Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has done an exceptional job of raising his level of play this season. At the midway point, he is averaging nearly 100 yards and one touchdown pass more per game than he did his first three seasons in the NFL.
But unfortunately, he hasn't gotten much help from his supporting cast. Carolina's offensive line has struggled all year and his wide receiver corps is in a slump. The Panthers defense and special teams units could certainly be putting Young in better situations, as well.
One guy who can relate is former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who spoke with The Athletic's Jonathan Jones over the weekend and put on his analyst top hat—recognizing where the issues are for this team, beginning with the OL:
"So now if I’m [Panthers GM] Dan Morgan and I’m analyzing the team and I was saying like, hey, our issue isn’t a quarterback. Our issue is the talent around the quarterback. Hey, maybe it’s a guard. Hey, it’s the center. Maybe we beef up the defensive line to the identity of the team that we want..."
Newton also shared some sympathy with Young over the freakish end-zone "interception" that he was credited for in last week's five-point loss to the Denver Broncos—which may have determined the final score more than any other play:
"And then you look at a situation last week, what do you call that interception? You know what I’m saying? When it hits the elbow, hits the knee, hits the toe, it’s like, man, goodness gracious. And you definitely can’t say he ain’t living, right? Because if anybody’s living right — this is the same person that prays for each and every injured player on the field."
Suffering from the occasional bout of bad luck is part of the position, though.
There's not much more that Young can do with the protection and the weapons that he's been given. If the supporting cast can come through with a resurgent second half of the season, this could turn into a dangerous dark-horse team in the playoffs—but that's a huge if at this point.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Cam Newton gives his thoughts on QB Bryce Young, Panthers' struggles
