Bryce Young vs. Bryce Young and other key matchups for Panthers vs. Chargers

The Carolina Panthers play their 2024 home opener today, and things could get ugly pretty quick if Bryce Young doesn't step up.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 08: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on September 08, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The 2024 Carolina Panthers are bad. It would be both silly and dishonest to deny it. While it was only one game, their Week 1 drubbing at the hands of the New Orleans Saints (47-10) was illustrative of just how far this team still has to go to even compete with average teams around the NFL.

However, as Carolina head coach Dave Canales' mentor Pete Carroll would say, every game is a new championship opportunity, though. If the Panthers can win a few of these key matchups against the Los Angeles Chargers they'll at least have shown some genuine progress from their season opener.

Bryce Young vs. Bryce Young

No matter how any other matchup on the field or the sidelines goes, the Panthers are going to lose this game and a whole lot of other games too unless their starting quarterback Bryce Young starts to grow into his game. Last week we only saw more of the same issues from his rookie season with little to no progress evident despite all the preseason buzz his supposed development created.

To recap, Young got good pass protection up front but still took four sacks. He has far better wide receivers than last year and still finished with just 161 passing yards. He also has a reputed quarterback whisperer as a head coach now, but he still completed less than 50% of his pass attempts. Young needs to be more precise with his footwork and make better decisions under pressure, but above all else he has to start trusting himself and calm down out there, otherwise he'll keep putting up bad lines.

Troy Hill vs. Ladd McConkey

This Chargers wide receiver corps took a couple of big hits in the offseason when they lost both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. They did add a shiny new toy in the draft with former Georgia star Ladd McConkey. Last week McConkey saw a team-high seven targets for the Chargers, totaling five catches, 39 yards and one touchdown. This week he'll be lined up across from veteran Carolina's slot corner, Troy Hill. A rare exception for the Panthers' defense, Hill got off to a good start this year, only allowing a 79.2 passer rating in the opener against the Saints. They'll need more of the same today in order to contain McConkey.

Ickey Ekwonu vs. Khalil Mack

Carolina's offensive line played pretty well last week, especially starting guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, who posted the highest PFF grades on the team in Week 1. Left tackle Ickey Ekwonu was the lone exception to the rule, giving up four pressures against Young and earning a 53.4 grade in pass blocking. It's not going to get any easier for Ekwonu because today he'll be lined up across from Khalil Mack, who had 1.5 sacks and two QB hits last week, bringing his career total to 103.0 sacks and 172 quarterback hits.