A clutch performance from Bryce Young kept the underdog Panthers in their fight against the Eagles on Sunday.
Despite falling short of yet another thrilling upset on Sunday, the Carolina Panthers are continuing to grow before our very eyes. This once 1-7 team, which was being forced to eat blowout after blowout on a weekly basis early in the season, are actually learning how to win football games over the past month.
Carolina’s recent breakthrough can be linked to the breakout of quarterback Bryce Young, who has emerged in the last several games as a clean and potent playmaker. And even in Week 14’s 22-16 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, the former No. 1 overall pick may have offered up his most exciting and encouraging performance yet.
Let’s analyze the film from Young’s outing from this past weekend . . .
The Film
In recent weeks, the Panthers offense has toyed with opposing defenses using their stable of under-center play-action concepts. While this is a little more about the play-calling and designs by head coach Dave Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, overall, the success also has to do with Young’s operation through and through.
Focus on Young’s footwork below, as he creates a wider platform to work off. Lately, we’ve been pointing out that the Young’s drops are becoming more deliberate and stern. As soon as he hitches, he’s already beginning his throwing process.
Young layers this pass with perfect touch and drops it into the hands of wide receiver David Moore, who does a good job of beating Eagles cornerback Darius Slay at the line of scrimmage with physicality
The connection helps the Panthers convert a third-and-2 to set up a touchdown-scoring trip into the red zone.
Good quarterbacks who have the ability to use their legs are always in a pass-first mindset before scrambling. Young has been doing a great job of this, taking what’s in front of him and making good decisions as a signal-caller.
On this third-and-5 early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers are in a must-have situation down six points against the No. 1 defense in the NFL. As Young hitches in his drop, he doesn’t see open options in front of him, forcing him to initially attempt to create yards with his legs.
The big thing here is that he keeps his eyes downfield as he is running up the pocket. As he begins to do so, ol’ reliable Adam Thielen squeaks open to the middle of the field and allows Young to fire a quick pass on the move.
Sunday’s performance also proved that Young still has that clutch gene, one of his major traits during his illustrious career at the University of Alabama.
The Panthers are facing third-and-11 from their 2-yard line following Young’s illegal forward pass. As he makes his drop and begins his progressions, he then starts the scramble drill to create and find someone to get open.
He somehow evades two would-be sacks, keeps his eyes downfield and throws to rookie wideout Xavier Legette for a huge 31-yard gain on the final offensive series of the game.
This play was nothing short of spectacular, and it’s beginning to give Panthers fans hope once again.
For the third week in a row, the opposing defense sent a blitz against Young in an attempt to rattle and force him into a bad decision. And once again, the former No. 1 overall pick defeated the pressure in a high-octane moment.
Young’s lack of confidence and comfort against pressure helped lead to his early-season benching after Week 2. Fast-forward 12 weeks later and he has become one of the best signal-callers in the game at winning against the pressure—especially on this fourth-and-2 with the game on the line.
The Eagles send a six-man pressure on the Panthers with man coverage in the secondary. Canales calls a flood concept to the left with Thielen running a deep out. Young shows trust and confidence in not just his playmakers, but his protection as well—who do a great job at picking up free rushers.
This allows Young to scan the field and fire a dart from the far hash to Thielen to convert the fourth down. The completion showed Young’s high-level poise and composure in the face of all-out pressure as well as his ability to make the big throws in anxiety-driven moments.
The Verdict
When Young returned to the starting lineup six games ago, the three biggest games I had circled as must-prove matchups were those versus the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Eagles. He has passed those three challenges with flying colors.
Not only has Young begun to play with more control and poise, but he is malso making the Panthers fun to watch—even despite the 3-10 record.
Young is inching closer to being the team’s long-term franchise quarterback. He must continue to maintain this consistency and play.
Sure, he will never be pitch-perfect like some expect him to be, but it is difficult to ignore the success he has had of late. And this success hasn’t come against soft competition—it’s come against three likely playoff teams—two of which could be playing in the Super Bowl LIX.
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