This was the big moment Bryce Young had been waiting for. It's why the Carolina Panthers gave up a king's ransom to take the quarterback at No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Panthers embarked on a pivotal division championship showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a high-stakes game this once-downtrodden franchise isn't used to, so handling the moment and focusing on the task at hand was crucial. And if Carolina was going to achieve its objectives, Young had to lead from the front.
The former Alabama standout has been a model of composure for the Panthers this season. It's been another rollercoaster for everyone involved, but having a signal-caller who stays on an even keel gives this organization real hope that they can gradually turn the tide after years of languishing among the also-rans.
Tampa Bay wasn't going to make it easy. They've had a stranglehold on the NFC South for years, and former Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield is never lacking motivation when going up against his old employers. The Buccaneers have also been in plenty of situations like this before, with everything on the line, so the task awaiting Young and Carolina was steep.
As it turned out, Young was magnficent as the Panthers sealed a dramatic triumph to move into first place wiithin the division with just two games remaining.
With this in mind, here are five significant observations from Young's performance in Week 16 at Bank of America Stadium.
Major observations from Bryce Young's performance against the Buccaneers
Bryce Young's early rhythm
It wasn't easy for quarterback Bryce Young to find his groove early on. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers controlled the clock with long drives that frustrated the Carolina Panthers. Baker Mayfield didn't get many yards through the air, but the run game was showing up at the best possible time.
Young found things more difficult. The timing seemed off, and there were some egregious drops thrown in for good measure. Xavier Legette was the biggest culprit, and the wideout also lacked awareness by failing to keep his feet in bounds for another potentially significant gain.
This would have been enough to send Young on a concerning tangent earlier in his career. Thankfully, he's come on a lot since then, and his supreme resolve to keep the main thing at the forefront of his mindset ensured he wasn't going to be kept down for long.
It all changed as the half progressed. Young is a tempo quarterback, and once he finds the formula, he's capable of picking apart any defensive unit these days.