Carolina Panthers saved Bryce Young from unnecessary punishment
The Carolina Panthers didn't need to risk Bryce Young for more than three quarters. They were getting pummeled all over the field, and head coach Dave Canales finally took him out of the firing line to protect his prized possession.
The Panthers weren't blocking anybody. They were bullied in every phase, and their lack of effort against a division rival was disgraceful.
Young wasn't at his best, either. And with a short week before taking on the Green Bay Packers for Thursday Night Football, erring on the side of caution was imperative.
Losing right tackle Taylor Moton to what looked like a serious leg injury was the icing on a very bitter cake. The Panthers' coaching staff had to protect Young, since nobody else seemed capable, and Kenny Pickett got the chance to get reps in a blowout loss.
This looked a lot like the Panthers team from Dave Canales' first season at the helm. The head coach once again talked about an opportunity for championship football in this one, and they fell flat. And there was a lot of blame to go around during a complete abomination that left far more questions than answers.
At least they saved Young from any further punishment. That's something, at least.
Bryce Young must move on from this performance quickly
Bryce Young had a bad day at the office. The whole team did too, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers getting what they wanted on their way to a complete domination of their NFC South adversary.
But the most important thing for Young now is to move on quickly from his worst performance of the campaign by a considerable margin.
The Panthers and Young have no time to wallow in self-pity. They have a testing trip to Lambeau Field ahead of them on prime time, and they will have to perform much better than this to bounce back at the first sign of trouble. The Packers have been in tremendous form lately, so only improvements will do.
Young was arguably due for a bad performance. He's been lights out to start the season, and he simply had too much to do. The individual mistakes cannot happen again, so it'll be interesting to see how the quarterback responds to the first real taste of legitimate adversity this season.
Very few (if any) Panthers players emerged from this one with credit. Young won't remember this game with much fondness, but the importance of what comes next cannot be overstated.
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