Panthers' Bryce Young gets adequate grade in start vs. Broncos

Bryce Young had an up-and-down game in his first start back off the bench for the Carolina Panthers.

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 05: Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) after the game of a NFL football game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Carolina Panthers on November 5, 2023 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. / (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Carolina Panthers had another disappointing day on Sunday, losing on the road to the Denver Broncos. The biggest story and the one thing to watch on Carolina's side was the return of Bryce Young. He got the start after the injury to Andy Dalton, but he couldn't quite make the most of it despite some flashes.

Bryce Young's grade for Panthers loss revealed

Bryce Young took the ball for the team's first drive and completed his first five passes. Among them was a touchdown over Patrick Surtain II, one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Things didn't exactly continue from there, with the rest of the game being very up-and-down. However, two touchdowns is exactly the total that Dalton had in the last two weeks and two more than Young had before. Young gets a B- for his performance.

Two interceptions is never good, but as always in the NFL, context matters. The first interception came on a fourth down where tight end Tommy Tremble stopped his route when Young expected him to continue to the sideline. The second came on what was truthfully a magnificent play by the defender, who ripped a would-be touchdown out of Jalen Coker's hands.

There were some missed passes along the way, including one slight overthrow that could have been a huge play (possibly a touchdown) to Xavier Legette. However, the Panthers offense did him no favors. Legette dropped what would have been at least a 30-yard gain before halftime. Penalties were committed on several plays.

What the Panthers needed to see, though, they did. Young was never going to be perfect thrust back into the lineup on the road against arguably the best defense and statistically the best cornerback tandem in the league. That isn't even considering that Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson were out and Chuba Hubbard didn't provide much on the ground. Young looked much more comfortable and confident, though.

He stepped up in the pocket and delivered the ball without fear of being hit. That includes two impressive deep balls completed in spite of roughing the passer calls. He navigated the pocket better than he did in the early going and he delivered balls with much more accuracy overall. It was far from pretty, but it should be enough to convince Dave Canales to keep letting Young grow on the field and not on the bench.

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