Panthers' Bryce Young suffers setback in frustrating loss vs. Cowboys

Bryce Young didn't have his best outing on Sunday.

Dec 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to pass in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers faced a poor defense on paper in the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys' defense has played better lately, but they have been a poor unit overall, which should have led to a big game from Bryce Young. For the most part, it was not that.

Young and the offense were pretty bad today. He was far from perfect, but the overall offense couldn't get anything going against this Dallas defense. They played their best outing perhaps of the season and made life difficult on Young and company all day.

Bryce Young comes back down to Earth against Cowboys

A huge chunk of Bryce Young's overall passing came on one play to Jalen Coker. Coker found himself wide open late in the first half and took Young's perfect pass 83 yards to the house. That was one of the few good moments on offense. Young also ran one in late, but the game was mostly out of hand by then.

Young's first turnover came after a brilliant play to create space. Lunging forward, a Cowboys defender knocked the ball out of his hand as he was going to the ground. Young has to hold onto the ball, especially in the red zone, but it was more of a nice defensive play than a bad play by Young. That fumble seemed to tank the entire offense, though.

An interception also occurred in the first half, but it came off a deflection. The play would have failed thanks to a nice pass breakup, but the ball careened right into another defender's hands. It's hard to fault Young too much for that one, though it could've been thrown elsewhere for potentially more success.

Young's third turnover came on an immediate rush on the opening play of the second half. The pass protection didn't hold up for even a second, and Young lost the ball on the hit. It was a rare miscue by the offensive line, but Young has to hold onto the ball better.

A fourth turnover came as the Panthers were trying to mount an improbable 16-point comeback, and Young's pass deep down the field was undercut and intercepted. It wasn't a pretty throw.

The pass protection struggled immensely at times (season-high in sacks allowed with six, and Young avoided a couple more), and the Panthers' offensive game plan was curious at best. They forced Young into way too many straight dropbacks and at times abandoned Chuba Hubbard entirely.

It was a stark departure from the last few weeks from Dave Canales, and it translated to a rougher outing. However, this was still far from the type of play Young displayed early in the year. The lack of confidence and the rookie mistake110 ya19RunninBes weren't really the problem this time. Young's grade: C-.

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