Sunday's season opener for the Carolina Panthers featured two recent No. 1 overall picks—their own, Bryce Young, and Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears. As part of a historic Week 1 for scoring across the league, we were treated to a thrilling shootout between these teams, and both quarterbacks were performing at a very high level.
While Williams took home the win, it was impossible not to be impressed by Young's showing—which included 361 passing yards and four total touchdowns.
For his efforts, Young has earned an 'A' grade for Week 1 from Brent Sobleski at Bleacher Report.
The version of Bryce Young that showed up Sunday will finally validate the the Panthers' decision to select him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Young had
his moments during his previous three seasons, but he hasn't consistently looked like a true franchise quarterback. During Sunday's action, the Panthers quarterback went punch for punch with Caleb Williams and the Bears' high-flying offense. Young looked comfortable and made some outstanding throws, sans an interception due to the defensive back undercutting an out pattern.
Young's big game was encouraging on a number of levels, especially since he usually performs terribly in Week 1 and doesn't get going until the second half of the regular season. He was decisive and aggressive in the pocket, attacked the defense downfield and limited his turnovers—throwing just one (reasonable) interception on the afternoon.
If Young can put in another sharp outing in Week 2 in Atlanta, where he usually balls out, it'll give him some excellent momentum going into Week 3 against the Browns Cleveland, which is the last matchup before a brutal stretch of games for Carolina against several heavyweight contenders.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers QB Bryce Young earns sparkling grade for Week 1 performance
