Bryce Young was riding on the crest of a wave heading into the Carolina Panthers' divisional matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 13. Something the quarterback richly deserved after finally putting a consistent run of positive performances together.
Young seized the moment since coming back into the starting lineup. His composure in the face of sustained pressure in Week 12 versus the Kansas City Chiefs was the best output of his professional career to date. There's a long road ahead and nothing is guaranteed, but it looks like the Panthers might have a franchise player on their hands when all hope seemed lost.
That's the biggest compliment one could pay to Young at this juncture. The Panthers might still go in a different direction unless the same trend continues. It's up to the Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama to leave no doubt.
The former Alabama star had a chance to further bolster his rising stock versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Young's not enjoyed the best fortunes against this division rival since entering the league, so a strong effort would be another sign things are trending up at long last.
As it turned out, Young did everything he could. Unfortunately, the Panthers were undone in overtime after spurning huge opportunities to secure success in front of their home fans.
With this in mind, here are five major observations from Young's performance in Week 13 at Bank of America Stadium.
Major observations from Bryce Young's performance vs. Buccaneers
Bryce Young's comfort
One of the biggest positives surrounding Bryce Young's renaissance centers on his comfort level. He's displayed remarkable improvements in this key area, which was evident once again against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Young looks more comfortable in himself and the offensive scheme being deployed by head coach Dave Canales. There are no wasted moments. Everything is on point pre-snap and he's making smart decisions. There's a long way to go and a lot of hard work ahead, but this represents an outstanding foundation from which to build.
His teammates are more comfortable with his presence under center. The dissension and unhappiness with the quarterback's erratic performances before his benching has evaporated. Young can't help but notice this and is growing in stature as a result.
The Buccaneers tried to make life uncomfortable for Young. He met them head-on and gained significant success in a high-pressure setting.
Bryce Young's outstanding first half
Bryce Young wasn't going to wait for this game to come to him. He was aggressive right out of the gate and maintained this mindset throughout an outstanding first half versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Young didn't make every throw. His receivers also suffered some drops in key moments. The Carolina Panthers didn't maximize their scoring opportunities effectively enough, but they were more than a match for the Buccaneers through the opening two quarters.
There isn't much that Young cannot handle these days. Even when the rushing attack was finding life difficult, the signal-caller made superb throws in crucial moments to keep the chains moving.
The Mater Dei High School product was fearless as Carolina went into the interval with a slender advantage. Young's good first-half display was also reflected in his statistics, which represented another big step in the right direction.
- 57.14 percent completion
- 150 passing yards
- 0 passing touchdowns
- 0 interceptions
- 0 sacks against
- 12 rushing yards
- 1 rushing touchdown
- 79.5 passer rating (ESPN)
Young is starting to look like the quarterback who took college football by storm at Alabama. It's not perfect, but the first half let Tampa Bay know they had a legitimate fight on their hands.
Bryce Young's mobility
One can understand why Dave Canales doesn't want Bryce Young running too much. Much has been made about his slender frame and lack of prototypical NFL size. Even so, his mobility in and out of the pocket remains his most underrated trait.
Young has no trouble getting out on the move when a play isn't developing as expected. This was evidenced by his eye-catching rushing touchdown in the first half. However, his maneuverability in the pocket was even more impressive in Week 13.
The signal-caller's elusiveness in tight spaces and ability to throw with supreme precision on the move was jaw-dropping at times. This was one of his biggest strengths in college and it's finally being utilized in the pros.
The growing trust between Young and Canales is allowing his creativity to flourish. Carolina's head coach wasn't too keen on throwing the former No. 1 overall selection into the fire. Andy Dalton's injury forced his hand, so taking the shackles off from a schematic standpoint and providing opportunities to make plays out of structure is having the desired effect.
Bryce Young's clutch gene
Bryce Young has been involved in plenty of crucial moments. He always seems to thrive in the clutch.
The Carolina Panthers had another opportunity to win the game late. They were down four with a little over two minutes remaining. Young stayed calm and composed. He came through for his team in the biggest moment.
Young's calmness when the pressure is on continues to be a huge positive. He drove the Panthers downfield with immense purpose. This culminated in stepping up in the pocket before unleashing a touchdown strike to his favorite target, veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, to send Bank of America Stadium into boundless delirium.
for the lead!
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 2, 2024
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/KiUrAKIe8R
He was in complete control. Young was undaunted by the magnitude of the moment. When the game is on the line, he steps up. This wasn't a one-off, there are several examples throughout his turbulent career that state this as fact.
Carolina is in good hands with Young. Especially when the stakes are highest.
Bryce Young's redemption arc grows
Bryce Young did nothing to diminish his redemption arc in this one. The signal-caller managed to grow it.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did everything possible to slow Young down. Todd Bowles threw exotic blitzes at the signal-caller in pursuit of causing panic. It seldom arrived, but converting red-zone chances into touchdowns made this game much closer than it needed to be.
That's the next challenge for Young and the Panthers. It can be fixed by improved play-calling at the business end of the field and better execution from the players at Dave Canales' disposal. Once this problem gets figured out, Carolina is going to be a difficult proposition to overcome.
Young is stacking good performances. This one got away from the Panthers when the result could have easily gone the other way. Being competitive is one thing. Coming through in close games and turning them into victories is another matter.
Make no mistake, this was not on Young. He was way down the list of reasons why the Panthers couldn't get the job done.
This is all part of the learning experience for Young and Canales. The Panthers are not too far away. If the signal-caller continues his productive output over the next five games, that should be enough for Carolina to give him another go-around in 2025.