4 major observations from Bryce Young's performance at the Falcons in Week 1

What were some major observations from Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young's performance at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1?

After an offseason of great change in personal circumstances, Bryce Young took the field for his first NFL regular season start at the Atlanta Falcons. The No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft has some enormous pressure on his shoulders as a rookie, but there is a clear sense of confidence that the quarterback can reach or perhaps exceed expectations.

Young's temperament, poise, and overall demeanor attracted the Carolina Panthers to him throughout their strenuous pre-draft assessments. These traits have also commanded instant respect within the locker room, which was another big objective heading into the 2023 campaign.

This was like nothing Young's ever experienced before. As it turned out, the Panthers and their quarterback fell way short en route to a disappointing 24-10 loss.

With this in mind, here are four major observations from Young's performance at the Falcons.

Bryce Young's early jitters

Despite an encouraging first drive that ended with a blown fourth down play in the red zone, there were some definite early jitters from Bryce Young. Not entirely unexpected when one considers the magnitude of this occasion and the fact he was playing in a hostile atmosphere.

Young threw an interception when Jessie Bates III read his eyes like a book. There were also some timing issues with his wide receivers, who had some difficulty creating separation at times further complicating matters.

Nobody was expecting perfection from the new face of the Carolina Panthers. But it was important that Young shook off these obvious nerves as the contest went on.

Bryce Young showed resilience

After throwing an interception and lacking any sort of rhythm over the opening exchanges, it would have been easy for Bryce Young to go into his shell. But thankfully for the player and the Carolina Panthers, he is made of sterner stuff than that.

Again, it wasn't perfect and nobody expected it to be. But what the response displayed was Young's resilience in the face of significant adversity.

The Heisman Trophy winner's had things his own way more often than not ever since his high school days. That won't be the case at the profession's pinnacle, so seeing such high character and an ability to move on from setbacks was another major positive throughout the contest.

Throwing a pick intended for Hayden Hurst didn't put the signal-caller off from targeting his tight end often after that. Young is fearless in this sense, but he was rewarded when an outstanding sideline throw was brought in by the former Atlanta Falcon for his first official NFL score in a competitive setting.

It was an up-and-down day overall for Young all things considered. But fans can relax safe in the knowledge that their new man under center will keep pushing forward no matter what - and that is something that should hopefully trickle across everyone within the locker room.

Bryce Young's welcome to the NFL moment

As the old saying goes...

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

This was evident where Bryce Young was concerned during his welcome to the NFL moment. After being baited by veteran safety Jessie Bates III for a first-half interception, the signal-caller was undone by the same player again early in the second half.

Bates bided his time and jumped another Young throw across the middle for his second takeaway of the afternoon. This represents another steep learning curve for the rookie, who'll now know that even the slightest error in judgment is going to get punished by elite defenders at the next level.

Young cannot make the same mistake twice moving forward. Players who've been around the game a long time can sniff weakness a mile away and make no mistake, every team will be using this blueprint in the coming weeks in the hope of similar fortunes.

This is something Young can easily fix, which is encouraging. Just slow the game down, account for everyone pre-snap and going through his progressions, and be clinical in terms of accuracy and velocity when distributing the football.

That's it, really. And nobody will be aware of this more than Young.

An indifferent debut for Bryce Young

First games never normally live up to all the build-up and hype. That was definitely the case for the Carolina Panthers and their new rookie signal-caller Bryce Young.

Everything looked pretty disjointed on offense. While the offensive line did well overall, something was clearly missing and there was almost no creativity in terms of play-calling which will be scrutinized more in the coming days.

Young didn't seem to have much chemistry with his wide receivers. On the rare occasions they did get open downfield, their quarterback often overthrew them much to the dismay of fans in attendance.

The potential for teething problems surrounding Young and the Panthers were there for all to see. Wholesale changes took place this offseason and after keeping things to themselves from a schematic perspective during the preseason, it was always going to come with some complications.

An indifferent debut for Young ended with the signal-caller completing 52.63 percent of his passes for 149 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He was sacked twice and earned a less-than-stellar passer rating of 48.8.

Obviously, this is going to come with some overreactions among the fanbase. Rome wasn't built in a day, but the Panthers and Young better make improvements quickly before their big Monday Night Football clash against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.