Bryce Young's superb first half
Bryce Young wasn't planning on taking things easy with the offseason in sight. The quarterback set the tone right out of the gate en route to a polished first-half display to keep the Carolina Panthers competitive. There were a couple of misses, but one cannot be anything other than impressed by his ability to come through when it counts.
Young made some eye-catching throws over the opening two quarters. Adam Thielen, Miles Sanders, and Xavier Legette were the primary beneficiaries. It's doing them good to know when they get open, they finally have a signal-caller who can get the football where it needs to be.
The Mater Dei High School product controlled the line of scrimmage well. Young timed his throws superbly more often than not and also displayed his underrated athleticism to go in for a rushing score to further enhance his influence.
Bryce for the score!
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 5, 2025
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/DwBkdwXhte
His impressive first half was reflected in the statistics. More importantly, the Panthers and Young were giving the Atlanta Falcons plenty to think about.
- 78.57 percent completion
- 106 passing yards
- 1 passing touchdown
- 0 interceptions
- 0 sacks against
- 1 rushing yard (1 rushing TD)
- 122.0 passer rating (ESPN)
Most fans were more concerned with draft positioning than securing a final-day victory. That was not an opinion shared by Young, who led from the front and his teammates willingly followed.
Bryce Young's pocket presence
Bryce Young is growing in stature. He might be one of the league's smallest quarterbacks and an outlier for the position, but he's showing that size doesn't matter if the pocket presence makes up for it.
Much like everything else, Young's improvements in this area are night and day compared to anything put on film as a rookie. There is no more panic from the signal-caller. He's poised and composed even when pressure arrives. He's able to manipulate the pocket through no wasted movements and being aware of his surroundings at all times.
Head coach Dave Canales and his staff spent significant time working on Young's footwork throughout their first year with the team. It took time for everything to click, but they are starting to see the fruits of their labor.
Young was a pocket assassin at Alabama. Many wondered if his lack of prototypical height would restrict this skill set in the pros. After some early jitters, things are looking much more promising for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.