With only three games to go here in the 2024 season, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales has finally put the weekly quarterback conundrum to bed.
Last Sunday’s disappointing defeat to the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t Bryce Young’s finest hour under center. The second-year passer committed a career-high four turnovers in the 30-14 loss, tossing two interceptions and losing a pair of fumbles in his first real hiccup since returning to the starting lineup.
But even though Young couldn’t find a handle on the pigskin that day, Canales told reporters this afternoon that the 23-year-old still handled the situation well.
“I mean, this was a career-high,” he said after practice. “I think for Bryce, watching him in-game was what was so impressive. To see him just continue to stay in there, to have his footwork exactly where he needed to be, to throw to No. 1 in progression and really still see the field. I could not go past Monday without letting him know that.
“I’ve been around football for 15 years and to see where games like that can really pile up on a guy and to watch him handle and to be composed and to talk with his teammates and keep working through the issues—I thought was so impressive and I wanted to make sure he knew that, that that was great and that’s exactly what it looks like to play quarterback.”
Week 15 marked Young’s seventh game since reclaiming the starting job back from veteran Andy Dalton. He’s completed 60.6 of his passes for 1,492 yards (213.1 per game), eight touchdowns and six interceptions over those outings.
Canales, who has taken the starting quarterback decision on a week-by-week basis since the switch, was then asked if he’d like to see Dalton on the field again before the end of the campaign.
“Bryce is gonna finish the season for us,” he replied.
The Panthers are hosting the Arizona Cardinals for their final home game here in Week 16 and will close up with visits to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons in Weeks 17 and 18.
