After the Carolina Panthers‘ 16–13 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Thursday night, teammates stopped by his locker to offer consolation. Bryce Young, the rookie quarterback, appeared stunned. And for good cause.
In the first quarter, the Panthers’ only touchdown came from a 79-yard punt return. The top pick in the 2023 NFL draft guided the team to just two field goals against a defense that entered the game ranked 28th in the NFL, giving up 26.9 points per game.
Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent, an undrafted rookie from a Division II school replacing injured starter Justin Fields, outperformed him.
In the last minute of play, Young was unable to bring Carolina any closer than Eddy Pineiro’s 59-yard attempt, which narrowly missed tying the score. He should have intercepted his last pass before that after it struck linebacker Jack Sanborn in the hands.
Young remarked, “Yeah, we’re all frustrated,” following Carolina’s 1-8 loss that tied Arizona for the worst NFL record. An annoying predicament to be in. It’s not who we wish to be or who we are. We have to improve because we are what we record and what we put on the field.
Young’s level of frustration became so great that, following the game, he spoke to his teammates in a manner they had not seen following any of the previous defeats.
Without going into details, wide receiver Adam Thielen stated, “Kind of just shared his emotion.”
narrow end Young’s neighbor at Soldier Field, Hayden Hurst, was grateful that he voiced his opinion.
He remarked, “He may be young, but he leads this team.” “We need to come together in support of him and work through some issues.”
Hurst and Thielen concurred that Young’s annoyance hasn’t affected his play for an offense that has only scored two touchdowns in 12 quarters since offensive coordinator Thomas Brown took over playcalling from head coach Frank Reich.
“We’re not operating at full capacity,” Thielen remarked. To be really honest, we’re not hitting any hot buttons. It’s a ridiculous attempt. It makes everyone feel ashamed to score six points. It was as though we did nothing when that punt return was missing.
“It is unpleasant.”
Afterward, Reich appeared just as shell-shocked. When the Panthers traded two first-round picks to the Bears and wide receiver DJ Moore (five catches, 58 yards on Thursday) in order to move up from No. 9 to No. 1 in the draft in order to acquire Young, this is not what he had in mind.
Reich, though, is not concerned that Young’s confidence or leadership skills are being harmed by the offensive setbacks and growing deficits. He still thinks Young has enough talent to win games this year.
Reich remarked, “He is mentally tougher than a lot of rookie quarterbacks.” “Given our early success, I don’t think I see any regression in him as a rookie quarterback. Aggression, I see. I see tenacity. I observe tenacity.
It seems like he’s assuming responsibility for it. He may have assumed more responsibility than he ought to because it’s a team endeavor.
Thyelen concurred.
“On the contrary,” he uttered. “His enthusiasm and the message he gave us following the game had the exact opposite effect. We now have more faith in him, knowing that he will continue to work hard and find a way to improve. He has also challenged each of us to examine ourselves in the mirror and find a way to improve so that we can support him.
Ultimately, this isn’t a league that can be won by one person. This isn’t the NBA, where you can succeed with just one or two guys. There must be men in every position.
This could mean adjustments when the Panthers play again on Monday after their weekend off. The fact that Young only managed 43 yards rushing against Chicago and that opposing pass rushers consistently put pressure on him may be signs that the offensive line is about to undergo adjustments.
However, as Young and his teammates stated on Thursday night, there is a need for improved execution on all fronts.
Running back Chuba Hubbard, who was limited to 23 yards on nine carries, declared, “We’re better than that.” “We are much, much superior to that. It kind of tells itself, this game. It is imperative that we possess the ability to score points, complete drives, and perform at a high standard.
“We simply don’t do that.”
Young takes on a greater portion of that than Reich and his teammates think he ought to.
That is the source of the look of shell shock and the point at which frustration sets in.
“It’s really annoying,” Young remarked. That isn’t unique to me. That encompasses all. Since we are rivals. It is frustrating to lose. You can sense that it’s new. But you have to turn the page at the end of the day.
If the Panthers don’t, their ugly performance from Thursday might get even worse when they play the Dallas Cowboys, one of the best teams in the NFC, at home on Sunday.
“Being angry won’t win a game and won’t be helpful,” Young remarked. “That needs to be turned on and used during the week, and then we need to translate it to Sunday or Thursday. That needs to be translated. We are concerned.