Bryce Young's numbers have been down in recent weeks. That's not a big surprise after an electrifying start, but the Carolina Panthers needed their quarterback to come through in a pivotal division showdown against the New Orleans Saints.
Young is on the right track this season. The Panthers might be on a three-game skid and sitting 3-5 in the standings, but they have found their signal-caller of the future. There's little doubt about that, even if the former Alabama star will always have his critics.
The Panthers were in a precarious situation heading into this one. And that might be understating things.
They were somehow still winning the NFC South, but any margin for error has now gone. New Orleans hasn't been a prolific force on home turf, but it's also worth remembering that Carolina hasn't had much success against the Saints in recent years.
Big games need big players. There is no bigger or more important player to the Panthers than Young. He's the quarterback and the leader everyone looks to for inspiration. But with pressure building on everyone, nothing but a positive result would do.
As it turned out, Young and the Panthers were not at their best by any stretch of the imagination. But they managed to hold firm down the stretch for a much-needed triiumph.
With that in mind, here are five major observations from Young's performance against the Saints.
Major observations from Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young's performance against the Saints
Bryce Young's slow start
It didn't take long to figure out why these two teams are sitting at 3-5. The standard of football was poor, and mistakes littered the opening exchanges. This also resulted in a slow start for Bryce Young.
Despite the Panthers creating two turnovers, Young couldn't turn them into points. He was let down by a big drop from tight end Darren Waller when a big gain could have come, and the offensive line also picked up a couple of frustrating penalties at key moments.
There wasn't much time for Young to get into any sort of rhythm. The Panthers recognized that the protection was finding life tough, so they took the pressure off by running the football. Young did manage to move the chains when needed, mostly relying on short completions.
This was not unexpected. Both teams were undoubtedly nervous, given the game's significance within the NFC South. That led to poor execution, but Young settled down after some early jitters.
The Panthers and Saints are both struggling to find any momentum. Young was dragged down with them, although there were a couple of throws he would no doubt like to have back.
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