Bryce Young refuses to make excuses after Panthers' fifth straight loss

Bryce Young had some excuses he could have leaned into, but he refused to do so after another Panthers loss.

Aug 24, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young warms up before a pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Bryce Young had a difficult time returning to the starting lineup. There were some valid excuses that could have been made, though most wouldn't publicly state them. However, when asked point blank about the lack of healthy Carolina Panthers pass-catchers, Young refused to blame his situation.

Bryce Young doesn't take cop-out on Panthers loss

Panthers QB Bryce Young on how hard it was to prove himself without his top two receivers against the NFL’s fourth-ranked defense. pic.twitter.com/NQLk8Q31cO

— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) October 28, 2024

Both Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson were not on the field Sunday. Jonathan Brooks, who had his 21-day window opened two weeks ago, was also out. Despite that and a matchup with the fourth-ranked defense with two of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, Bryce Young refused to accept an excuse for why the team lost.

"It wasn't even to prove [myself]. I just wanted to go out and execute and wanted to contribute to winning football... I can get better with that. It's the NFL. The guys that played today are great guys, great players, guys that I trust. There was never a time when I looked out and thought... again, I have the utmost confidence in those guys."

- Bryce Young

Young didn't make any excuses for the loss, which is the mindset he's had since coming into the NFL. It has always been on his shoulders despite the litany of issues he's faced that are out of his control. On Sunday, he once again showed that mentality in a loss.

And while it's easy to say things like that, Sunday's performance certainly looked like Young believes it. He threw a jump ball to undrafted rookie Jalen Coker, who couldn't prevent the defender from pulling it out of his hand for an interception. He went back to him just a few minutes later on a back-shoulder throw for a touchdown. He lobbed the ball up to Xavier Legette in traffic and continued to look for him after a brutal drop on a wide-open pass before halftime, too.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI - 

Panthers predicted to deal Diontae Johnson to NFC East at deadline

NFL insider reveals Panthers asking price for biggest trade-bait piece

Jonathan Jones on ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ Panthers have become

NFL trade deadline: Panthers could move on from $20 million DL