CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bryce Young had several moments during Sunday’s scare of the Kansas City Chiefs where his growth was evident on the field — and one very loud moment afterward when a different type of development all but shook the locker room walls.
Young has a different leadership style than the last quarterback the Carolina Panthers drafted No. 1. Where Cam Newton was brash, flashy and wanted the world to know it, Young is more mellow and OK with letting others handle the hype and pep talks.
But some situations call for the quarterback to step up, clear his throat and let his voice be heard. And after the Panthers went toe to toe with the two-time defending Super Bowl-champion Chiefs, Young thought the moment called for his perspective.
Young had just played the best game of his career against the NFL’s best measuring stick, matching two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes scoring drive for scoring drive before Mahomes broke loose on a long scramble to allow the Chiefs to escape Charlotte with a 30-27 win.
Running back Chuba Hubbard said Young wanted his teammates to know that pushing the Andy Reid- and Mahomes-led Chiefs was not a fluke.
“This is who we are and it’s not a surprise. We’re a great football team. We’re not quite where we want to be yet, but we shouldn’t be surprised that we can do great things.”
That was Hubbard’s synopsis of Young’s comments, apparently minus some salty language.
“I just know he used a lot more profanity than probably I ever heard come from him,” cornerback Jaycee Horn said. “But it was good because it got the guys going. Obviously, everybody’s talking about it, so hopefully we can come out here and rally off that speech.”
Dave Canales says Bryce Young’s trust in protections and route runners is helping him be an anticipatory QB. pic.twitter.com/p3YRbqxFUW
— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 27, 2024
There were football reasons behind Dave Canales’ decision to sit Young down after two desultory performances to begin the season. But the Panthers also were looking for more energy and take-charge spirit from a player they gave up a lot for in the hopes he could lead them out of the NFL’s hinterlands.
They were looking for a moment like Sunday.
“I wouldn’t say I was surprised. I was just kind of happy, like, finally,” Horn said. “He stepped up and just a show of leadership and really just being the guy we all knew he was. It’s a lot being the No. 1 pick, going through the ups and downs. Nobody’s career is perfect. He’s playing ball and I’m proud of him. I’m just happy to see him take control of the team.”
Young experienced more downs in his first NFL season than he’d endured in the rest of his football-playing years combined. And when he came out scuffling in Year 2, despite the presence of a so-called quarterback whisperer in Canales, many thought the Carolina portion of his career might be short-lived.
Canales still isn’t ready to anoint Young the franchise quarterback, but he appears to be warming up to a player who preceded him in Charlotte by a year. Minutes after Young completed 21 of 35 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs, Canales named him the starter for this week’s game against Tampa Bay without making him wait a day or two, as had been the case.
“As he continues to show us the progress that we’re looking for, as he continues to earn these moments, then yeah, he’ll be in there,” Canales said Wednesday. “That’s what I’ve been most excited about is there’s a weekly growth that’s happening.”
That on-field growth has been most apparent in a couple of areas. Young and his offensive teammates are no longer scurrying to the line of scrimmage with little time left on the play clock, which has allowed the offense to operate more efficiently.
Just as importantly, Young is staying in the pocket and letting plays develop, rather than abandoning it as he did earlier in the season — sometimes when the pass protection was solid. The Chiefs, a top-five defense, came after Young with blitz packages. He didn’t flinch, completing 11 of 13 passes for 135 yards and a TD against the blitz, according to ESPN.
Exhibit A: With the Panthers facing a third-and-8 near midfield on the final play of the third quarter, the Chiefs sent seven defenders in the pass rush at Young. Two of them — defensive end George Karlaftis and safety Chamarri Conner — converged on Young just as he was stepping into his throw.
The Panthers were running a sail concept, with wide receiver David Moore running an out underneath Adam Thielen’s clear-out. With two defenders in his face, Young threw to the spot where Moore would end up — and hit him in stride for a 17-yard gain to extend a drive that ended with an Eddy Pineiro field goal.
On the 💰
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/rVJs2M0SXM
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 24, 2024
When Moore got to the sideline, offensive coordinator Brad Idzik told him what Moore had been unable to see while running his route.
“Idzik was like: ‘You should’ve saw Bryce. He just kind of like threw that thing out there, saying D-Mo’s gonna be there somewhere,’ ” Moore said.
Canales said Young’s success against the blitz was the result of him trusting his receivers and being an “anticipatory quarterback.”
“There were a couple times where they had a better pressure than we had protection,” Canales added, “and Bryce got a quick solution with guys being exactly in the spots that they needed to be in.”
But few could have anticipated that Young would later address the team. The only other time he’s done so — at least to the public’s knowledge — was after a rough Thursday night loss at Chicago last year when the Panthers lost to a Bears team that started undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent at quarterback.
Young’s message after the Chiefs game was more uplifting.
“Just to keep building,” Young said. “I have to be consistent. We want to make sure we’re building on stuff and embracing the things where we can go and where we want to go. Stuff that’s really real. And just instilling belief. I have all the confidence in the world in this group and these guys. I think we all do.”
Moore, who had a career-high six catches against Kansas City, was as surprised as anyone when Young broke the team huddle down.
“Nobody’s seen that. Nobody’s heard that,” said Moore, in his first season with the Panthers. “And for us to see it after a great game we played — granted, we lost — and him saying that, everybody felt that. … This is us. This is who we are, and we’ve gotta remain that.”
(Photo: Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images)
