Bryce Young's efficient first half
Bryce Young's first half was efficient. It was nothing spectacular by any stretch of the imagination, but the quarterback protected the football within a scheme that relied heavily on the run game and short passes.
That was to be expected. The Carolina Panthers were not going to let Young be a gunslinger given his previous production and wayward decision-making. Had wide receiver Xavier Legette not dropped a big gain late in the second half, there could have been more than seven points on their board by the interval.
These thoughts were reflected in the stats. Accurate, but not much in the way of yardage when push came to shove versus a stout Denver Broncos defense.
- 78.57 percent completion
- 60 passing yards
- 1 touchdown
- 0 interceptions
- 0 sacks against
- 4 rushing yards
- 108.3 passer rating (ESPN)
Carolina's defensive woes continued as rookie signal-caller Bo Nix looked like the second coming of John Elway in the first half. Young's output didn't come close, but this was always the danger despite Ejiro Evero's unit getting some established veterans back into the rotation.
Bryce Young's inner restrictions
All eyes were on Dave Canales to see how his offensive strategy would look with Bryce Young under center. The head coach benched him for a reason. This centered on a lack of confidence he could manage his strategies effectively.
The system was riskless. Young was given short completions in the hope his playmakers could make things happen after the catch. When opportunities arose downfield, there were inner restrictions the signal-caller couldn't overcome.
The scheme was uninventive. Young's hesitancy was evident. That's a bad combination and a reason why this relationship between the quarterback and his coach seems to be disintegrating rapidly.
Things opened up slightly in the second half. But to nobody's surprise, the spark was sorely lacking from almost everyone involved. It's been the tale of the tape this season and shows no signs of getting better anytime soon.