
Following a depressing 27-13 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Carolina Panthers finished the season with a 1-7 record, drawing more criticism for rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
With just 173 yards & three interceptions by the end of the game—two of which were recovered for touchdowns—Young was quite ineffective. The Panthers’ defense put up a great effort to limit the Colts to 198 total yards of offense, but those defensive TDs decided the game.
The host of Locked On Panthers, Julian Council, spoke with Nick Carboni of WCNC Charlotte about the defeat. Although Young bears the brunt of the outcome, Council isn’t prepared to give up on the top overall pick.
“I’m not panicking yet we understand why many people are panicking today,” the Council stated. “We thought we had moved past this whole C.J. Stroud vs. Bryce Young thing, yet it’s not going to go away, at least till Bryce Young proves himself as a better player, at minimum a franchise player here in the NFL.”
In a thrilling comeback victory over Tampa Bay on Sunday, Stroud was outstanding for Houston, passing for 470 yards and five touchdowns. Due to Stroud’s impressive performance this season, many NFL fans and experts are upset that the Panthers selected the incorrect quarterback in the draft. Council claims that given his supporting cast, it is currently impossible to rate Young. Recall that the Panthers sent wide receiver D.J. Moore to the New York Jets in exchange for the first-round pick, Young. In addition, they sent Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco in exchange for several draft picks. For the 49ers, McCaffrey has been a phenomenon. He has scored a touchdown in 17 straight games, which is a record for the longest streak in NFL history.
Young has been sacked 26 times, so Carolina has also had trouble keeping him safe. In the NFL, that is tied with Denver’s Russell Wilson for third most. According to Council, it’s evident that Young is under pressure and may be trying too hard, which causes him to make poor mistakes on the field like turnovers.
Council remarked, “The turnovers today were killer.” “If you look at the score of 27-13, you can see that the Carolina Panthers lost, or at least a portion of them, due to two pick-sixes by Indianapolis. It was Bryce Young’s choice to have a poor day. And realize that during the entire season in Carolina, he has been trying to make a play under duress in each of those scenarios. Regretfully, it is evident that the man is making a sincere effort. Though Frank Reich stated on Sunday, “the offense took a step back,” you would have believed he was making progress.”
The squad will have little time to dwell on the loss because they play D.J. Moore and the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.