Which details will end up headlining this newest chapter of Carolina Panthers football?
Here are the top three storylines of Sunday’s season opener against the Atlanta Falcons:
Welcome to the Bryce Age
Bryce Young, who’ll be the 23rd starting quarterback in Panthers franchise history, is set to make his much-anticipated regular-season debut on Sunday. Now, what should we expect?
Well, don’t set the bar too high just yet, folks. Sure, he’s extremely poised, exceptionally intelligent and almost eerily pro-ready—all of which were evident during his preseason outings. But this’ll still be Game No. 1 in Year No. 1 for Pick No. 1, so it won’t be perfect.
Plus, he’ll also be facing some unfavorable history in the process. The last 14 quarterbacks who were selected with the first overall pick of the NFL draft failed to pick up a win in their first starts—going a combined 0-13-1 since 2002.
Oh, and the fact that he could be without both of his veteran wideouts in DJ Chark and Adam Thielen certainly wouldn’t help.
. . . and to Reich's reign
From the franchise’s latest starting quarterback to its first, Frank Reich will be making a debut of his own in Week 1—and he too will be trying to buck a trend.
Over his four-and-a-half-year run leading the Indianapolis Colts, Reich went 0-4-1 in season openers. If we expand that out to his Septembers, he went a combined 6-10-1.
So, hopefully for the Panthers, a new job means a new type of start for Reich and his all-star coaching staff.
Web of guise?
The lack of agreed-upon terms has the Panthers and Brian Burns on not-so-agreeable terms. So, will the two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher still play if he doesn’t get the contract extension he’s looking for?
Based off his full participation over the last three practices, Burns seems likelier to suit up than not. Plus, he’s been a fine teammate and consummate leader throughout the entire process.
But there seems to be a decent amount of doubt regarding his availability. In addition to Reich’s repeated uncertainty, Burns posted a cryptic Instagram story on Friday night that could be interpreted as a dark message of sorts.
If he doesn’t play, that’s obviously a rough pill to swallow for the Panthers—who are already thin off the edge.
