Bryce Young is starting to figure out who he is. It's taken a while for the Carolina Panthers quarterback, and it's been a rollercoaster along the way, but he's found an identity within head coach Dave Canales' scheme at long last.
The Panthers are a run-first team, led by Rico Dowdle and a strong offensive line. This allows Young to manage games effectively, take what defenses give him, and rely on his sharp processing to move the chains when needed. And when the former Alabama standout gets the chance to come through in the clutch, he almost always delivers the goods.
Young experienced something rare in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints. The signal-caller was going into the game as a heavy favorite for one of the first times in his professional career. That's a testament to how far the Panthers have come in Year 2 under Canales, but it represented a different type of pressure for the Heisman Trophy winner and his supporting cast.
As it turned out, Young was woeful, and the Panthers were stunned on home turf by the Saints to the dismay oof those in attendance.
With this in mind, here are five significant observations from Young's performance against New Orleans in Week 10.
Major observations from Bryce Young's performance against the Saints
Bryce Young's lack of early rhythm
Bryce Young found life difficult during the opening exchanges despite leading a touchdown drive to begin the contest. There was no real rhythm, and everything felt flat. He wasn't alone, but it seemed like the New Orleans Saints had the correct game plan in place immediately.
These complications stemmed from timing. Everything was off, whether it was the route-running of his wide receivers or Young's ability to hit them in stride. The Panthers struggled to run the ball, and that had a ripple effect. There were also a couple of batted passes at the line of scrimmage that could have been a lot worse.
Veteran linebacker Demario Davis had Young's number. He deflected a pass and baited the signal-caller into an interception that was overturned due to a New Orleans infringement on the play. He seemed to know where the Mater Dei High School graduate was going to go with the football almost every time, and several offensive drives stalled as a result.
The blueprint had been lost. New Orleans stopped the run. They found ways to pressure Young, but there was no consistent upbeat rhythm. Unfortunately, this proved to be the case throughout a woeful first-half offensive display when much more was expected of Carolina in this one.
Bryce Young's frustrating first half
As previously mentioned, these problems began early for Bryce Young and continued throughout the first half. It seemed like the Carolina Panthers felt like they could turn up and get whatever they wanted against the New Orleans Saints. But as every fan knows, the NFL doesn't work like that.
Everything must be earned, especially in division battles versus a team with absolutely nothing to lose. All the pressure was on Carolina, and it showed throughout a dismal opening two quarters that couldn't be classed as anything other than disjointed from the Panthers' perspective.
Young wasn't the only one who struggled, but his frustrations were more pronounced than those of others. And perhaps unsurprisingly, this was reflected in the quarterback's first-half stats.
- 61.53 percent completion (8/13)
- 54 passing yards
- 0 touchdowns
- 0 interceptions
- 6 rushing yards (1 carry)
- 2 sacks against
- 70.7 passer rating (ESPN)
There was no need to panic. The Panthers were only down three, so they were far from out of the fight. At the same time, the need for significant adjustments couldn't be overstated, because nothing they were doing to best the Saints had the desired effect.
This was a wake-up call. And the team favored to win was booed off the turf at Bank of America Stadium for their lackluster first-half efforts.
Explosive plays (or lack thereof)
Even though Bryce Young and the Panthers have made strides in recent weeks, there remain limitations. Specifically, the lack of explosive plays, either being called by Dave Canales or executed by the signal-caller.
The Panthers have been able to open things up on the back of Rico Dowdle's exceptional rushing. It was clear from early on that this wasn't going to happen against the Saints. However, there was apparent hesitancy to push the ball downfield, an ongoing concern that shows no signs of abating.
Young doesn't have the biggest arm. He is more comfortable working the short to intermediate areas of the field; that much is painfully obvious. There were one or two moments when the quarterback threw for lofty gains. Still, the separation wasn't there from the receivers, and the accuracy downfield wasn't evident enough from Carolina's man under center.
Airing it out is not how the Panthers are built right now. The Saints knew that forcing Young to make the issue was their best chance of winning. It stifled an offense that had been difficult to stop previously. And the quarterback needs to do a better job of making things happen when opportunities for explosive plays arise.
Otherwise, the Panthers are going to get found out against better opposition.
Saints dared Bryce Young to beat them, and it worked
The New Orleans Saints were not going to let Rico Dowdle win this game for the Carolina Panthers. Their game plan revolved around restricting the running back after his mesmerizing run of form in recent weeks. Simply put, they dared quarterback Bryce Young to beat them.
They put the game in Young's hands. The Saints thought that was their way of being more competitive, and it worked.
There was something amiss about the offense for most of the afternoon. Young looked jittery for the first time in weeks. He was second-guessing himself, which is never a good thing. And even though the Panthers got every lucky opportunity imaginable, it was swiftly followed by a mistake.
This was no more evident than when the ball was recovered after a blocked field goal, which ended in a Young fumble after his botched hand-off to Jimmy Horn Jr. Nic Scourton's sack turned the football over on downs. Still, Young threw a pick almost immediately on the following drive. It was just a complete mess, more in keeping with his production as a rookie and before his benching last season.
The Saints have faced Young enough times to know what he can and can't do. And they exposed his weaknesses in no uncertain terms.
Bryce Young took a significant step back
There is no getting around it; this represented a massive step back for Bryce Young. Old habits returned, and most of the team's failures came from the signal-caller. And a game that the Panthers were expected to win comfortably fell by the wayside.
Young has had some indifferent games earlier in the campaign, but this was arguably his worst. The accuracy was nonexistent. He wasn't making the correct reads, and the trust in his offensive line evaporated when pressure began to get through. And when that happens, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft is prone to mistakes.
This wasn't very pleasant to watch for fans. Young was outplayed by rookie Tyler Shough. The Panthers were outschemed and outexecuted from start to finish. It was an afternoon to forget, and Carolina was outclassed by a Saints team that had won only one game before visiting Bank of America Stadium.
It represented a brutal reality check for Young. This was a sign of the hard work ahead, and it does nothing to diminish concerns about whether he is the right man to lead this team long-term. There is still time to alleviate all doubts, but he can ill-afford another outing like this.