5 things the Carolina Panthers must learn from Week 1 drubbing at Falcons
By Ricky Raines
Bryce Young is human - and a rookie, on top of it
You read that correctly. Despite all the glowing praise and rave reviews that Bryce Young had earned through the summer, he indeed is a first-year NFL quarterback. And he looked it, at times, on Sunday.
Young accumulated 146 passing yards on 20-of-38 throwing, including one touchdown and two interceptions. He added 17 yards on three rushing attempts, though 16 came on one scramble. He was sacked twice, facing 19 total defensive pressures.
The 52.63 percent completion percentage sticks out but deserves some context. Young was credited with having thrown the ball away eight times and was given an adjusted completion percentage of 69 by Pro Football Focus.
Frank Reich called Young’s performance “solid overall”, noting how the throwaways can be detrimental to an individual’s stat line but beneficial for the team. The head coach also took responsibility for his first interception, describing it as a communication issue.
Young displayed his trademark anticipation and ball placement on a handful of throws during the game. These included a smooth first down conversion to fellow rookie, Jonathan Mingo, on an outside out route.
Of course, it would’ve been more satisfying to have watched Young pick apart the Atlanta Falcons defense en route to dozens of points and hundreds of throwing yards. But one of the most admirable qualities of his game and personality is an ability to absorb information and get better from the lessons he learns through adversity.