After covering the Carolina Panthers for four seasons, I've learned that pressure busts pipes, but it also creates Bryce Young’s.
Not to break the fourth wall, but I expected this article to highlight how important interior pass protection is for shorter quarterbacks. Then I expected it to be about how Young can mitigate edge pressure and perform.
Yet I watched the tape, and I am here to tell you Young may be a superhero.
Bryce Young has been mesmerizing under pressure to start the season
The 2023 campaign was a season from hell. Young was sacked 62 times and, even worse, pressured on 243 dropbacks. That’s a 39.2 percent pressure rate, and it was not surprising, as Carolina had 12 different starting combinations on the offensive line.
Now fast forward to today.
Carolina is down both Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton. They lost their starting center to free agency, replacing him with a backup from a division rival, and are starting a rookie tackle out of position. This sounds like a recipe for disaster, and on the surface it looks like it’s working, but it is not.
Through two games, Young is seeing the second-highest pressure rate of his career at 38.8%. He’s tied for the second-most-pressured quarterback at 34, only second to C.J. Stroud.
Even more appalling, Carolina is on pace to allow 289 pressures this season, 46 more than his rookie year.
But this time around, Young jointly leads the league in passing touchdowns. He is second in passing yards. He is boasting career highs in passer rating, yards per attempt, completion percentage over expected, passing EPA, and EPA per dropback.
Bryce Young's jump in Year 4 comes down to the finer details
What Young is doing under pressure is nothing short of jaw-dropping.
The Alabama product is letting it fly, extending plays, and knowing when a play is dead. One stat elite quarterbacks always lead the NFL in is sack rate under pressure. Young dropped his pressure-to-sack rate every year, and this year is no different.
Comparing the first two games of his career to this season, Young has cut his pressure-to-sack rate by more than half, from 23.3% in 2023 to 10.5% this year. What’s remarkable is how is changing to avoid these sacks.
Last season, Young avoided sacks well with a 12.7% pressure-to-sack rate, but he led the league in early down throwaways at almost 9%, two percentage points higher than any quarterback. While knowing when a play is dead is a skill, the signal-caller was touted as an elite creator coming out of college.
This year we are seeing that blossom.
Young has three passing touchdowns under pressure, standing tall in the pocket and delivering on time in a condensed red-zone space. The Heisman Trophy winner also has a career-high 13.4 air yards per attempt and a 23.1% deep pass percentage, proving he is unfazed under duress.
It is reasonable and smart to be cautious about crowning Young after playing two subpar defenses. But Alexander the Great was crowned at just 20.
Some will still say it's premature, but if you're looking for confirmation of a Young leap in Year 4 of his professional career, this is it.
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