CHICAGO — Carolina Panthers’ rookie quarterback Bryce Young looked shell-shocked as teammates stopped by his locker to offer comforting words following Thursday night’s 16-13 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
And with good reason.
The top pick of the 2023 NFL draft led the Panthers to only two field goals — Carolina’s lone touchdown came on a 79-yard punt return in the first quarter — against a defense that ranked 28th in the NFL heading into Thursday, allowing 26.9 points a game.
He was outplayed by Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent, an undrafted rookie out of a Division II school who was filling in for injured starter Justin Fields.
Young couldn’t get Carolina closer in the game’s final minute than a 59-yard field goal attempt by Eddy Pineiro that fell well short of tying the game. And his final pass before that should have been intercepted after hitting linebacker Jack Sanborn in the hands.
“Yeah, we’re all frustrated,” Young said after Carolina fell to 1-8, tying Arizona for the worst record in the NFL. “Frustrating situation to be in. It’s not who we are, who we want to be. We are what we put on tape, we are what we put on the field, and we have to be better.”
Young’s frustration reached such a level that he addressed teammates afterward in a way they hadn’t seen after any of the other losses.
“Kind of just shared his emotion,” wide receiver Adam Thielen said without getting into specifics.
Tight end Hayden Hurst, whose locker at Soldier Field was next to Young’s, appreciated Young speaking out.
“He may be young, but he’s the leader of this team,” he said. “We’ve got to rally behind him and kind of figure some things out.”
Thielen and Hurst agreed that in no way has Young’s frustration impacted his performance for an offense that has produced only two touchdowns in 12 quarters since head coach Frank Reich turned the playcalling duties over to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.
“We’re not hitting on all cylinders,” Thielen said. “We’re not hitting on any cylinders, to be honest. It’s an embarrassing effort. Everyone is embarrassed to put up six points on offense. Without that punt return it was like we didn’t do anything.
“It’s embarrassing.”
Reich looked equally shell-shocked afterward. This is not what he envisioned when the Panthers sent the Bears two first-round picks and wide receiver DJ Moore (5 catches, 58 yards Thursday) to move from No. 9 to No. 1 in the draft to get Young.
