The Carolina Panthers did not have the opening game of the regular season they were hoping for on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, nor was it the kind of game anyone expected to see out of this team.

After all the offseason hype about this defense and the new additions added to get that unit back to being a strength, the Panthers allowed 59 points against the Bears, the most points allowed of the entire Week 1 slate (pending Monday Night Football).

The worst part that’s going to get overlooked is that quarterback Bryce Young had another career day against Chicago’s defense to start a pivotal season and it’s something no one will be talking about this week.

Bryce Young’s performance in Week 1 should not be overlooked despite the final result

At the end of the day, a loss is a loss and Young now falls to 0-4 in Week 1 starts in his career with the Panthers. However, this was far from the Week 1 showings we’ve been used to seeing. In his first three season openers, Young had 461 combined passing yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions.

On Sunday, Young finished his day with 361 passing yards (second-most of his career), four total touchdowns (second-most of his career), and just one interception. None of that mattered, especially to Young.

“We’re a team,” Young said. “There’s a lot of stuff that was out there that we could have done better, a lot of plays that we all take accountability for. The Panthers lost today. We’re a team. There is no one or two sides. There is no consolation prizes.”

Let’s give Bryce Young his flowers

It’s hard to score 37 points and still lose in the NFL. And even harder to do it and say with a straight face that there’s more that could have been done on offense. Yet, that’s the stance Young and head coach Dave Canales took following the game. And it is the right approach to have from a team-first mindset.

That being said, I’m really not sure there’s anything Young could have done better in this game and his teammates certainly felt the same way.

“I think he was unstoppable,” running back Chuba Hubbard said of Young. “I think he played great. He was breaking tackles running, doing everything.”

All throughout the offseason, Young looked like a more polished player and more comfortable running this offense. That certainly carried over into the first game of the regular season, even in a game that quickly turned into a shootout that was relying on Young to keep up leading the offense.

“I thought Bryce was rhythmic, he extended plays, made some stuff happen with his legs,” Canales said. “I really loved the way he played. Hit some nice balls down the field to Jalen (Coker) and gave the guys opportunities. Gave us an opportunity to move the chains that way. I’ll be able to comment more about that once I see the whole thing. But I’m just excited about that.”

There should be excitement from Young’s outing and there again wasn’t much more he could have done. That’s the kind of game that should have shut up the doubters and yet it’s one they can completely overlook because of the final score. And that’s a shame.