Bryce Young's resolve
In many ways, all the adversity Bryce Young has dealt with throughout his career has been beneficial. The Carolina Panthers know they have a quarterback who'll stay the course — who won't back down in the face of adversity. And no matter how bad things might be, his poise will never change.
That was evident from early on against the Atlanta Falcons. Some quarterbacks would wilt under the pressure, especially given all the harsh takes about not being the guy long-term in Carolina. He remained unflustered, ignoring the outside noise and doing whatever was needed to respond positively.
To say he did that would be an understatement. Young was the driving force behind Carolina's success in this one. There was a newfound urgency in everything he did. And the composure he displayed allowed him to see the field effectively, go through his progressions quickly, and make the right reads more often than not.
Perhaps this was a mentality thing about playing the Falcons. Young's had some fantastic games against Carolina's bitter division rival. That provided him with some inner comfort to do the same, and he achieved this objective emphatically.
If there was any lingering doubt about Young's character and determination, this was enough to quash it for good.
Bryce Young was nothing short of heroic
The Panthers know that when Bryce Young gets the chance to come through in the clutch, he almost always delivers. And Carolina hung around just long enough to provide the signal-caller with an opportunity for another game-winning drive.
Young has the clutch gene. He proved it on countless occasions in college at Alabama, and he's developed a strong reputation for doing the same in the pros. The cerebral signal-caller got the chance to add another to his list down the stretch in Atlanta, but the ankle issue suffered earlier in the contest came back to haunt him.
The signs were there early in the drive. Young landed awkwardly and was hobbling. He stayed in the game, but the ankle appeared to give out on him on a crucial fourth down that saw him buckle to the ground for a turnover on downs.
Atlanta only managed a field goal, which gave Young one more opportunity to flourish in the highest stakes. And he came through.
Young marched the Panthers downfield heroically. After Rico Dowdle narrowly stepped out of bounds on his touchdown run, it was down to the quarterback. He created space off structure before finding Tetairoa McMillan for the score. He also delivered a strike to Jalen Coker for the two-point conversion.
The game went to overtime. And yet again, Young produced the goods. The Panthers won to sweep Atlanta, and everything is looking up after so much doom and gloom in recent days.
Bryce Young, the clutch king.