CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The last time there was a sea of red at Bank of America Stadium, the San Francisco 49ers took over the place, took the Carolina Panthers to school and took Matt Rhule’s job in the process.
That was 2022, when a 37-15 loss in front of thousands of Niners’ fans convinced owner David Tepper to fire Rhule and give Steve Wilks an 11-game audition.
The scene in uptown Charlotte looked eerily familiar Sunday morning, albeit with a brighter shade of red jerseys filling up the 29-year-old facility. But there was a different feeling a few hours later — one that’s been missing here since Wilks’ interim stint.
Hope.
There are no participation trophies or moral victories in the NFL, where jobs and reputations are on the line every Sunday. So the Panthers weren’t celebrating the 30-27 loss on the final play to the two-time, reigning Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs. But they also recognized the progress that’s been evident in recent weeks from all phases, but most importantly from their quarterback.
Dave Canales was so moved that he didn’t even wait to midweek to name Bryce Young the starter for the Week 13 home game against Tampa Bay.
“I don’t have to make any statements,” Canales said. “He’s making it for himself.”
Dave Canales taking the week-to-week qualifier off Bryce Young, who “absolutely” will start vs Bucs. pic.twitter.com/UNlAQJSLTK
— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 24, 2024
The quarterback on the other sideline — guy named Mahomes — was equally impressed.
“I thought he played his tail off, man. He throws a really good ball,” Patrick Mahomes said. “I think Texas Tech was the first one to offer him when he was in eighth grade. I was at Texas Tech, so I remember watching his highlight tapes then and knew he was going to be a great player.”
Sometimes greatness takes time. Mahomes had the benefit of sitting a season behind Alex Smith after the Chiefs traded up to take him with the 10th pick in 2017. Young, last year’s top pick, started 16 games as a rookie, going 2-14, absorbing 62 sacks and posting the league’s worst passer rating.
Critics ripped the Panthers for drafting the wrong quarterback after No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud led the Houston Texans to a playoff berth (and wild-card round victory) and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. On Sunday, Stroud threw two interceptions and ran out of the back of the end zone while avoiding a pass rusher with 1:13 left — a blunder that resulted in a safety that sealed the Tennessee Titans’ 32-27 victory.
Meanwhile in Charlotte, Young played one of his best games against a stout defense, throwing for 263 yards (the second-highest, single-game total of his career), deftly avoiding the Chiefs’ pass rush and nearly matching Mahomes scoring drive for scoring drive in an entertaining game that was closer than what most observers and oddsmakers expected.
One game doesn’t vault Young ahead of Stroud. But it keeps him ahead of Andy Dalton on the depth chart without having to wait a couple of days for Canales to announce it.
“It’s hard to pull a guy when you see progression and confidence and the team rallying around him,” said wide receiver Adam Thielen, in the lineup for the first time since Week 3. “In this locker room, we love that kid. … We love that guy and what he means to this team.”
BRYCE TO THIELEN ON 4TH DOWN
Great finish on the way on CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/Lp3femJWpL
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 24, 2024
Next Sunday sets up as a matchup between Canales reclamation projects new and old. Canales’ work with Baker Mayfield last year as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator helped get him the job in Carolina.
But Canales benched Young after only two games in September. He had good reason: From his body language to his lack of pocket presence, Young looked like a shell of the player who won the Heisman at Alabama, and Canales risked losing the locker room if he stuck with him.
But this is a different version of Young, one who’s hanging in against the pass rush, hitting receivers in stride and playing with a confidence that was nowhere to be found in the season-opening losses to the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers.
“I think he’s starting to figure out where he likes to be in the pocket, where he wants to be. What he sees. He did the work and he’s benefited from it,” right guard Robert Hunt said. “I got beat a couple times and I looked back and he was sitting in the pocket trying to make a play still. So respect that. He’s done a really good job.”
There have been three quarterbacks who have put up 25 or more points this season against the Chiefs’ top-five defense. Joe Burrow. Josh Allen. And now, Young. The first two are considered among the best quarterbacks in the league. The latter has been fighting for his job.
The 23-year-old Young entered the game against Kansas City (10-1) having won back-to-back starts for the first time in his career. On Sunday he led a game-tying drive in the final minutes before Mahomes did Mahomes things — in this case, a 33-yard scramble to set up Spencer Shrader’s game-winning, 31-yard field goal as time expired.
“It’s been cool to see him bounce back these last few weeks and play some great football,” Mahomes said of Young. “I know he has it because I’ve seen it for a long time. He gave us a scare today.”
The Chiefs stacked the box early in the game to take away running back Chuba Hubbard and see what Young could do. Young responded by completing 6 of 7 passes for 107 yards in the first quarter.
“We were throwing that thing around,” Hubbard said. “To see us have a balance of both, which we’ve done these last few weeks, it’s great.”
The Panthers (3-8) kept the score close despite bogging down in the red zone. They had five drives to or inside the Chiefs’ 15, but came away with just one touchdown and four Eddy Pineiro field goals.
The defense couldn’t get off the field, allowing the Chiefs to convert 61.5 percent (8 of 13) of their third downs. But the Panthers discovered their pass rush at least, sacking Mahomes five times after managing only 12 sacks in their first 10 games.
Adam Thielen congratulates Bryce Young after a second-half TD drive. Young completed 21-of-35 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown. (Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images)
But the story was Young, who drew praise from Thielen for giving receivers more chances on deep balls — including one to Thielen on the Panthers’ game-tying drive that drew a 28-yard pass interference penalty.
“I just feel like the more he trusts it — and again, it doesn’t have to be perfect,” Thielen said. “You might not complete it, but that’s OK. And the chances of completing it or getting a PI are pretty good.”
Canales was right in naming Young the starter for next week. But this should be Young’s job the rest of the way. The Panthers owe it to themselves to evaluate Young for a long stretch in a system much more dynamic than last year’s hodgepodge while playing behind a competent offensive line.
But Canales isn’t there yet. Asked if he sees Young as a franchise QB, the first-year coach said: “That’s really far in the future. Right now I’m looking to just build off of this week.”
It’s really not that far into the future. And it’s what the last six games should be about.
(Top photo of Bryce Young: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
