Bryce Young’s struggles continue as Panthers fall 26-10 to Jaguars in season opener
Third-year quarterback's turnovers and low passer rating extend a troubling trend in Carolina's opening games
The Carolina Panthers opened their season with a 26-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday as quarterback Bryce Young again struggled, completing 18 of 35 passes for 154 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and a late second-quarter fumble.
Young managed just seven completions for 47 yards in the first half and entered the locker room at halftime with a 26.2 passer rating. The turnovers and limited production in the opening 30 minutes put the Panthers behind early and hindered their ability to sustain drives throughout the game.
"Just better decision-making," Young said when asked about ball security and protecting the football after the game. "I can’t turn the ball over like that. Cost the team. I have to be better than that. Just better decision-making." Young also acknowledged the emotional toll of the performance, saying he had to improve as a leader.
Early in the third quarter, cameras captured Young slamming his helmet on the sideline after the Panthers failed to convert a third-and-1 at the five-yard line. Panthers coach Dave Canales said the incident was a product of frustration and that he and Young would address it privately. "That’s just something that he and I will work through and talk about," Canales said. "His frustration wasn’t directed at me in that. We were just talking about, ‘We gotta keep playing ball.'"
Carolina’s offense labored under consistent pressure from Jacksonville’s front and was unable to produce the explosive plays needed to close the gap. Jacksonville defenders including Dawuane Smoot and cornerback Jourdan Lewis were credited with plays that disrupted multiple Panthers possessions, and linebacker Devin Lloyd applied pressure that limited Young’s time to throw.
The performance extended a troubling pattern for Young in season openers. Since being selected first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young has struggled in each of his first three season-opening starts. Across those three games he has totaled 461 passing yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions, and each outing has ended in a sizable loss for Carolina.
Canales and Young both framed Sunday’s game as part of a larger process. Canales emphasized the need to move forward and correct execution issues, while Young said he would focus on making better decisions to protect the football.
The Panthers head into the early stretch of the regular season seeking greater consistency from their offense as they evaluate how to correct the miscues that contributed to the loss. Young’s turnovers and the team’s inability to sustain drives remained the defining factors in Sunday’s game and will be central to the organization’s assessment in the days ahead.
