Another week, another win within a loss for Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
For the second straight game, Young’s Panthers fell short of a triumphant victory by way of a painful walk-off field goal. After a defeat at the hands of the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12, it was the defending NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers who got their kicks in the final seconds at Bank of America Stadium in Week 13.
Young, however, put forth another eye-opening outing in the 26-23 loss. The second-year passed threw for a season-high 298 yards, topping last week’s 263, with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.
Head coach Dave Canales, who continues to get behind the 23-year-old, had some high praise for the valiant performance.
“I thought he played great,” Canales replied. “I thought he made some critical throws in critical situations. He got us out of some bad ones, threw the ball away a couple times. It was an aggressive day. They [Buccaneers] blitzed a lot, he handled it well again and gave us a chance to win, for sure, on those last couple of drives.”
Young would later be asked about his play.
“Just getting more comfortable in the system,” he replied. “Coach is doin’ a great job of calling really good things, installing good things throughout the week. I trust him, I trust the system and just stickin’ to that. And also, just the players around. O-line, everyone up front is doin’ a great job. Receivers getting open. It’s not just me.”
Since returning to the starting lineup in Week 8, Young has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 1,082 yards (216.4 per game), six touchdowns and three interceptions.
