Carolina Panthers QB grades: Bryce Young comes up small again in embarrassing loss to Bears
When the NFL schedule came out in May, the Thursday night football clash between the Panthers (1-8) and the Bears (3-7) was seen as a worthy prime-time matchup, if only for the repercussions of the blockbuster March trade between the two franchises, which ultimately led to the first overall selection of quarterback Bryce Young.
But as the two struggling squads battled at Soldier Field, Young — the eventual centerpiece of the franchise-altering move up for Carolina — looked shell-shocked for the majority of the 16-13 road loss to Chicago. Young dealt with his fair share of adversity that wasn’t self-inflicted, but he also did little to shake off his underwhelming surroundings.
With owner David Tepper and GM Scott Fitterer watching, Young — and the entire Panthers offense, including head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown — looked overwhelmed for the majority of the evening. If not for a punt return touchdown in the first half, the score would have been even more embarrassing for a team that hired a QB guru head coach, drafted a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and stocked a coaching staff roster with bevy of notable names.
The Panthers can’t get out of their own way, and Young has seemingly regressed because of the chaos around him. Young had his lumps that were on him, but it’s impossible to understand how he is supposed to battle through a seemingly inept supporting cast on a weekly basis. Something has to give, and Young isn’t going anywhere, so a change needs to be made around him before he’s permanently subdued by his own surroundings.
Here is how Young graded out in the Week 10 loss:
Young’s stats vs. Chicago
Young completed 21 of 38 passes (55.3%) for 185 passing yards. He led two scoring drives.
He led the passing attack with a 68.4 passer rating.
Young’s spreading-the-ball grade
Young targeted and connected with nine different weapons on Thursday.
Wideout Adam Thielen was Young’s top target, hauling in six passes for 42 yards. Practice squad elevation Mike Strachan made the biggest passing play of the night with a 45-yard snag off a pass from Young. Strachan was targeted twice against the Bears.
Grade: B
Young’s accuracy/decision-making grade
Young had a timid start to the game as a passer. While he picked up two first downs on the ground, his first series saw him go 2-of-5 for 5 yards. However, after the Panthers got some momentum with a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown by wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Young settled in a bit as a passer.
During his second series of the game, Young led a field goal-scoring drive, largely off a 45-yard heave to practice-squad call-up wideout Mike Strachan. He completed three of four passes for 48 yards to set up a 33-yard field goal by kicker Eddy Piñeiro.
However, on the third series, Young struggled with a pair of off-the-mark throws with the offense backed up near its own end zone. He badly missed Thielen on a toss to the flat on second down and took a sack after failing to see Mingo streaking across the middle of the field.
Young finished the first half with seven completions on 14 throws for 63 yards. He was outplayed by undrafted Bears rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent in the first two quarters. Bagent completed 14 of 24 passes for 127 yards in the first half.
Young continued to look erratic to start the second half. He took too long getting the ball out on a designed sprint throw and later locked onto Strachan, who was well-covered on third down. Thielen appeared to wide open over the middle as he sat in between defenders.
Young started to show some improved accuracy and efficiency on a drive where he connected with Terrace Marshall for an 11-yard pickup. He also connected with Thielen for a 13-yard gain. Unfortunately, a false start penalty by left tackle Ickey Ekwonu and a second-down drop by Thielen sapped momentum and eventually led to a punt on fourth-and-5.
Young was able put forth a promising drive to start the fourth quarter, guiding the offense down the field for a 39-yard field goal. Young made a clutch throw on fourth-and-6 to tight end Tommy Tremble for an 11-yard gain, which put the Panthers in scoring position. While the rookie wasn’t able to close out the series with a touchdown score, he made a couple of big tosses to put them within three points.
Young continued to chip away with short throws on the final drive of the game. He made a pair of impressive fourth-down conversions, with one coming on the run and another being converted on an excellent timing throw to running back Miles Sanders for 13 yards. But the Panthers’ offense ultimately forced off the field with a 59-yard field goal attempt that was no good.
Grade: C-
Young’s mobility grade
Young started the game with a pair of third-down conversion on the run. The rookie quarterback — who isn’t a prolific slider — showed quickness and toughness as he shook his way through defenders for 16 yards on consecutive third-down plays.
Later in the fourth quarter, Young picked up two yards on a gusty fourth-and-1 play deep in Carolina territory. It was a make-or-break play, and Young, who typically doesn’t operate under center, took the ball through the conversion point following a direct snap.
The Panthers designed a couple of plays that allowed Young to leave the pocket from a strategic standpoint. Unfortunately for Carolina, they didn’t really capitalize on most of those plays. Young tried to evade pressure in the pocket, but the consistently struggling offensive line allowed rushers to get in the rookie quarterback’s face.
Young was sacked three times and hit nine times.
Grade: B
Young’s turnover grade
In the final minutes of the second quarter, Young got lucky on an off-the-mark toss to Mingo. The wideout ran a slant and Young threw the ball too far ahead of him into the hands of Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson, who dropped the potential interception.
He also almost picked off by linebacker Jack Sanborn on his final throw of the fourth quarter.
Grade: C
Young’s overall grade
Young had a tough evening but it wasn’t all on him. His pass protection was terrible and his weapons got inconsistent separation. But Young also seemed to be slow to react to some open receivers, and he had quite a few misfires. His numbers were impacted by drops and throwaways, but just like in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Young looked overmatched and unsettled. In a nationally televised game, the Panthers offense came up small, and Young did little to elevate the talent around him.
OVERALL GRADE: C-
This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 11:26 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers QB grades: Bryce Young comes up small again in embarrassing loss to Bears."
