Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will start for the team for the third year in a row Sunday afternoon at Jacksonville. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said Wednesday that he’s “not a big ‘look in the rear view’ kind of guy.’”
And in terms of his own personal season openers, that’s definitely for the best. Entering the Panthers’ Week 1 game at Jacksonville (1 p.m. Sunday), a clear mind and full heart is definitely going to be the way to go.
Because the last two season openers for Young and the Panthers? They’ve been nasty, forgettable, convincing defeats.
For those Panthers fans who have wiped their own memories of the way the past two run-ups to Week 1 have felt, they’ve pretty much felt exactly like right now.
A heap of hope. A passel of promise. Young has been Carolina’s starting quarterback for both the season openers in 2023 and 2024, and in each case there had been a lot of talk from his teammates and coaches about how ready he was and how terrific he and the offense as a whole was probably going to be. This is the way it is in 32 NFL locker rooms prior to Week 1.
And then….
In his first-ever game as a rookie, in 2023, Young went 20-for-38 for 146 yards, with two interceptions and one touchdown, in a 24-10 loss to Atlanta. His quarterback rating: 48.8.
In the Week 1 opener in 2024, where you’d think he would have been better with a year under his belt, he was instead worse. He threw an interception on his very first pass of the season. New Orleans was ahead 30-0 in the second quarter. Young ended up 13-for-30 for 161 yards, took four sacks and had two interceptions in a 47-10 beatdown bestowed by the New Orleans Saints (who would end the season 5-12). Young’s QB rating: 32.8.
Head coach Dave Canales would see a similar performance from his quarterbackin Week 2, then bench a healthy Young after only two games in the No. 1 overall draft pick’s second year — one of the most notable moments in Young’s young NFL career.
So, no rearview mirror?
It makes sense that Young is looking straight ahead, as is Canales. The head coach hasn’t done a lot of looking back to the 5-12 season of 2024, although he did speak a little Wednesday of how Young reacted when he got benched. (The benching was temporary, of course. Backup Andy Dalton got banged up in a car wreck just enough for Young to return to start roughly the season’s last half, where he played much better).
Said Canales, recalling Young’s early-season benching in 2024: “He revealed a lot of his character in that process and showed great leadership. He stayed in front of the team. He did not take a seat in the back… He continued to lead. And he was sending a message very clearly to me: ‘This is my team.’ And I respect it.”
Panthers coach Dave Canales (right) benched Bryce Young after two games in the 2024 season, but then reinstated him as the starting quarterback after Andy Dalton got hurt. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Young is one of the Panthers’ three permanent captains this season and the only one on offense. His leadership style takes some getting used to — he’s not going to yell at anybody (although he does like to rib cornerback Jaycee Horn in practice) — and you have to lean in to hear him sometimes.
But it worked in college at Alabama and it worked at the end of the 2024 season, when in Young’s final three games he had 10 total touchdowns (seven passing, three rushing) and zero interceptions. That’s exactly where he wants to pick up in Jacksonville, and in training camp he’s mostly looked like he’s prepared to do it. Young also has a new weapon in rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and an old one in top-10 NFL running back Chuba Hubbard.
As Young will tell you: “I’m excited about all of it.”
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young drops back to pass in 2024. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Why? It always comes back to winning. Young thinks this team has got a chance (he’s only 6-22 as an NFL starter).
“It’s a super pivotal year for the team,” he said.
For Young, the word “super” usually replaces the word “very.” In his eight-minute press conference Wednesday, he used the phrases “super encouraging,” “super grateful” and “super tough.”
As for the season opener? It’s a super opportunity.
Young has yet to start an NFL season 1-0, but it certainly makes life a easier if you can do it. The Panthers are 3.5-point underdogs to Jacksonville, but Young is confident in this team’s ability. He’s facing forward, hoping Year 3 is the one where the season opener, in retrospect, is worth an occasional look back.
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