CHARLOTTE — One week after Bryce Young beat the quarterback picked after him in this spring’s NFL Draft, the journey of both rookie quarterbacks saw sudden changes in direction.
Shortly after CJ Stroud threw five touchdown passes to lead the Houston Texans to victory, Young, the top pick in the draft, threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, in the worst start of his young career.
The pair of pick-sixes, both by Indianapolis Colts safety Kenny Moore, was the difference as the Panthers fell 27-13 on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium.
The loss dropped the Panthers to 1-7 halfway through Young’s debut season and served as a significant step back in the quarterback’s development.
“Coming into this game, I thought he was hitting a rhythm and a stride,” Carolina coach Frank Reich said. “This is a step backwards for us as an offense. We’d been hitting our stride on offense, several games in a row. We laid an egg today offensively.”
Young was sacked four times and has been taken down 14 times in the last three games. He threw for just 35 yards in the first half, and, with the Panthers trailing 13-3 in the final minute of the first half, he threw pass intended for running back Chuba Hubbard. Moore anticipated the throw and jumped the route, taking the ball 49 yards for the score.
Young led a 15-play, 7:55 drive on the Panthers’ first possession of the second half, culminating with a touchdown pass to DJ Chark which got the Panthers back within 10 points. On the next possession, however, after crossing midfield, Young again threw a ball that Moore anticipated. This time, he took it 66 yards for the score.
“They were bad throws, bad decisions on both,” Young said. “I have to manage risk-reward. The ball could have been placed better. That’s Day 1 quarterback stuff. There’s no crazy depth to it, no deeper story. Those are bad plays. It’s the NFL. You’re not going to win games like that.”
Chark, who caught his second touchdown pass from Young this season — tying Moore for second most. Only Panthers receiver Adam Thielen has more, but Chark compared Young’s struggles to another top draft pick.
“I played with Trevor Lawrence,” the former Jaguar said. “He had his struggles. People doubted him. Now they love him.”
Young wasn’t ready to focus on his future development, however.
“As a competitor, you don’t think about next week or next year when you’re on the field,” he said. “It’s all about the here and now. … I turned the ball over three times. Two turned into 14 points. That’s how you lose a game. Everyone else around me did a great job. It’s on me. No one’s going to feel sorry for me.”
Reich got his young quarterback a vote of confidence.
“What I talked to Bryce about in there, I said, ‘Listen, I’ve been a part of these over a lot of years. I’ve seen games like that many times. (The loss was) not only about the pick-sixes. I know it seems that way,’” Reich said. “We put him in hard positions several times. Obviously, Bryce owns his part of it.”
Reich wasn’t worried that Young’s confidence might suffer, and he said he never considered making a change.
“I can honestly tell you that thought has never even come close to entering my mind,” he said. “Listen, I’ve seen this happen to the best quarterbacks in the history of the game. They all have games like this. You bounce back. That’s what makes the great ones. The quarterback journey is a long road. I/we believe very strongly in Bryce.”
