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David Newton, ESPN Staff WriterNov 10, 2024, 04:29 PM ET
- David Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013. You can follow Newton on Twitter at @DNewtonespn.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young chuckled after Sunday’s 20-17 overtime victory over the New York Giants in Munich when asked how many German words he’d learned over the past several days.
“Maybe one or two,” the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft said bashfully. “I tried my best. I still have a long way to go.”
Young still has a long way to go before becoming the franchise quarterback the Panthers (3-7) thought he could be when they traded two first-round picks and receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears for the right to draft the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner.
Coach Dave Canales wouldn’t say whether Young will start against the Kansas City Chiefs following their bye next week after the quarterback helped the team end a streak of 700 days between consecutive wins.
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But, the first-year coach added, “Certainly, Bryce made a great statement for himself.”
A lot of Carolina players made statements at Allianz Stadium.
Running back Chuba Hubbard provided at least a short-term reward for his four-year, $33 million extension Friday, posting a career-high 153 yards rushing and a career-high 103 yards after initial contact.
The offensive line, which was rebuilt during the offseason to give Young a chance to succeed, gave up a single sack and paved the way for 188 rushing yards.
Rookie Ja’Tavian Sanders, selected in the fourth round to give Young a legitimate big target at tight end, had his first touchdown catch.
The much-maligned defense had two interceptions (after having none since Week 4) and recovered a fumble on the first play of overtime to set up Eddy Pineiro‘s 36-yard game-winning kick.
It also created consistent pressure for the first time, resulting in a pair of sacks, one from outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum, who made his Carolina debut after spending the first nine games rehabbing from complications from 2023 quadriceps surgery.
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Chuba Hubbard restores Panthers 10-point lead with TD
Chuba Hubbard muscles his way into the end zone for a short touchdown.
The joint effort created a sense of hope for an organization trying to avoid a seventh straight losing season.
“It’s building,” defensive end A’Shawn Robinson said. “It’s being a brotherhood, from offense to special teams to defense. This whole team is a brotherhood. It’s really tight. Being a young team, we’re really coming together. This is a good step for us to take in the right direction.”
Said Canales, “I love that we’re building on the weeks.”
But as typically is the case in the NFL, the quarterback gets the most attention.
For Young, it’s become a weekly question of whether he will get another start. He is 2-2 during his current string of starts since replacing Andy Dalton after the veteran suffered a thumb injury in a minor car accident last month.
Young has kept the job because he’s shown improvement each week, even though Dalton, who took over after an 0-2 start by Young, has been healthy enough to start the past three games.
At halftime, with the Panthers leading 10-0, Canales said the 23-year-old was playing “fast, decisive.”
That showed on the first touchdown, when Young stepped up in the pocket on third-and-goal from the 5, slipped and quickly tossed a pass to Sanders in the back of the end zone despite having a path to run it in.
On first-and-10 in the second half, Young scampered for a 24-yard run, then celebrated with a smile and first-down motion with his arms to show he’s having a good time.
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Perhaps the best throw to show his newfound confidence came late in regulation when, on third-and-8, he threw a perfect strike on an out pattern to rookie receiver Xavier Legette for a first-down at a point when Carolina was trying to run out the clock.
Young was far from perfect. He passed for only 126 yards, completing 15 of 25 attempts. He had only 171 yards passing the previous game against the New Orleans Saints.
Both of his wins came against two-win teams on losing streaks of four or more games.
The real challenge comes when Carolina faces the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles. Perhaps that’s why Canales was hesitant to name his starting quarterback after the game. The offense still has shown a propensity to be more explosive with Dalton.
But at least for now, Young has given his coach reason to debate over his decision.
“Stuff to clean up, stuff to build off of, but we’ll worry about that when it’s time to focus,” Young said. “Even if there is a week in between, we have to build off of it.”
