After missing last weekend's abomination against the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Bryce Young was leading the charge once again in Week 9. And a test of epic proportions awaited him during his testing trip to the Green Bay Packers.
Young recovered quickly from a high ankle sprain. The signal-caller is probably not at 100 percent, but there was no choice but to get him swiftly involved after veteran backup Andy Dalton sustained a broken thumb versus the Bills. And in all honesty, the offense runs much more smoothly when the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft is under center.
Things were not looking especially promising. The Packers are the NFC's top playoff seed right now. Carolina also entered the contest with a patchwork offensive line, missing starting center Cade Mays and stud right tackle Taylor Moton. It's not ideal, but Young has overcome plenty of adversity throughout his NFL career. This is nothing new.
Nobody was expecting the Panthers to keep this one competitive. The Packers were double-digit favorites among sportsbooks, and with good reason. But make no mistake, Young and his teammates weren't planning to roll over and accept their fate.
As it turned out, Young came through when it counted to get a morale-boosting win for the Panthers against all odds.
With this in mind, here are five critical observations from Young's outing at Lambeau Field.
Major observations from Bryce Young's performance against the Packers
Bryce Young against the elements
This was not an easy game in more ways than one. Bryce Young was dealing with a formidable Green Bay Packers defense, but there were also the elements making life uncomfortable for the third-year signal-caller.
Winds were reaching 28 miles per hour at Lambeau Field. Throwing was difficult, and there were times when the ball seemed to get away from Young. One such example was in a key moment in the first half.
Young drove the Panthers downfield with a red-zone opportunity to score the game's opening touchdown. Whether it was the wrong read or a bad throw is debatable, but it came out of his hands weirdly. The Heisman Trophy winner paid a heavy price, with his pass intended for sixth-round rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. intercepted by veteran safety Xavier McKinney.
There was an obvious adjustment period early in the contest. Young did a nice job overall. Two outstanding throws to Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan caught the eye, in particular. But it was clear from the outset that the wind would have a significant impact on the game's outcome.
It wasn't perfect from Young. But considering the weather conditions and the fact that he's still nursing a high ankle sprain, it was never going to be.
Bryce Young's clock control
The Carolina Panthers knew that the best way to restrict the Green Bay Packers was to keep their offense off the field. This meant that quarterback Bryce Young had to control the clock by any means necessary.
Fortunately, this is an area of Young's game that has come on encouragingly in recent weeks.
He's an assured presence under center. The calls were coming in quickly, and the quarterback had enough time to read the defense, make the necessary checks, and set the tempo. This was a far cry from how things looked last weekend, which points to the increased confidence with which the Mater Dei High School graduate is going about his business these days.
The Panthers restricted Green Bay to just three first-half drives on offense, and one of those didn't start until well into the two-minute warning. Rico Dowdle's effective rushing had a lot to do with it, but Young's game management is rapidly becoming a solid foundation from which to build.
He knows how to decrease or increase the tempo depending on the situation. Young is aware of his surroundings and is rarely flustered, even in the hostile Lambeau Field atmosphere. It might not sound like much, but having this command is an overlooked yet essential part of his potential renaissance.
Bryce Young's stuttering first half
It was a stuttering first half from Bryce Young. The Panthers were ahead at the break, but the quarterback put together a frustrating opening two quarters that were littered with good and bad moments.
As previously mentioned, Young threw an ill-advised interception to Jimmy Horn Jr. when there were better options available. He also almost lost a fumble, which was fortunately scooped up by running back Chuba Hubbard. But the game plan wasn't all executed ineffectively.
Young looked mobile in the pocket. He made some impressive throws across the middle and took advantage of play-action opportunities when they arose. More injuries along the offensive line didn't help, but the No. 1 pick in 2023 adapted well overall.
The first-half statistics were nothing spectacular. But dictating the tempo and a strong defensive showing left Carolina firmly in the contest.
- 60 percent completion (6-of-10)
- 66 passing yards
- 0 touchdowns
- 1 interception
- 1 sack against
- 4 rushing yards
- 40.0 passer rating (ESPN)
This was not going to be a day where Young put up elite numbers or carried the team on his back. The Panthers needed a collective effort to topple one of the leading Super Bowl contenders. While the turnover wasn't ideal, there was more than enough to encourage.
Bryce Young's ankle
The Carolina Panthers gave quarterback Bryce Young a whole week of practice, and they were suitably impressed with how his high ankle sprain responded. However, watching how the signal-caller fared under pressure would be a completely different measuring stick for his rehabilitation.
While Young struggled to get anything going in the passing game, that wasn't because of his ankle. If the player was feeling any lingering effects from the issue sustained against the New York Jets, he didn't show it.
There was trust to step up in the pocket without much need to backlift on his throws. And when there was a need to escape from the pocket, the elusiveness and short-area quickness were as if no health problem had occurred.
Things didn't quite click for Young under challenging conditions. But seeing him move around with almost no restrictions was arguably the most pleasing aspect of his performance.
High ankle sprains can be tricky. If a player comes back when it's not fully healed, things tend to flare up again. That didn't look to be the case with Young, so the extended rest he received in Week 8 was the correct call to make from head coach Dave Canales and his staff.
It wasn't pretty, but Bryce Young did just enough
The Panthers were 13.5-point underdogs heading into the game, but a rousing effort saw quarterback Bryce Young have the chance to lead another game-winning drive. And not for the first time, he delivered.
Young didn't need to do too much. The Panthers relied heavily on Rico Dowdle again. Still, his exceptional improvisation under pressure before delivering a strike to wide receiver Jalen Coker did just enough to keep the drive alive.
A few short plays later, undrafted rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald had the chance to walk off a memorable win for the Panthers. He produced the goods with his customary composure to seal the most impressive result of the Dave Canales era.
It wasn't pretty from Young overall; far from it, actually. Even so, the signal-caller's poise in the most significant moments once again came to the fore. And when it's all said and done, this will go down as another contest where he took his team downfield to deliver the goods.
This was an incredible turning point for the Panthers. Nobody gave them a chance, and they rose in the face of adversity to put the entire NFL on notice.
Young played his part. It wasn't as impressive as some of his performances, but the result was all that mattered.