5 major observations from Bryce Young's performance vs. Chiefs in Week 12
By Dean Jones
Bryce Young's encouraging first half
This trend continued throughout the first half. It wasn't perfect, but Bryce Young's enhanced composure to go through his progressions effectively whether pressure was in his face or not was night and day from the signal-caller's efforts earlier in the campaign.
The Carolina Panthers kept things relatively competitive versus the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half. Settling for field goals was never going to cut it, which resulted in a 20-9 deficit at the interval despite some pleasing moments on offense.
It was a different story defensively. That's no slight on Young, who looked the part and emerged from the first half with credit in tough circumstances.
This was reflected in Young's statistics. It was a huge step in the right direction, which enabled the Panthers to hang in there when things could have gotten out of hand otherwise.
- 66.67 percent completion
- 177 passing yards
- 0 touchdowns
- 0 interceptions
- 1 sack against
- 9 rushing yards
- 106.8 passer rating (ESPN)
Young's self-belief is growing. That's not up for discussion with a pretty good sample size to go off now. The Panthers aren't blessed with much talent on either side of the football, which makes the quarterback's recent ascension all the more impressive.
Bryce Young is growing in stature
Bryce Young is not the same quarterback these days. The decision to take him out of the firing line for a much-needed breather looks like a masterstroke by head coach Dave Canales. One that's brought a new lease of life from the signal-caller since his reintroduction into the starting lineup.
He's growing in stature. Young might not be the biggest or most physically imposing, but there is something to work with. The Panthers just need to nurture it effectively within a scheme to suit his strengths.
That's the biggest positive above all else. He missed some throws and there were a couple of miscues from his weapons in the passing game. But considering how things looked before his merciful benching after Week 2, it's the clearest sign yet that all hope is not lost.
Young knows he can mix it with the league's best if given the chance. He was undaunted by the challenge of going up versus a dominant Chiefs defense. The result not going Carolina's way shouldn't detract from how well the Mater Dei High School product performed overall.