The 2023 season gave the Panthers next to nothing to be excited about, but 2024 brought some semblance of hope with a new regime in place and upgraded weapons around QB Bryce Young.
That hope might have already dried up.
The Panthers were wiped out by the Saints in Sunday's season opener, falling behind 30-0 in the first half and ultimately losing 47-10. Nothing was working for Carolina, as the score indicates, but poor play by Young helped doom Carolina from the start and raised new questions about his viability as a franchise quarterback.
Here's a complete look at Young's underwhelming stats from Sunday's blowout loss.
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Bryce Young stats vs. Saints
Young struggled mightily against the Saints, completing less than half of his pass attempts and throwing two interceptions.
- Completion rate: 43.3% (13-30)
- Passing yards: 161
- Passing TDs: 0
- Interceptions: 2
- Passer rating: 32.8
- Rushing yards: 12
- Rushing TD: 1
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Young struggled to connect with his new receiving weapons, as Xavier Legette and Diontae Johnson combined for six catches and 54 yards on 13 targets. He flashed a better connection with Adam Thielen and Jonathan Mingo, but it was still a struggle for the Panthers' passing game all day long.
Turnovers also cost Young. His first pass of the day was intercepted by Will Harris, ultimately allowing the Saints to stretch their lead to two possessions less than five minutes into the game.
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FIRST PLAY ON DEFENSE & IT'S A WILL HARRIS INTERCEPTION
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 8, 2024
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/CWnDwA3bu3
Young later threw another interception on a significant overthrow in the third quarter when the Panthers were already trailing by 27 and just about out of hope.
The @Saints defense is BALLIN' today.
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
📺: #CARvsNO on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/TKOXFhDaF3
Young had a difficult rookie season, but he never posted a passer rating this low in 2023. Young's passer rating of 32.8 was well below his low mark of 2023 (48.0), which also came in a blowout loss to the Saints.
There still appears to be faith throughout Carolina's locker room that Young can find his footing and begin to show flashes of what made him such a vaunted commodity a little over one year ago.
"I love Bryce to death, man," Thielen said. "He works his butt off. He's a great player. This is not a Bryce Young issue. This is an offensive team issue. We are all in this together. I know what football is, that's why I love this game with everything I have, because it is the greatest team game. It’s not about an individual."
Given Carolina upgraded its wide receiver room and installed a brand new offense under new head coach Dave Canales — who's known as "The Quarterback Whisperer" — expectations were higher for Young entering 2024. One ugly game doesn't necessarily define Young's season, particularly with some of those changes forcing him to adjust and adapt, but it's enough to start raising serious questions about the No. 1 pick's future as an NFL starter.
