difficult, but the former Alabama is brimming with confidence, and the extra time to prepare gave him a fighting chance if nothing else.
These are the sorts of games Carolina has struggled to win under head coach Dave Canales. They play up to their competition, but when they are favored, things can unravel. But now, Young's determined resolve is changing the narrative.
As it turned out, Young and the Panthers managed to meet expectations, producing the goods for a comfortable victory over the Eagles to get themselves above .500.
With that in mind, here are five major observations from Young's performance against the vaunted Eagles defensive unit.
Major observations from Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young's performance against the Eagles
Bryce Young's pocket conviction
Bryce Young never had it all his way in this one. The Eagles' defensive front is formidable, led by the star tandem of Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. As expected, they were pushing the pile consistently, which left the signal-caller restricted in what he could do and where he could go.
Young's toughness came to the fore. He stood in the pocket superbly and delivered the football on time for the most part, despite pressure coming in his face quickly. The Heisman Trophy winner had a couple of passes batted at the line of scrimmage, but the resilience displayed was an encouraging positive to take from the contest.
The Panthers' offensive line welcomed back left guard Damien Lewis and right tackle Taylor Moton, but stopping Davis and Carter for a full game is almost impossible. Young found that out, but his fast thinking and improved decisiveness kept complications to a minimum.
It would have been easy for Young to panic, use his legs more, and get out of the way with Carter and Davis bearing down on him. But he's comfortable enough to show his mettle inside the pocket, and the conviction to go through his reads under duress was eye-catching.
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