Bryce Young's turnover-laden first half
One of the biggest positives around Bryce Young during his renaissance over the second half of 2024 was how careful he was with the football. There were very few turnovers or glaring mistakes that cost the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately for everyone associated with the franchise, that was not evident whatsoever during the first half.
Young threw a costly interception when a pass intended for Xavier Legette was tipped before being picked. The signal-caller could have easily run for a first down upon further examination of the play, but everything happened too quickly in the moment.
If that wasn't enough, Young also coughed up a fumble late in the half to compound his misery. He mustered just 47 passing yards throughout the opening two quarters, which was reflected in the poor execution and even poorer individual errors.
It wasn't all on Young. Legette's complete lack of awareness denied him a big gain. The offensive line missed Ikem Ekwonu terribly, and the quarterback was noticeably more hesitant. Fans were hoping that a weather delay would wake everyone up. They were wrong.
Week 1 is always difficult to gauge a clear opinion of any team. There is rust, and it's the worst time of the season from a quality standpoint. But this was especially concerning for the Panthers and Young.
Bryce Young's growing connection
It wasn't all bad. Granted, the positives were far and far between, but there was one thing that stood out above all else on an otherwise gloomy afternoon for the Panthers and Bryce Young.
Tetairoa McMillan was exactly that.
The No. 8 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft comes into the league with bold ambitions and high expectations. McMillan developed a strong chemistry with Young over the summer, and this flashed tremendous promise during an otherwise underwhelming day.
McMillan looked sharp. His timing with Young was on point, for the most part. This was a silver lining when almost nobody else met their end of the bargain. And hopefully, it's just the start of great things to come.
The Panthers need the connection of Young and McMillan to fire through the campaign. It won't take long for opposing protection schemes to key in on the wideout if nobody else represents a danger, but he's got the physical tools needed to cope with this extra attention. His STATS HERE represent a solid foundation from which to build, and he's already become the WR1 for his signal-caller to depend upon.