5 major observations from Bryce Young's performance against the Dolphins

The Carolina Panthers needed a win in the worst possible way against the Miami Dolphins. Pressure is building, and quarterback Bryce Young has been carrying the can.

Young is relatively low on the list of problems Carolina is currently dealing with. However, quarterbacks are held to a higher standard, and some fans are starting to wonder if the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft can take the Panthers where they want to go.

Head coach Dave Canales is already taking questions about whether Young is going to be the starter from week to week. That is extremely harsh on the signal-caller, but nobody has lost faith just yet. Everyone remains firmly behind the Alabama product, and he was confident that things would improve despite some troubling injury issues holding them back.

The Panthers are no closer to finding out if Young can become a franchise-caliber presence under center. He's had some outstanding moments this season, mixed with some critical errors that could have been avoided. There's a need to be more consistent, but at least he's protected the football much better over the last two games before squaring off against a vulnerable Dolphins defensive unit.

As it turned out, the Panthers dug deep after falling behind by 17 points to claim an unlikely victory. Young played his part, but other areas shone more.

Here are five significant observations from Young's performance at Bank of America Stadium.

Major observations from Bryce Young's performance against the Dolphins

Bryce Young's horrendous start

Bryce Young came into Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins under pressure. Things haven't gone well for the Carolina Panthers up to this point, and questions are already starting to surface about the relationship between head coach Dave Canales and his quarterback.

Young's opening to the game at Bank of America Stadium couldn't have gone much worse. He coughed up yet another fumble on the opening drive, which is rapidly becoming a concerning trend that doesn't seem to be improving.

It got worse. On the second series, Young overthrew Xavier Legette and was intercepted by Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins made them pay, scoring a touchdown to increase their lead to 17.

This inevitably sucked the life out of fans. Young isn't a rookie anymore. This is his third season, and the same problems keep coming up over and over again. There were some lovely moments, mainly whenever he went to rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan, but they were nowhere near frequent enough. And besides, they were in a monumental hole.

These mistakes just won't be tolerated for much longer. The Panthers can't keep playing from behind. They can't keep beating themselves. They cannot continue to make fundamental errors and poor decisions under Young's leadership. It's that simple.

Bryce Young's rollercoaster first half

In fairness to Bryce Young, he displayed some bounce-back qualities after a torrid start to the contest. The Carolina Panthers scored 10 unanswered points to get back into the game at halftime. This was a far cry from how the contest started, which tells fans that there is still some fight in this squad.

Young also got it together. The Panthers relied heavily on running back Rico Dowdle, and everything started to click. Young made some decent throws, especially his well-timed delivery to wide receiver Xavier Legette for Carolina's opening touchdown.

It wasn't perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination. However, it could have been a lot worse, considering how things began.

This was reflected in the stats. They were largely impressive, but the two turnovers absolutely destroyed Young and the Panthers right from the start.

• 66.66 percent completion
• 110 passing yards
• 1 touchdown
• 1 interception
• 1 sack against
• 1 fumble lost
• 82.6 passer rating (ESPN)

There was a glimmer of light at the end of a very dark tunnel. All hope was not lost. For all Young's faults, one cannot accuse the Heisman Trophy winner of throwing in the towel, which would have been pretty easy to do.

The Bryce Young connection with Tetairoa McMillan is prolific

There weren't many bright spots, especially in the early stages. However, Bryce Young's connection with rookie first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is officially prolific.

McMillan, the No. 8 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, looks like a superstar. He's the only Panthers' pass-catcher capable of making plays consistently. When Young needed a big play in a crucial moment, there was only one place the signal-caller was looking.

There is an assurance and confidence within Young whenever he directs the football in McMillan's direction. It doesn't have to be a perfect throw. If it's in the wideout's vicinity, he'll come down with it more often than not. This cannot be said of many Carolina receivers in recent memory, and it's clear that this connection is blossoming as the campaign progresses.

The Panthers have numerous issues to address if they want to salvage anything from the campaign. Fortunately, it seems like general manager Dan Morgan has struck gold with McMillan. And there's just no telling how bad things would be for Young if Carolina had gone in a different direction.

Young and McMillan connected on six catches from eight targets for 73 receiving yards. The receiver is firmly in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation, and hopefully, his bond with the quarterback is something that can grow moving forward.

Bryce Young's pressure recognition

For all of Bryce Young's struggles during the game, one area stood out as a positive from which to build. This centered on his pocket presence and pressure recognition.

Young was drafted No. 1 overall due to his exceptional processing speed. There is still work to do, but the signal-caller did a nice job of identifying where pressure was coming from pre-snap. When it eventually arrived, he got out of harm's way, for the most part.

The fumble on the opening drive aside, Young made wise decisions when pressure was in his face. His improvisation allowed him to either get the football out on time or escape before throwing it away. And sometimes, there is nothing wrong with living to fight another day.

This is all part of Young's maturation process. He was on the bench this time last year, so he is growing. That might be hard to see at times when his turnovers create a snowball effect, but the fact that he's developing more composure in the pocket cannot be seen as anything other than positive.

Building consistency in other areas is the next challenge. Young was bailed out by his defense and Carolina's outstanding rushing attack, spearheaded by Rico Dowdle. Still, his intelligence and athleticism when pressure arrived didn't hurt.

Bryce Young came through when it counted

Somehow, some way, the Carolina Panthers still had a chance to win the game late on. Bryce Young's turnovers didn't critically cost the team like they did over the opening two games. Their forceful defense and superb ground game gave them a fighting chance. Whether the signal-caller could deliver is another matter.

Young came through when it counted. There was a heavy dose of the run, but the Mater Dei High School product made some clutch throws in crucial moments. His strike to rookie sixth-rounder Jimmy Horn Jr. on fourth down was outstanding. There was another to Xavier Legette that couldn't have been distributed any better with Miami's defenders closing quickly.

More importantly, Young converted his red-zone chance into a touchdown. A quick play-action left first-year tight end Mitchell Evans with just enough space to find six from close range to give Carolina a priceless victory.

In many ways, the performance was not important. At 1-3, the result is all that mattered. Young wasn't at his best for periods, but he found a way to get the job done in the clutch.

Fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Being 2-3 is a lot better than 1-4, especially with the Dallas Cowboys coming to town next weekend.

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