Panthers’ Bryce Young showed signs of what he could become vs. Falcons. Is that enough?
For the first time in a long time, the Panthers aren’t living in a week of regret after a humiliating loss.
Instead, with a Victory Monday in the books, the squad — led by interim coach Chris Tabor — has a glimmer of hope for the future after a 9-7 victory against the Atlanta Falcons. While the gritty upset win wasn’t one to put on the fridge, it did show the fortitude and collective character of a team that has been reeling since the preseason. That’s a credit to the players and coaches who are still here in the wake of Frank Reich’s Week 13 firing.
But, even as rookie quarterback Bryce Young led a phenomenal (and patient) game-winning drive in the rain, the Panthers clearly still have a lot of things to improve upon to be more competitive. Those improvements likely won’t come until a new head coach and several new players arrive in the offseason. And while that’s still not OK, it simply is what the situation is at the moment.
No one should be basking in the glow of a two-point win against a mediocre Falcons team that handed two second-half turnovers to the Panthers. Instead, the folks at Bank of America Stadium should simply tip their cap to the performance and try to continue to build as the players and coaches are under a heavy microscope of evaluation by owner David Tepper.
With that said, let’s get to Kaye’s Takes:
Young flashed potential vs. Falcons, but is that enough?
Young, the Panthers’ first overall pick in April, hasn’t had a lot of moments to hang his helmet on this season.
He has thrown just nine touchdown passes in 13 games, and his 31.9 QBR is among the worst in the league. His passer rating is a pedestrian 72.2, and he hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his past four games.
But on Sunday against the Falcons, he led an epic game-winning drive for the second time this season. Young’s work on the game-winning series trumped his output on the game-winning drive he directed against the Houston Texans in Week 8. The rookie quarterback connected on all five of his passes for 68 yards to set up the game-clinching 23-yard field goal as time expired.
Young made excellent decisions with throws to tight end Tommy Tremble and wideout DJ Chark, and his playmakers rewarded him. He also got bailed out on a 20-yard underthrow to fellow rookie Jonathan Mingo on the final series. And that’s OK. Every quarterback makes a bad throw in the rain or in the clutch, but sometimes the playmakers need to, you know, make plays for their signal-caller.
For the first time this season, it felt like Young controlled the offense. The blocking was sound, the play-calling was measured and balanced, and the much-maligned pass-catching crew did its job. Rarely has Young had an ideal surrounding to make plays, but for 17 snaps and 90 yards in the rain, the quarterback boosted the performances of others around him and vice versa.
Young showed he can lead an offense when its competent.
Sure, he has made several puzzling mistakes that he has to own this year. And yes, the poor supporting cast argument has felt trite for weeks. But the game-winning drive signaled that when he has complementary players engaged in the product the way he is, the results can be encouraging.
This was one drive in a slugfest matchup that got its start because Xavier Woods bailed out the team with a red-zone interception in the fourth quarter. But the reality of the situation is that Young, with his team trailing 7-6, led a 90-yard scoring drive in the rain with a trio of big completions and came out on top.
The context of the three previous quarters matters, as the results were more of the same for the slumping offense. While the final drive was encouraging — especially from a mental fortitude standpoint — Carolina still has a TON to clean up to make Young a viable threat on a weekly basis. I think there is something to be said about Young’s need for ideal circumstances — or at least close to them — for him to produce. But the same can said for a lot of rookie quarterbacks not named CJ Stroud, or Justin Herbert.
Young has to continue to look effective as a passer through the next three games.
Obviously, at this point, survival is paramount, but Young is about face a Green Bay Packers defense that just allowed 353 net passing yards and 34 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Young only threw for 167 yards against the Falcons, and he has yet to eclipse the 250-yard mark this season.
He needs to put together a definitively good — or great— game during his rookie season for the masses to feel like he has the potential to be more than just a middling starting quarterback who needs top-tier playmakers on a snap-to-snap basis. There needs to be tangible progress instead of glimpses of greatness.
Maybe that’s asking for too much with what we know about this offense. But as the top pick in a draft that featured a handful of solid-to-spectacular rookie quarterbacks, it feels like a pressing matter that needs some sort of positive energy heading into another monumental offseason.
It’s hard to overcome inconsistent play-calling and coaching, along with mediocre weapons, but Young’s asserted pre-draft strengths were pinpoint distribution and off-scheduled playmaking. He hasn’t shown enough of either to warrant absolute faith in his future.
Against the Packers, he has an opportunity to dunk on an ordinary pass defense, even with a poor supporting cast.
If Young can put together a “gotcha” game during this three-week stretch, which includes matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buccaneers, it won’t really matter what the final scores represent. Young needs a big game — not just a big drive — to inspire long-term hope.
Panthers mailbag
Here are a couple of questions from social media that we answered as part of our weekly mailbag segment:
TD passes still missing from Panthers offense
Russell asks: Are you more encouraged about Bryce Young’s play in the clutch or worried about the lack of TD passes?
I found myself pondering this question earlier in the week, and so Russell is either reading my mind or we have very similar analytical brains.
I think there is something to be said about Young’s lack of proficiency in the red zone, but I’d also say he’s not alone in those failures. He hit wideout Adam Thielen — who is typically sure-handed — in the end zone Sunday, and the playmaker simply didn’t make the play for a score.
That happens to every quarterback-wideout combo, but the angst is heightened because of the lack of success the offense has had as a whole this season. There’s little-to-no room for error.
Did you know that only four players have caught touchdown passes this season for the Panthers? Thielen has four TD catches, DJ Chark and Tommy Tremble each have three scores and Hayden Hurst caught a touchdown pass in the opener. The offense isn’t very imaginary, and the weapons are scarce, so it’s hard to completely put the blame on Young, who is still sort of figuring the NFL out at his own pace.
I was very encouraged by the game-winning drive from a fortitude standpoint. Young has been a punching bag in a lot of ways this season, and he still showed incredible fight in awful conditions with the same underwhelming supporting cast.
It’s fair to criticize his play, but I think it’s hard to throw shade at his character and will. Both characteristics showed up in a major way against the Falcons.
Leader of men vs. talented play-caller
Brad asks: One would think that a leader of men is more important than a flashy play-caller being given the reins of an entire team. The skill sets of a coordinator and a head coach are not always the same. Some guys aren’t leaders. Do you think any credence is put into that very important distinction?
Well, I think Reich’s tenure proved that being a “leader of men” should take precedent over being a great play-caller.
Play-callers get figured out eventually and their approaches often go stale, so having the ability to lead players consistently is a trait that is necessary when searching for a head coach.
The idea that a coordinator should become a head coach is mostly based off the fear of losing a key piece of a coaching staff at the first sight of success. In a way, that fear is warranted, as there are plenty of examples of head coaches losing offensive or defensive coordinators to other head coaching gigs and failing to recapture success because of it.
But that said, having a CEO head coach is appealing in the fact that the culture is set through that leader. As I’ve written before in Kaye’s Takes, the Panthers shouldn’t be looking to fill a box based on coaching stereotypes. The offensive guru, the football czar, the young offensive play-caller and the defensive mastermind are all cool monikers, but rarely do they live up to expectations.
For every Sean McVay, there’s an Arthur Smith. For every DeMeco Ryans, there’s a Brandon Staley. For every Shane Steichen and Kevin O’Connell, there’s a Jay Gruden and Nathaniel Hackett.
The Panthers should be looking for the best man for the job, regardless of moniker.
Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero should be a logical option, solely based on what he has done through two mid-season coaching disasters in consecutive years. Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith doesn’t call plays, but he is an operational wizard behind the scenes.
Play-calling shouldn’t be a prerequisite for a head coaching gig. If anything, not calling plays shows a candidate can thrive as a manager without the distraction of play-by-play responsibilities.
Carolina should hire someone to lead an entire organization as opposed to making a specific unit look competent. If that person can do both jobs, terrific. If not, that’s OK, too.
This story was originally published December 20, 2023 at 6:30 AM.
