Since returning to the starting lineup, Bryce Young has performed better than he did early on in the season. In fact, his progress is already being noticed. Ahead of the Carolina Panthers‘ Week 13 clash, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles had some good things to say about the rookie.
“He’s (Young is) just getting comfortable with the offense, making great decisions,” Bowles said, per the Buccaneers’ official website. “If it’s not there, he can thread the needle and he can use his feet to buy time, or he can run with the football — he has a lot of options and he’s using them.”
Bryce Young’s development
Young’s first two games of the season were far from memorable. Both were blowout losses and through that two-week span, he totaled three interceptions in addition to having no passing touchdowns. While he did have a 3-yard run to the endzone in the Panthers’ season opener, his struggles outweighed any silver linings that Carolina had. This led to him being benched from Weeks 3 to 7. An injury to Andy Dalton caused Dave Canales to fully utilize the rookie once more, and so far, things have been smoother from an individual performance standpoint.
Through the Panthers’ last four games, Young has thrown more TDs (5) than interceptions (3). He’s also completed 61.8% of his passes, in addition to tallying an 83.5% passer rating. These aren’t head-turning numbers, of course, but making forward strides is what matters at the moment. Against the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday, Young had a strong outing, going 21-of-35 for 263 passing yards and a touchdown. He also finished with a 92.9 passer rating. What made this even more impressive was how the Chiefs are the fourth-best defensive team in the league, allowing opponents just 300.8 total yards per game.
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A desperate foe awaits the Panthers
Panthers fans are no doubt hoping that Young can keep the momentum going this weekend. On Sunday, Todd Bowles, Baker Mayfield, and the rest of the Buccaneers will be visiting the Bank of America Stadium. While Tampa Bay is a below .500 team (5-6 record), they’re second in the NFC South, trailing the division-leading Atlanta Falcons (6-5). With the season nearing its tail-end, the Buccaneers are expected to go all out in their remaining games for that top spot.
A desperate opponent is almost always a challenge for any QB, but that’s good for Bryce Young’s growth in the long run.
Brian Buyawe is an NBA, NFL, NCAA Football, and NCAA Basketball writer for ClutchPoints. His advanced knowledge of basketball, football, and Formula One started at an early age, allowing him to provide in-depth analysis.