Panthers' passing game takes a step back in Week 14 loss, Young remains the one to blame
Though the Carolina Panthers claim the team's main focus is the development of Bryce Young, the on-field production proves otherwise. In the Panthers' 28-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Young completed 36.1% of his passes en route to 137 yards passing, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. If someone fell asleep at halftime and woke […]
Though the Carolina Panthers claim the team's main focus is the development of Bryce Young, the on-field production proves otherwise.
In the Panthers' 28-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Young completed 36.1% of his passes en route to 137 yards passing, no touchdowns, and no interceptions.
If someone fell asleep at halftime and woke up at the end of the game, not much had changed. And frankly, from the start of Young's rookie season to now, not much has improved in his game either.
Who or what to blame for Panthers' passing struggles
“Lack of execution, especially from myself,” Young said of the passing game struggles. “I missed a lot of things. I thought we played well on the perimeter and played well upfront. But I’ve gotta continue to get better.”
On Monday, interim head coach Chris Tabor elaborated on the Panthers' passing game struggles. What he had to offer wasn't much different, painting a bleak picture for the Panthers, who don't own their first-round draft pick and have no direct pathway out of NFL purgatory.
"We didn’t connect when we wanted to, and that’s another area we have to improve on," Tabor said. "Unfortunately, we didn’t convert enough on some of those third and fourth downs, and I think there’s a lot of things that go into that.”
A lack of connection has been a common theme for the Panthers' passing attack throughout Young's rookie year.
To make matters worse, the Panthers are running out of time to fix Young this season. There are four games left in the season. Young's footwork is still shaky and inconsistent. And no one — from the now-fired Frank Reich to the current offensive coordinator Thomas Brown — knows how to get the most out of the 5-foot-10 quarterback.
The uncomfortable reality is that Young's rookie season is beyond saving, and the passing game will have to return to the drawing board before the Panthers ever see a return on their investment with the No. 1 overall draft pick.
“We’re all sick of it," Young said of the struggles. "We’re all tired of it. But that doesn’t entitle us to anything. It’s on us ultimately. We have to do a better job to prevent that. So no matter how tired we are, we’ve gotta be better.”
Young may be tired of losing, but he hasn't helped the Panthers' efforts either.
