If you just look at Bryce Young completing 20 of 39 passes, you might come away thinking he didn't play all that well against Philadelphia. I don't think that's really the case.
There were definitely some throws Young missed, and I'm sure there are a few he'd like to have back. But he also threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over. He wasn't great all afternoon, but he was good when Carolina needed him to be.
That's why I'm landing somewhere between a really good game and a great one.
Bryce Young's Grade: B+
I went back and forth between a B+ and an A- because there was a lot I liked from Young. He averaged more than seven yards per attempt, threw two touchdowns, and didn't give Philadelphia the ball with a bad turnover.
But 20-of-39 is still 20-of-39. Young missed some throws he should've made, and there were chances for Carolina to do even more through the air. That's enough to keep me from putting this one in the A range.
I did like that the misses never seemed to change the way he played. Young kept taking his shots and going back to his receivers instead of getting conservative. He hit enough of them to finish with 281 yards.
Having McMillan and Coker Together Changes Things
We've been waiting to see what this offense would look like with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker on the field together, and we finally got a pretty good look at it. Coker had six catches for 97 yards, while McMillan finished with six for 86.
That's 183 yards between the two of them, and you could see the difference. Teams still have to worry about McMillan, but now Young has Coker on the other side making plays, too. That's something this offense hasn't had enough of.
Tommy Tremble ended up being a big part of Young's day, too. He caught both of Young's touchdown passes, including the 19-yarder in the fourth quarter after Philadelphia had cut Carolina's lead to 19-14.
That was probably Young's biggest moment of the game. Philadelphia had finally made a push and gotten itself back into it, and Carolina needed an answer. Young gave them one.
Why This Isn't Quite an A
For me, it comes back to the missed throws. If Young completes a few more of those, I'm probably giving him an A- and not thinking twice about it.
But I don't want to overlook what he did well, either. Young threw for 281 yards, had two touchdowns, didn't throw an interception, and came up with a big throw when Philadelphia was trying to get back into the game.
Was it his best game? No. But it was a good day for the Panthers' quarterback, especially on the road in Philadelphia.
I'll take that.
Final grade: B+
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