Bryce Young is only one game into the season. However, the need to put on a good performance during the Carolina Panthers' road trip to the Arizona Cardinals was imperative.
The quarterback took a step back from the high standards he set for himself over the second half of 2024. Young turned the football over three times, and he just wasn't able to generate any consistent momentum. While he was let down by his wide receivers not named Tetrairoa McMillan, the signal-caller won't be looking back on his outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars with any great fondness.
There is one good thing about the NFL: you can wipe the slate clean from week to week. Young is a strong-minded character, which he'll need in no uncertain terms to silence his ever-increasing doubters. And that all started at State Farm Stadium.
The Cardinals smelled blood in the water. They wanted to make things difficult for Young with an explosive defense. They were also brimming with confidence after narrowly seeing off the New Orleans Saints for an opening weekend success.
As it turned out, it was another performance that just got away from Young and the Panthers. Not even a heroic effort in the second half was enough to prevent their second victory in as many games.
With that being said, here are five major observations from Young's second outing of the campaign in Arizona.
Major observations from Bryce Young's performance against the Cardinals
Bryce Young's disastrous start
This is the last thing Bryce Young or anyone associated with the Carolina Panthers needed. His opening two drives were nothing short of catastrophic, and it left Dave Canales' squad with yet another mountain to climb.
First, the quarterback fumbled after being hit by Josh Sweat. Linebacker Zaven Collins scooped it up for a defensive touchdown. But that wasn't all.
Under duress on the next drive, Young threw the football when taking the sack would have been more beneficial. The ball flopped into the air and into the grateful hands of Baron Browning for the interception.
The Cardinals were held to three points, which was something. But if there was dwindling confidence in Young before the game, this reached levels not seen since the benching before Week 3 last season.
There was one positive for Young. There was a long way to go and a lot of football left to play. The Heisman Trophy winner had to get himself off the canvas and display the resolve that got him another shot in 2025. And after this woeful opening to proceedings, the margin for error was slimmer than ever.
Bryce Young's sloppy first half
It wasn't a good start. The same trend continued throughout most of the first half during a period that saw the Carolina Panthers go into the break with a 17-point deficit.
Bryce Young didn't get much going. He didn't give the ball up again, which was something, but aside from Tetairoa McMillan's contribution, it was relatively pedestrian.
There's just no fluidity. No team in the league makes football look harder than the Panthers. They were unprepared and incapable of executing effectively. Young's frustrations were visibly growing, and the tempo was not where it needed to be.
This was reflected in the first-half stats, where Young was concerned. It made for grim viewing, and they typified how things went for the Panthers in another half to forget.
- 64.7 percent completion
- 111 passing yards (6.5 average)
- 0 touchdowns
- 1 interception
- 1 sack against
- 3 rushing yards (1 carry)
- 1 fumble lost
- 58.7 passer rating (ESPN)
Young was chasing the issue. That came from his own hand, but it didn't make things any easier. These slow starts are killing this team, and it doesn't look like it's getting better anytime soon.
A big effort was needed to turn things around. But fans weren't holding out much hope.
Bryce Young isn't in sync with key men
Something is amiss. Last weekend's poor execution and complete lack of communication were put down to early rust. But it didn't take long to realize that the same problems were going to rear their ugly head against the Arizona Cardinals.
There is a real problem between Bryce Young and starting center Austin Corbett. They are rarely aligned. They are often off time. That is unacceptable and should have been resolved pretty early in their preparations for the new campaign.
The play calls are also off. Dave Canales either can't decide which plays to go with or is not capable of communicating the message quickly enough. Either way, it's a bad look, and these complications are avoidable.
Just what the Panthers were doing all summer is anyone's guess. It certainly wasn't prepared effectively, and they are suffering accordingly. Whether they can enhance this cohesion in time for next weekend's game against the Atlanta Falcons is anyone's guess, but it needs to happen soon.
Having so many key men out of sync is stuff you don't even see on competent high school teams. This is the sport's pinnacle, and the same problems keep cropping up over and over again.
Fans deserve better.
Bryce Young's biggest positive was obvious
There was one positive. And it wasn't hard to spot on an afternoon where nothing seemed to go right for Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers' offense.
Young doesn't have much to depend upon in the passing game. That's no excuse for his turnovers or pocket hesitancy, but it's a fact. However, his chemistry with wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan deserves some recognition amid all the doom and gloom.
McMillan looks like a star. He's wasted no time in firmly establishing himself as Young's top target after Adam Thielen was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. There were a couple of misses between the two, but the timing was much more accomplished than anything else going on offensively against the Arizona Cardinals.
This duo won't be able to do it alone, but it's a shining light. McMillan looks like a difference-maker. Young is getting a good feel for where and when he's going to break off his routes. And for all the signal-caller's problems at State Farm Stadium, he was largely accurate when the offensive line kept his pocket clean.
Young and McMillan combined for six catches and 100 receiving yards. It wasn't nearly enough for the Panthers to be competitive, but it was a small silver lining from an otherwise poor day's work.
Bryce Young finished strong after a rough start
Credit to Bryce Young for fighting right until the end. The turnovers are all anybody will remember from the loss, but his second-half showing was pretty impressive, all things considered.
The Panthers' offensive line did their part by giving Young enough time to go through his progressions. He took what Arizona's defense gave him and made smart decisions more often than not. That's not going to matter to fans who are desperate to see this team win football games, but it doesn't change the fact that the Mater Dei High School graduate went down swinging.
It took Young way too long to get going. The Panthers always seem to shoot themselves in the foot, but the flashes of promise offensively represent a sound foundation from which to build.
The Cardinals clearly took their foot off the gas with such a comfortable lead. They played conservatively on defense, allowing Young to pick them apart from the pocket. His command of the offense was good, and he was able to find his second or third keys when needed.
It was too little, too late. Although it was a sensational effort that almost saw Young snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
The Panthers are now 0-2 with some serious questions to answer. If they get beaten in their home opener against the Atlanta Falcons next time out, it's going to get incredibly messy.