The Panthers didn’t end up pulling out the upset victory over the Chiefs, but quarterback Bryce Young put together his best performance of the season in Week 12.
Young finished the contest 21-of-35 for 263 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions — good for a 92.9 passer rating.
“Bryce just took advantage of another opportunity,” head coach Dave Canales said in his Monday news conference. “A great week of preparation by the whole group. It was great to have [Adam] Thielen back out there. It was great to have David Moore step in with Jalen [Coker] down. So, I saw some good trust factors and some growth in terms of just the chemistry in the pass game that came alive for us in some critical areas.”
Young was able to make some key throws in the face of pressure, which isn’t particularly easy for a young quarterback to do against a defense coordinated by Steve Spagnuolo.
“Yeah, it’s just the ownership of the concepts, first and foremost, having answers for different pressures,” Canales said. “Where am I going with this ball if they do this? Going through all of those what-if scenarios. And then on top of that, knowing he’s got guys out there he can trust. Xavier [Legette’s] growth, having Thielen back, David Moore out there, Ja’Tavion [Sanders] adding his things, Tommy [Tremble] had a nice catch on a third down. Knowing that the guys are continuing to be on the same page gives him that confidence to play fast.
“He was able to get to a couple of scrambles and pick up some yards that way in some different situations. I think all those decisions happen faster the more confident and comfortable you are with the system and the guys as they work together. So, it’s really a tribute to the whole group.”
Young even addressed the team postgame, which players said fired them up going forward.
“I’m just proud of Bryce, the way he’s handled all this and the way that he’s progressed on a weekly basis,” Canales said. “Each week there’s been improvement in the things that he’s doing. As the quarterback, to have a moment in the locker room where you can share your heart, you can share where you’re at with all of it. I think it’s important that the guys continue to connect that way, and the guys responded positively.
“I think that in general the message is, ‘This is the brand of football that we can play.’ On top of that, it’s like, ‘OK, now let’s get back to work and see what did we miss out there? I felt like there was a lot of meat left on the bone.’ So, while it shows when you play a version of football where you can be competitive, especially against one of the league’s best teams right now, it’s still got to be about the finish. So, it was a good moment for the guys to connect. All the guys to a man had that mixed feeling of being sick that this was an opportunity missed and also to know like we are continuing to improve on a weekly basis, which has been our goal.”
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