Bryce Young's upped tempo
Bryce Young is a rhythm quarterback. When the flow is good and everything around him is up to the required standard, he's a highly competent presence under center. That took longer than expected against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who controlled the clock on offense and seized an early lead they never let go.
This forced Young to force the issue with the deficit at two scores heading into the closing stages. Some egregious officiating calls didn't exactly help his cause, but he started to settle down in a higher-tempo offense.
What head coach Dave Canales was doing, calling a flea flicker in difficult conditions when they were moving the football effectively, is anyone's guess. Still, the 2023 first-rounder looked a lot more comfortable running this sort of strategy.
The Panthers left themselves too much to do, which has typically been the case once they start slowly. Everything seemed to be against Young, but he kept fighting hard and took what the defense gave him, which was essential given Carolina's receivers' difficulty getting open downfield.
It may not have been enough. Had Canales opened up his playbook a little bit more early on, things might have been different. But alas, it wasn't to be.
Bryce Young came up agonizingly short despite a good performance
This game was always going to be decided by a few moments. Bryce Young didn't stop driving his team forward, but the Carolina Panthers gave him a mountain to climb.
The two turnovers were crucial. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knew precisely how to exploit Ejiro Evero's defense. They ran up the gut and found the soft spots in the zone almost constantly. Baker Mayfield's sorcery to avoid being sacked and make unbelievable plays was back-breaking on occasion.
Young tried to match him stride for stride, but the supporting cast didn't meet their end of the bargain. The ground attack was almost nonexistent. When even one critical unit isn't up to the required standard performance-wise, the Panthers often come unstuck.
Carolina now has to rely on the Atlanta Falcons beating the New Orleans Saints to guarantee their playoff berth. They'd be stumbling into the knockout rounds rather than leaving no doubt, but the Panthers will take anything they can get to end their drought.
Young didn't get a chance to tip the scales down the stretch. He gave them a fighting chance with a lovely throw to Jalen Coker for a touchdown, but it was a disappointing overall effort against a highly beatable team.