As QBs in the 2023 NFL draft struggle, Bryce Young makes most of second chance
The Carolina signal-caller completed 16 of his 26 passes for 171 yards, a touchdown and interception in a victory against New Orleans.
Given a second chance to resuscitate his young career, Bryce Young produced something equally as rare during Week 9 of the NFL season — a victory for the Carolina Panthers.
Young, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, who was benched earlier this season after just 18 career starts, led Carolina on a game-winning drive to beat New Orleans 23-22.
After the Panthers took over with 3:26 left in the fourth quarter trailing 22-17, Young threw a pair of incompletions before he found Xavier Legette for 26 yards. On the next play, Young threw the ball high downfield, inducing a pass interference penalty that moved the ball 16 yards from the end zone. Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard scored on the next play, and Young was sacked on the two-point conversion.
The drive ended a day in which Young completed 16 of his 26 passes for 171 yards, with a short touchdown to Legette and an interception in which Legette initially caught the pass, only for a Saints defensive back to rip the ball away. The outing wasn’t spectacular — his 61% completion rate was only a tick higher than his 59% career average — but it was efficient, and it ended with a clutch victory over a team that had beaten the Panthers 47-10 in Week 1 while making Young look overwhelmed.
For Young, who is now 3-17 as a starter, that counts as progress.
Rating: 5