CHARLOTTE. N.C. — CHARLOTTE. N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young threw a go-ahead, 4-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Evans with 1:59 remaining, Rico Dowdle ran for 206 yards and a score, and the Carolina Panthers overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to beat the Miami Dolphins 27-24 on Sunday.
Young completed 19 of 30 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns after turning the ball over on Carolina’s first two possessions, leading to two touchdown passes by Tua Tagovailoa and a 17-0 Miami lead.
Making his first start for the Panthers, Dowdle matched the second-highest rushing total in franchise history.
The Panthers (2-3) remained unbeaten at home and equaled a franchise record with their 17-point comeback. Carolina improved to 4-117 (including playoffs) when trailing by 17 or more.
Tagovailoa finished 27 of 36 for 256 yards with TD passes to De’Von Achane, Darren Waller and Jaylen Waddle in Miami’s first game since Tyreek Hill sustained a season-ending knee injury.
The Panthers took the lead midway through the fourth quarter on a 1-yard TD run by Dowdle, but Tagovailoa answered quickly with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Waddle to put the Dolphins ahead 24-20 with 4:50 left.
The Panthers responded with an impressive drive sparked Young’s 17-yard pass to rookie Jimmy Horn on fourth-and-5. Evans’ TD catch was his second score in two games.
The Dolphins (1-4) had a chance to retake the lead, but Patrick Jones II sacked Tagovailoa for a 7-yard loss on third-and-10. Miami coach Mike McDaniel elected to punt with 1:10 left.
On Carolina’s ensuing drive, Miami’s Jack Jones was flagged for pass interference on Hunter Renfrow on a third-down play, giving Carolina a game-sealing first down.
The Dolphins were held to 19 yards rushing, and Tagovailoa was sacked three times.
The momentum changed late in the second quarter when Young found struggling wide receiver Xavier Legette for a 7-yard touchdown strike to cut the lead to 17-7. Legette had come into the game with just 8 yards receiving on four catches this season and had sat out the last two games with a hamstring injury.
A field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald on the final play of the half got Carolina within 17-10. Dowdle’s 53-yard burst set up another field goal to open the second half.
Dowdle, a free-agent pickup from Dallas, also had a 43-yard run. He came within 5 yards of breaking the franchise single-game rushing record held by DeAngelo Williams.
Dolphins: Host the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young committed a bizarre turnover in the first quarter of his game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.
The Panthers had the ball with 6:38 left in the first quarter when he dropped back to pass. Dolphins pass-rusher Bradley Chubb put the pressure on the third-year quarterback. Young tried to pump fake Chubb, but he lost the football instead.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) seen with the ball during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium on Oct. 5, 2025. (Cory Knowlton/Imagn Images)
Chubb pushed Young out of the way to recover the fumble and get the Dolphins the ball back.
The Dolphins had to go without him, but Tua Tagovailoa was targeting Darren Waller and Jaylen Waddle early in the game. To start the second quarter, Tagovailoa found running back De’Von Achane for a touchdown pass.
Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Bradley Chubb reacts a fumble by Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina.(AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Young later threw an interception to Minkah Fitzaptrick.
Miami started the season 0-3, but was back in the win column on Monday when they defeated the New York Jets. Unfortunately, the team lost Tyreek Hill for the rest of the season in the win.
Carolina came into the game with a 1-3 record as well. But Young has not really impressed fans with his play so far.
He has 753 passing yards, five touchdown passes and three interceptions through four games. He had three touchdown passes in a 27-22 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. But he had zero touchdown passes in a 30-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passes against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina.(AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
The Carolina Panthers are a very bad football team.
Occasionally, they push this fact to the background with an unusually adept performance, akin to a blind squirrel finding an acorn. But then reality bites, as it did on Sunday, when they went to New England and got walloped, 42-13, by the Patriots.
New England (2-2) is a long way removed from the Super Bowl Belichick-Brady juggernauts, but the Patriots scored 42 — 42! — unanswered points in a game that made Carolina head coach Dave Canales call everything he was doing into question.
Said Canales of Carolina’s performance, which he noted was poor in all aspects: “When it happens in all phases, I’m the common denominator, and I have to take responsibility for that. I have to make sure I’m pushing the guys the right way. I have to evaluate what we’re doing, how we’re working, how we’re preparing our guys. I felt confident about that part. But we’re not getting the results.”
You can say that again. And to Canales’ credit, he did. Several times.
Carolina (1-3) threw in a sweet mirage last week — clobbering Atlanta, 30-0, in a remarkably error-free game. But after one week of renting a Ferrari, the Panthers were back driving their 1976 Ford Pinto on Sunday, and it all went about as well as that very same car performed when I had one as a teenager.
Panthers owner David Tepper walked by me in the tunnel headed toward Carolina’s locker room after the game. He did not look happy. Nor did anyone else in that locker room after this blowout, which could bring about major changes within hours (some similar losses have in the past) but, more than likely, won’t.
New England Patriots running back Treveyon Henderson (32) scores a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025 Brian Fluharty Imagn Images
Canales, for instance, said after the game that quarterback Bryce Young would start next week at home against Miami, that he didn’t anticipate making any staff changes at the moment and that he also didn’t think he was going to give up calling plays.
The Carolina players looked like they had just taken their worst loss of the season, which they had. Said Panthers safety Nick Scott: “Guys are pissed off…. Guys are angry. Guys are upset. You put a lot into this game, and this happens. I mean, it’s embarrassing.”
And yet no one (outside of Panthers fans at least) was publicly asking for an alteration in the status quo.
Said Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard, when asked what needed to change: “We’re not going to change anything. We’re just going to keep working hard. I mean, I think in times like this, everyone can be like, ‘Oh, do this. Do that.’ But I think we just have to stick to our process and just continue building off that. So we’re not changing anything.”
With all due respect, that’s not going to work. We have seen that it doesn’t work. Repeatedly.
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs the ball while Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson (2) defends during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025. Diggs burned the Panthers for 101 yards receiving. Bob DeChiara Imagn Images
Some things have got to change. Maybe the coaching staff needs to be shaken up. Maybe Young — ineffective except for his first drive and now 1-15 as a starter in NFL road games — needs an Andy Dalton reset like he got last year. Maybe Canales needs to be more of a CEO head coach and relinquish playcalling.
And believe me, Canales’ job isn’t totally safe, either, if this team keeps losing big and losing often. Although Tepper has repeatedly and quietly preached patience with the second-year head coach, the owner has also fired three Carolina head coaches in the middle of three previous NFL seasons (Ron Rivera, Matt Rhule and Frank Reich) and installed interim head coaches.
Carolina has two winnable games coming up next at home in Charlotte, against Miami and Dallas. If the Panthers lose both of those, too, and drop to 1-5? All bets are off.
Canales is now 6-15 as a head coach for Carolina. Young is 7-25 as a starter. Tepper is 37-83 as the team’s owner, but he’s not going anywhere. A lot of other people will, though, if this continues.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) slips and falls under preasure from New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams (97) and linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson (44) during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025. New England scored 42 straight points after an early Panthers lead and won, 42-13. Brian Fluharty Imagn Images
It’s hard to believe now, but the Panthers actually prompted some New England fans to start booing early in the game. After taking the opening kickoff, the Panthers marched right down the field on one of their best drives of the last several seasons. They didn’t even face a third down as they rolled to one substantial gain after another, ending the march with Young’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Tremble to take a 6-0 lead.
“Booooo!” yelled a number of Patriot fans, already disgruntled.
And then it all disintegrated.
The problems started slowly, as Carolina’s previously perfect rookie placekicker Ryan Fitzgerald doinked the extra point off the left upright. No good.
After a New England punt, Carolina had a chance to extend its lead. But after moving to the Patriots 45, on third-and-10, Canales inexplicably called a draw play (he would do much the same thing on a later third-and-long, with similarly poor results). Carolina only gained two yards, punted…. and suddenly, it all changed.
As Carolina’s punt coverage team converged, New England returner Marcus Jones eschewed calling for a fair catch at his own 13, made a couple of moves and was only touched by a single Panther as he made like a flew down the left sideline for 87 yards and a 7-6 New England lead.
From there came a familiar litany of Panther mistakes.
New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) runs the ball while Carolina Panthers cornerback Akayleb Evans (29) defends during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Jones returned one punt return 87 yards for a touchdown and set up another TD with a 61-yard return. Bob DeChiara Imagn Images
Jones set up yet another TD with a 61-yard return, as Carolina’s special teams had one of their worst days in franchise history.
Coming back to our planet after a tremendous start to the season, Fitzgerald was short on a field-goal attempt from 55 yards. Young started overthrowing and underthrowing receivers under pressure — on one play, he missed rookie Tetairoa McMillan on what would have been a sure touchdown.
On and on it went. Canales’ offensive playcalls were uninspired. The defense, after pitching a shutout a week ago vs. Atlanta, couldn’t stop anybody and allowed N.C. product Drake Maye to complete practically every pass he threw. Maye, meanwhile, thoroughly outplayed Young and paid homage to the Cam Newton “Superman” celebration by doing it after he scored the second of New England’s six — six! — touchdowns.
New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson (4) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025 Brian Fluharty Imagn Images
By halftime, it was 28-6 New England, and the game was all but over.
The big halftime deficit has been a trend this year. Carolina also trailed 20-3 in both Week 1 and Week 2 at halftime.
Instead of starting fast, as every team preaches, the Panthers play most first halves like they’re rubbing their eyes and stumbling toward the coffeepot. If they don’t wake up soon, all this is going to get even worse.
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“Certainly not the execution we’re looking for,” Canales said. “This is in all phases, first and foremost, giving the credit to the Patriots. They outplayed us in every phase, offensively, defensively, on special teams, with the big return yardage on that. When it’s a full team effort like this, I have to put that on myself.
“I have to look at how I’m preparing the team, how we’re going about our work,” Canales added in his opening statement. “I have to look at that and compete to find an edge to get these guys to work together, to focus so we can get the execution that we’re seeing happen in our processes. But this is the only way to work through these things is to go right back to work, to attack it head on, and with the guys, I told them in the locker room, hey, a loss is a loss; we’ve got to look at this stuff, we’ve got to look in the mirror and figure out who we want to be as a team so we can get the execution that we’re calling for and that we’re looking for.”
Canales, now 6-15 through his first 21 games in Carolina (1-3), will need to go back to the drawing board as he looks to elevate the play of Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan and the rest of the Panthers’ offense.
Canales will also need to oversee adjustments made by Ejiro Evero and Tracy Smith on defense and special teams, respectively.
As of now, though, he doesn’t plan to make any moves on the coaching staff.
“Not right now,” Canales said. “No, but we’re going to look at all the stuff tomorrow, put our heads together, and make sure we’re pushing forward the right way.”
Canales says Bryce Young is still QB1
Canales pulled Young from the game in the fourth quarter with the Patriots up by 36 points. Young guided the offense on a touchdown-scoring drive to begin the matchup, but his effectiveness waned as the Patriots piled on points.
Following the lopsided loss, Canales was asked if Young would be the starting QB against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) eludes the tackle of New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025 Bob DeChiara Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
“Absolutely,” Canales said. “Counting on him to keep pushing us forward, counting on him to keep us on track. There were some near misses across the board, some penalties that put us in weird situations, a couple of protection issues, and one of them where he slipped and kind of put us in a bad situation.
“But I still feel that he’s being confident out there. He’s leading the group. He’s getting us out there with good energy and focus. He’ll continue to play.”
Canales says he should still be calling plays for the offense
The Panthers’ offense outgained the Patriots’ offense on Sunday. Carolina had 326 net yards of offense, while New England produced 307 nets yards on their side of the field.
However, the Patriots scored six touchdowns compared to the Panthers’ two scores. New England was constantly put in good field positioning due to Carolina’s repeated gaffes in each phase.
But Canales still plans to call plays for the offense.
“I believe that I’m the right person to be able to push our concepts and our schemes forward,” Canales said. “I think it’s a combination of a bunch of things. Execution-wise am I calling the right plays rhythmically for the guys to have success based on what the defense is doing to us on that day. That’s something that I’ll definitely look at, though.”
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) runs with the ball wile New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins (21) defends during the first half at Gillette Stadium Sean DeBevoise, or Nigel Max Edge…. troubled marine, shot into a waterside night spot last night. Bob DeChiara Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Young and McMillan have had a few miscommunications in the passing game over the first month of the season. Canales said noticed the mishaps against the Patriots, and he plans to work with the duo to fix them.
“It was some near misses there,” Canales said the Young-McMillan dynamic. “That’s something we’ve got to look at on film and just make sure that they’re on the same page.”
Canales “honestly” doesn’t question effort, energy
A 28-6 halftime deficit is hard for any team to climb out of. But the Panthers did themselves few favors in the second half.
Missed tackles, poor angles, and pedestrian offensive execution led to an even bigger second-half plight. The Panthers were outscored 14-7 in the final two quarters.
Still, Canales doesn’t blame his players’ effort.
New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins (21) tackles Carolina Panthers wide receiver Brycen Tremayne (87) during the first half at Gillette Stadium Sean DeBevoise, or Nigel Max Edge…. troubled marine, shot into a waterside night spot last night. Bob DeChiara Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
“I can honestly say that the effort and the energy from our guys is there,” Canales said. “It keeps coming back to the execution. I have to look at that myself; are we putting our guys in the best situation to be successful in every phase.
“I have to make sure that we have those conversations and that we keep progressing our football forward. I know who our guys are. I know they’re not going to quit. I know they’re going to continue to punch, they’re going to continue to fight all the way through it. But it’s not enough. We have to be able to come out and execute for four quarters to become the football team that I believe we can become, and the work starts right now. It starts with me. It starts with our coaching staff. Our players understand as well, this is not acceptable, and this is something that we have to come together and make sure that we’re together on this thing so we’re pushing forward.”
Canales says Christensen’s versatility factored into his lack of usage
When fill-in starting guard Chandler Zavala was knocked out of the game in the first half, practice-squad lineman Brandon Walton replaced him. Versatile veteran Brady Christensen remained on the sideline.
It turns out, according to Canales, Christensen’s prolonged sideline stint was due to the team’s game plan.
“Yeah, we had a heavy package planned for Brady and then also for Brandon,” Canales said. “The other part is Brady is our backup center, so we went with Brandon first to just make sure that Brady was available in case anything else happened at the center position.
“But we wanted to make sure we came out of this game with Brady having a chance to be out there and play, just kind of looking into the future and the next couple of weeks to see if that’s a place where we’re going to really need him, and so we kind of went with that approach after Brandon had that first series.”
Canales offers an update on Moore’s status
Wideout David Moore picked up 12 yards and a first down on the opening play of the game.
However, he was slammed to the field in an awkward position out of bounds, injuring his elbow in the process. Moore was carted off the field and failed to return.
Following the game, Canales offered an update on Moore, who was heavily featured in Week 3’s 30-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
“We’re going to be looking at it week to week,” Canales said. “It was an elbow injury that happened on the first play, which was a really nice run by him, a guy that we’re counting on, so we’ll be week to week with D-Mo.”
Moore joins Xavier Legette (hamstring) on the sideline. Legette missed the matchup against New England, forcing Moore into the starting lineup. Fellow wideout Jalen Coker (quad) has also been sidelined throughout the first month of the season on injured reserve. He is eligible to activated as soon as next week.
The Panthers also have Hunter Renfrow, Brycen Tremayne, Dalevon Campbell and Jimmy Horn Jr. at wide receiver on the active roster.
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The Carolina Panthers defeated the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday 30-0 in the team’s home opener of the 2025 season.
The Panthers’ defense, which had been heavily criticized after a historically bad 2024 campaign, had its first shutout since 2020, picking off Falcons quarterback Michael Penix twice and recovering a fumble near the end of the game.
**This is a breaking news update, an update will be available shortly**
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — When Bryce Young previously faced the Atlanta Falcons he performed his best Stephen Curry impersonation, throwing a pass into the end zone and turning his back to celebrate the touchdown well before tight end Tommy Tremble secured the ball.
Young finished that Week 18 shootout with Michael Penix Jr. 25-of-34 passing for 251 yards and five total touchdowns in his best game as a professional. The Panthers won 44-38 in overtime.
The No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, it seemed, had regained his swagger.
Fast-forward to this season and the Panthers are off to their third straight sluggish 0-2 start under Young as they prepare for Sunday’s home opener against against their Interstate 85 rivals from Atlanta.
Young had five turnovers in his first five quarters this season, before nearly rallying the Panthers from a 27-3 deficit with three second-half TD passes before falling short and losing 27-22.
Although the comeback came up short, coach Dave Canales said he’s “fired up” about the direction Young and the Panthers are headed.
Young might have it tougher this time around after the Falcons, who appear to have improved dramatically on defense from a year ago. The Falcons defense relentlessly pressured J.J. McCarthy last week and easily defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 22-6.
“I think these guys are getting better and better,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “They’re fun to watch. They’re fun to be around. I gave them all game balls today. Man, they had a heck of a game and a big-time moment and I thought it was pretty special for those guys to enjoy that moment together.”
Another big day for Bijan?
Bijan Robinson has enjoyed tremendous success against his NFC South foes.
The third-year running back combined for 265 yards rushing and four touchdowns — while averaging 6.2 yards per carry — in two games against Carolina in 2024. He faces a Panthers defense that had allowed 200 yards rushing in seven straight games prior to holding the Cardinals to 82 yards on the ground on Sunday.
“Play together, team tackle,” Canales said of stopping Robinson, who ran for 143 yards against the Vikings in Week 2. “We’ve got to rally to the ball. When you have a fantastic player like this, it takes multiple people to make sure they’re doing their assignment and everybody rallying to the ball, everybody being there, and trying to limit the amount of space that he gets.
“The more space he has, the more dangerous he can be. So it’s got to be team football.”
Where is Legette?
Carolina’s 2024 first-round draft pick Xavier Legette has been nearly invisible in the Panthers offense this season with 8 yards on four receptions.
Despite Legette’s struggles, Canales plans to stick with Legette in the starting lineup this week. However, with Brycen Tremayne emerging as a potential playmaker and Jalen Coker eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 5, Legette is under pressure to produce — and soon.
“I have all the confidence in the world in him; he’s a great player,” Young of Legette. “He’s going to be great for us. He’s a huge part of this offense. It’s not any sort of wavering, any sort of — there’s nothing like that. I’m excited for this week. I’m excited for the weeks following for him.”
TDs for Renfrow
While Legette struggles, Panthers rookie Tetairoa McMillan is thriving in the Panthers offense with 11 catches for 168 yards through two games.
The No. 8 pick has developed into Young’s go-to option.
But McMillan doesn’t have a touchdown catch yet despite catching 26 TD catches in three seasons at the University of Arizona. Young threw two TDs passes to veteran slot receiver Hunter Renfrow and the other to running back Chuba Hubbard last Sunday.
McMillan said he doesn’t mind that others are getting the bulk of the targets in the red zone.
“Somebody is going to be open,” McMillan said. “If they start shading to me, we have way more players who can make plays. I’m not the only dude on the football field, so I have full confidence in the other 10 guys to go make plays. I feel like it is a good thing if they start shading to me.”
Red zone concerns
The Falcons scored on all five trips in the red zone against Minnesota, but managed just one touchdown.
Morris is hoping to get Robinson and others into the end zone in Week 3.
“We didn’t do a great job in the red zone (Sunday) night, for sure,” Morris said. “Fortunate enough for us, our defense held their team to almost the same poor play in the red zone, and it was able to work out for us.”
Terrell’s injury
The Falcons are expected to be without cornerback A.J. Terrell, who is listed as week to week after sustaining a hamstring injury in the second quarter against Minnesota. Dee Alford took his place and played 20 defensive snaps, but it is unclear who’ll fill in on Sunday with Morris adding it is an open competition.
″(Alford) got a chance to finish it for us,” Morris said. “He did a nice job, had a knockdown pass and some really good tackles.”
The Atlanta Falcons are headed back home to Georgia following a 22-6 victory in Minnesota on Sunday night.
The Falcons will be back on the road in week three of the schedule, this time in Carolina to face the 0-2 Carolina Panthers. Losers to Arizona by five points, 27-22, the Panthers got big offensive outputs from quarterback Bryce Young (328 yards passing and three touchdowns) and rookie receiver Tetairoa (six catches for 100 yards). Both players must be high up on the Falcons’ defensive scouting reports.
Wasted opportunities: The Falcons’ defense held the Vikings to six first-half points in front of a sold-out home crowd during their home opener and only managed to get three field goals for their efforts. Parker Romo made 38, 29, and 33-yard field goals, but should have been kicking extra points instead. They would get that first touchdown late in the game. That lack of offensive production might not be enough against the Washingtons and Buffalos of the world, though.
Rookies Stepping Up: Falcons rookies James Pearce, Jr., Jalon Walker, and Billy Bowman, Jr. each had big first halves on Sunday night. Bowman intercepted a pass from Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy during the second quarter. Pearce, Jr. and Walker each registered their first solo sacks during the game. Rookie safety Xavier Watts secured his first interception with 2:35 remaining in the game. He dropped two potential interceptions during the season-opening loss to Tampa Bay last week.
Mooney over Minnesota: Darnell Mooney made his season debut and caught his only two Penix, Jr. passes of the game during the third quarter. Mooney (two receptions for 20 yards) will be a massive weapon for Penix, Jr. going forward.
Romo, Parker Romo: The Falcons brass decided to leave Younghoe Kim at home and brought Peachtree City native and former University of Georgia kicker Parker Romo to the Twin Cities for Sunday night’s game. Parker didn’t disappoint, making all of his first five field goal attempts, including a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 54-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. He also made his only extra points attempt of the game in the fourth quarter, following a touchdown run by Tyler Allgeier (76 yards on 15 carries).
Very Special Teams: The Atlanta special teams unit was very good Sunday night. It didn’t force a turnover until recovering a muffed punt in the fourth quarter, but kept the Vikings from getting better than average field position the entire game.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — For the first time in 20 career NFL starts, Bryce Young lined up in the victory formation to take a snap to close out a Carolina Panthers win.
“In the moment of it, you don’t think about, but looking back on it it’s a good thing,” Young said with a smile.
The wins have been few and far between for Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft who has endured a rocky start to his NFL career, including losing 17 of his first 19 starts and getting benched for veteran Andy Dalton earlier this season after two unimpressive outings.
But Young came up big Sunday.
He completed 16 of 26 passes for 171 yards a touchdown and led a winning TD drive as the Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22 to snap a five-game losing streak.
Chuba Hubbard ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 16-yard scoring burst with 2:18 remaining as Carolina beat New Orleans for the first time in the Young era.
Hubbard called it a big win for Young and praised him for his perseverance.
“All of the adversity he has had to deal with, he has handled it great,” Hubbard said. “He has stayed a leader and been a great teammate and kept working. For him to get this and play as well as he did, he deserves it.”
Despite the win, coach Dave Canales would not commit to Young as his starter next Sunday against the New York Giants in Munich.
The Panthers (2-7) got big games from a pair of rookies as tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders caught four passes for 87 yards and wide receiver Xavier Legette hauled in his fourth touchdown of the season as well as a huge 26-yard catch on the winning drive to avenge an embarrassing 47-10 Week 1 loss to their division foes.
Alvin Kamara ran for 155 yards on 29 carries and caught six passes for 60 yards for the Saints (2-7), who have lost seven straight games under embattled coach Dennis Allen.
Derek Carr struggled in his return to action after missing the last three games with an oblique injury, finishing 18 of 31 for 236 yards with one touchdown pass.
It didn’t help that Saints receiving leader Chris Olave left with a concussion in the first quarter. He was taken to the hospital for observation before being discharged to return home with the team. Olave took a hard hit from Panthers safety Xavier Woods while trying to make a catch over the middle. He had the use of all of his extremities, according to the team.
The Saints started the season 2-0, but things have gone downhill since.
“I’m hurting right now,” Allen said. “I’m hurting for our city, for our organization and these guys in the locker room. They put their heart and soul into it. To keep coming out on the negative end is quite challenging.”
No one knows that better than the Panthers, who have the NFL’s worst record since 2018. But on this day the Panthers would not be denied.
With Carolina down by five and facing a third-and-10, Young found Legette over the middle for a 26-yard strike on the go-ahead drive. Demario Davis was flagged for pass interference on the next throw to Sanders. giving the Panthers another first down.
Hubbard then ripped up the middle for his second score of the game.
The Canadian-born running back said he never thought about taking a knee before the end zone to run more time off the clock.
“I felt like based off the offense and defense we played complementary ball,” Hubbard said. “I had a feeling we were going to get a good stop on defense.”
The Panthers didn’t make it easy on themselves though as Young was flagged for delay of game and then sacked on the ensuing two-point conversion, keeping it a one-point game.
The Saints needing only a field goal to win, started at the 20 but didn’t get far. The Panthers defense stiffened, with Jadeveon Clowney making a big sack on second down. Dane Jackson then broke up a Carr’s fourth-and-four pass along the left sideline to Cedrick Wilson to seal it.
“The guys had a finish mentality,” Canales said. “It was back and forth for a while there, but for our guys to play their calls and execute the way we want them to execute and make plays, the guys have to proud of that. I can’t be more fired up.”
Saints: Along with Olave, center Lucas Patrick left in the second half with a calf injury.
Panthers: Legette returned from a hand injury to finish the game.
Saints: Host Falcons next Sunday.
Panthers: Travel to Munich to face the New York Giants on Sunday.
By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer
New Orleans Saints
Carolina Panthers
CBS | Sunday, November 3rd 1:00 PM EST
Charlotte, N.C. — Second-year quarterback Bryce Young is due to start again Sunday when the Carolina Panthers play the New Orleans Saints, head coach Dave Canales told reporters Wednesday.
Quarterback Andy Dalton is expected to serve as Young’s backup.
Canales said Wednesday he is not ready to commit to Young as the team’s starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2024 season.
“Bryce will be starting this week,” Canales said. “We’ll collect all the information over the week with Andy, with Bryce how he plays this week, and then, we’ll make another decision next week.”
Canales said Young took practice reps Wednesday with the first-team offense.
“Andy is progressing,” Canales said. “He was out there throwing, and I just really looked all the things, and for me, I just erred on the side of caution.
“[I] wanted to get Andy in the best possible situation to be able to make a decision going forward. Also, I’m excited for Bryce to have an opportunity to build off some of the things he did last week.”
The Panthers (1-7) host the Saints (2-6) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Canales benched Young before Week 3 in favor of Dalton, who led the Panthers to a 1-4 record as a starter. Dalton has completed 106 of 160 passing attempts (66.3%) for 989 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s thrown six interceptions.
Young is 0-3 as a starter. He’s completed 61 of 102 passing attempts (59.8%) for 523 yards, two touchdowns and has thrown five interceptions.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said he was surprised to learn from head coach Dave Canales that he’d been benched and accepted blame for the team’s struggles on the field.
“It was not something that I was necessarily expecting,” Young said following Thursday’s practice. “Obviously not something that was great to hear. But I respect coach Canales and the organization.”
Young is 2-16 as an NFL starter since he arrived in Carolina amid high expectations after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft.
The Panthers are 0-2 this season and have not been competitive in either game. They have been outscored 73-13, including 53-3 in the first half, and have scored just one touchdown. Young has not thrown a TD pass in his last four starts dating back to last season.
The 36-year-old Andy Dalton will start on Sunday at Las Vegas.
Young placed the blame for the demotion on his own shoulders, saying he needs to be more productive.
“Last year and these first two games for the most part every snap has hit my hands and I didn’t do enough with it at the end of the day,” Young said. “I take accountability for that. There are plays and a long list of things that I wish I was better at and I’m going to continue to work and grow and be better at them. I’m always going to look in the mirror.”
He added, “If I went out there and played better, and we won games, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Young is the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the common draft era starting in 1967 to be benched for noninjury reasons in his second season.
Canales tried to cushion the blow on Wednesday, saying he still thinks Young can be a franchise quarterback and that the team has no plans to trade him.
As for whether he still views himself as the franchise quarterback in Carolina, Young sidestepped the question by saying “really right now, I am a day-by-day type of person. Big picture stuff, that’s out of my hands. That’s in God’s hands. Organizational stuff, that is with the people upstairs” in the front office.
Young said he’s been grateful for the support of his teammates and will continue to approach the game in the same way.
“I’m a competitor and it’s not what you dream of or what you think is going to happen, but I trust in the Lord,” Young said. “I know that he is in control of everything and I am super blessed. It’s not something that is ideal but at the end of day, it is what it is. I have to focus on what I can do now to get better.”
QB Caleb Williams. It’s been a rough start for the No. 1 overall draft pick. Only five QBs have a lower completion rate than Williams (56.1%) and the recently benched Bryce Young is the only starter averaging fewer yards per game than Williams’ 133.5. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner hasn’t thrown a TD pass, but has been sacked a league-high-tying nine times. Perhaps this will be the week he and the Bears turn things around.
Colts player to watch
WR Michael Pittman Jr. Indy’s top receiver showed his frustration following the Green Bay loss and it had nothing to do with his role in this offense. He’s been targeted a team-high 15 times and is second on the team with eight receptions. The previous time Pittman spoke out, in October 2023, he responded by catching 53 passes and helping Indy go 4-2 over the next six games.
Key matchup
Bears running game vs. Colts run defense. Williams isn’t the only one struggling in Chicago. The offense has just one offensive TD this season. Still, this could be a matchup that helps the Bears get jump-started. Indy is allowing a league-high 237.0 yards rushing per game, and until it stops the run consistently, teams will continue to test the Colts.
Key injuries
Chicago WR Keenan Allen (heel) missed last weekend’s game and was one of four players who did not practice Wednesday. The others were fullback Khari Blasingame (hand and knee), offensive tackle Teven Jenkins (thigh) and defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin). Offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (quadricep), defensive tackle Andrew Billings (groin), guard Nate Davis (groin), rookie receiver Rome Odunze (knee) and defensive ends Montez Sweat (elbow) and DeMarcus Walker (foot) were all limited Wednesday. … The Colts already have two defensive starters — three-time Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner (sprained ankle) and starting CB JuJu Brents (knee) — on injured reserve. Starting safety Julian Blackmon (shoulder) and WR Josh Downs (ankle) practiced Wednesday and are hopeful of returning, but kicker Matt Gay (quadricep) and rookie DE Laiatu Latu (hip) did not practice Wednesday.
Series notes
Indianapolis has won two straight and four of the past six in a series featuring two foes that moved into separate conferences as part of 1970 AFL-NFL merger. … Indy won the only postseason contest, beating the Bears 29-17 to win Super Bowl 41. … Chicago won the first NFL regular-season game played at Lucas Oil Stadium, 29-13 in the 2008 season opener. … Colts owner Jim Irsay grew up in Chicago.
Stats and stuff
The Bears have won five of their past eight games overall, but have lost eight of their past 10 on the road. … Chicago opened this season with three straight non-division games, the first time that’s happened since 2002. … Williams and backup QB Tyson Bagent are the only Bears rookies to win their first career starts over the past two decades. … WR D.J. Moore leads all players from the 2018 rookie class in yards receiving with 6,654. … Chicago has allowed 117 sacks since the start of the 2022 season. … The Bears defense has allowed just three points and just 169 yards in the second halves of the first two games. … Chicago is tied with San Francisco for most interceptions (24) since the start of the 2023 season. … Matt Eberflus served as Indy’s defensive coordinator from 2018-2021 before taking the Bears head coaching job. … The Colts are trying to avoid starting a second straight season by losing its first two home games. … Indy averages 6.68 yards per play, the third highest in the NFL, but have finished each of its first two games with 20 or fewer minutes of possession time. … Second-year QB Anthony Richardson has run for five TDs in his first six starts as a pro but owns a 2-4 record. … RB Jonathan Taylor had his first 100-yard game of the season last week and needs two TD runs to pass Marshall Faulk (42) for fourth in franchise history. … WR Alec Pierce is one of four NFL players with two catches of 50 or more yards this season. Both came in the Week 1 loss to Houston. … LB Zaire Franklin has had 22 games with at least 10 tackles and needs one more to break a tie with Gary Brackett for No. 2 in Colts history. … P Rigoberto Sanchez is tied for the league lead with a net average of 48.8 yards. … Indy’s six sacks through weeks puts the Colts on pace to match last year’s single-season franchise record (51).
Fantasy tip
Taylor is always a safe play, but against a stingy Bears defense, Pittman may be the best bet in what could be a low-scoring game.
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, center, watches as quarterback Bryce Young, right, drops back to pass during the team’s voluntary minicamp on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
Head coach Dave Canales, after the team’s final pick on Saturday, told reporters that he and Young had exchanged a few short texts throughout the three days of the draft — and that Young really liked the moves the franchise made.
“He’s really excited about what we’ve done from the responses that I’ve gotten from him,” Canales said of Young. “He’s very fired up about what we’ve put together.”
“If you specifically talk about the offense, just looking positionally with a running back, a receiver and a tight end skill-wise, (we’re) really bringing in a little bit of juice there to really challenge that whole group and elevate the offense,” Canales said. “So I’m really excited about what we did there.”
As of the final pick of the NFL Draft, the Panthers had 77 players on their roster. That means the franchise had 13 spots open to bring in potential undrafted free agents and/or others over the course of the preseason.
Here’s a look at a few other lingering questions the Panthers still have when it comes to their roster.
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, right, speaks with quarterback Bryce Young, left, during the team’s voluntary minicamp practice on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
What about adding a center?
One position on offense that ostensibly still needs addressing is center — if not for immediate need, for succession planning.
After releasing Bradley Bozeman at the start of free agency this year and spending a bunch of money on interior linemen Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, the team announced that the plan is to move veteran Austin Corbett to the center position. Corbett, who’s coming off back-to-back seasons that saw knee injuries limit his time on the field, said the transition thus far has been painless and natural and easy.
Still, should the Panthers add an extra center?
General manager Dan Morgan said it’s a possibility — just like adding anyone to challenge the roster is a possibility — but that he and the team feel good about their depth at center.
“We feel really good about Austin Corbett there at center,” Morgan said. “I think he’s progressing well, and I think Dave would say the same thing to you guys. I think him, along with Brady Christensen, he’s been getting some snaps at center, we feel like he has some potential there as well. So we feel good about it. But we’re always going to be looking to challenge our roster and get better and create that competition. So we’re not going to close the door on bringing somebody else in.”
Dec 24, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers guard Austin Corbett (63) and Detroit Lions defensive end Isaiah Buggs (96) at the line of scrimmage in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports Bob Donnan USA TODAY NETWORK
Are the Panthers closer to bringing Stephon Gilmore back?
The Panthers spent four of their seven picks on defense, but only one in the defensive secondary — a mild surprise considering the obvious need at cornerback. The defensive back they took was Chau Smith-Wade out of Washington State in the fifth round.
“We’re really excited about Chau,” Morgan said when asked about the defensive secondary. “Chau is a guy who can play inside, he can play outside. So we like his versatility. He’s good on special teams. I think he’s a guy who can really contribute and make us better. I think, obviously, at every position, we’re going to look to improve, not just the corner position but again, we’re going to try to create depth and competition everywhere.
“And as far as Stephon, we’re not going to close the door on anything, and we’ll continue to talk and explore and see where that goes.”
Panthers cornerback Stephon Gilmore warms up before the game against the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, October 31, 2021 in Atlanta, GA. This will be the first game Gilmore is active since being signed to the Panthers roster. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Is Carolina’s running back room too crowded?
The drafting of running Jonathon Brooks raised a common response: Are the Panthers looking to move on from part of their backfield?
Brooks joined a running back room that included Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders earlier this week. Canales on Saturday said that he plans to play all three of his running backs — just like he did in Tampa Bay — because he is stubborn about running the ball and the position is such a violent one. Morgan largely reiterated the same point, adding that he and the staff loved what each of them could bring.
He was asked specifically about Sanders and his trade possibilities.
“In terms of Miles, we love Miles,” he said. “We see a big role for him. I think Dave would tell you the same, that we think really highly of Miles. We love Miles. He can do a lot for our offense. He’s versatile in the pass game. And he’s a good runner. So we’re excited about him as well.”
Texas running back Jonathon Brooks during a 2023 game against Houston. Sara Diggins/American-Statesman Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
What do they need in undrafted free agency?
The Panthers’ draft philosophy was simple: Take the best player available. You saw that in their seven picks — the Panthers selecting versatile playmakers as opposed to honing in on positions of need, like cornerback or EDGE rusher or center.
That philosophy seems like it will continue to guide them as they head into undrafted free agency and the rest of the offseason.
“I think in undrafted free agency, obviously we’re going to count numbers, and we have specific numbers at each position that we’re trying to get to to get to fill out the 90-man roster,” Morgan said. “Right now, as we’re speaking, the guys are back there, they’re on the phones with agents, trying to recruit players and just fill the roster out. … Not just fill the numbers out, but fill our roster with great players, great competitors, just the type of people that we want in our program.”
Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the APSE, which awarded him with a Top 10 finish in the APSE Long Feature category in its 2022 writing contest. He also earned two Top 10 distinctions in the APSE Beat Writing and Short Feature categories in 2021. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription
The senior quarterback won the award over Oregon QB Bo Nix, Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. after a phenomenal dual-threat season. Daniels was one of the nation’s leading passers in nearly all the major metrics and also one of only two quarterbacks to rush for over 1,000 yards during 2023.
Daniels finished with 503 first-place votes while Penix finished with 292 first-place votes. The total margin between the two quarterbacks, 2,029 points to 1,701 points, was the closest Heisman voting has finished since 2018.
Daniels finished the regular season 236-of-327 passing for 3,812 yards and 40 TDs. He threw just four interceptions and completed over 70% of his passes. Just six players — including Nix at 77.2% — completed a higher percentage of their passes.
But Daniels had everyone easily beat in yards per attempt. He was by far the nation’s leader in that category as the LSU offense averaged 11.7 yards every time he threw the football. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, the player in second in yards per attempt, averaged 1.3 yards fewer per throw.
Daniels also tied for the lead in passing touchdowns with Nix despite playing one fewer game. Nix played in 13 games in 2023 as Oregon went to the Pac-12 title game. But Penix and the Huskies beat the Ducks to get to the College Football Playoff. It was a game that likely sealed Daniels’ status as the Heisman winner as Nix fell below the all-time single-season record for completion percentage (Mac Jones’ 77.4% in 2020).
In addition to being a threat with LSU receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas to break a big play from nearly anywhere on the field through the air, he was also a big play waiting to happen on the ground.
Daniels rushed 135 times for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns over 12 games. He averaged the most yards per carry of any qualified player in college football at 8.4 and was over a full yard ahead of Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright in second place.
It’s a remarkable rushing total and rushing average for a quarterback who dropped back to pass as much as Daniels did. College football statistics count sacks against a quarterback’s rushing totals and Daniels was sacked 22 times. Penix, for example, has rushed for minus-18 yards this season.
Daniels had five games with at least one run longer than 40 yards and his signature performance came in a 52-35 win over Florida on Nov. 11. Daniels was 17-of-26 passing for 372 yards and three touchdowns through the air while rushing 12 times for 234 yards and two scores. Daniels broke touchdown runs of 85 yards and 51 yards during that game and then threw three touchdowns in the final 18 minutes as the Tigers pulled away from the Gators.
It was the first time in top-level college football history that a player had thrown for over 350 yards and rushed for over 200 yards in the same game.
He also powered the Tigers’ comeback win at No. 9 Missouri on Oct. 7. After briefly leaving the game early in the fourth quarter following a crushing hit at the goal line, Daniels returned to engineer two go-ahead touchdown drives on LSU’s next two possessions.
He broke a 35-yard TD run on third down to give the Tigers a 35-32 lead over Mizzou with less than eight minutes to go, and then accounted for all 75 yards on LSU’s next drive as the Tigers went up for good with less than three minutes to go.
That drive also included a monster third-down run. Daniel broke a 31-yard run on third down to get to the Missouri 29 yard-line and a play later hit Nabers for a 29-yard score that put LSU up 42-39.
A three-loss Heisman winner
Players on teams with more than two losses don’t win the Heisman very often. Especially in recent seasons. Last year, USC was 11-2 when Caleb Williams lifted the award. The year before that, Alabama was 12-1 when Bryce Young won and undefeated when DeVonta Smith won in 2020.
Williams, in fact, became just the second player to win the Heisman in the playoff era as part of a team that wasn’t in the four-team playoff. As Daniels joins that group, he’s the first player since Lamar Jackson in 2016 to be a part of a team that had three losses before the Heisman ceremony.
Like Daniels, Jackson was a dynamic passer and rusher and his season-long performance was too good to ignore. Jackson threw for over 3,500 yards and rushed for nearly 1,600 that season as he accounted for 51 touchdowns.
Overall, Daniels is just the 15th player on a team with three or more losses to win the Heisman and the fourth in the 2000s along with Jackson, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III in 2011 and Florida’s Tim Tebow in 2007.
A Heisman transfer trend
Daniels is also the fifth player in the past seven seasons to win the Heisman at his second school, a sign of the normalization of player transfers. Nix and Penix are also transfers in their second seasons at their new schools. Nix transferred to Oregon from Auburn while Penix transferred to Washington from Indiana.
Williams won in his first season at USC after transferring from Oklahoma, while LSU QB Joe Burrow won in his first season at LSU in 2019 after joining the Tigers from Ohio State. Before Burrow, Kyler Murray won in his second season at Oklahoma after transferring from Texas A&M, and Baker Mayfield was in his third season at Oklahoma after he started his college career at Texas Tech.
Daniels came to LSU before the 2022 season after the school hired Brian Kelly from Notre Dame. Daniels spent the first three seasons of his career at Arizona State and appeared in all but one game for the Sun Devils in that span.
He transferred from Arizona State after he threw for 2,381 yards and rushed for 710 yards in 2021 but accounted for only 16 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
He immediately became a star and improved on those numbers at LSU in 2022 as the Tigers won the SEC West. Daniels completed 69% of his passes in 2021 and threw for 2,913 yards while rushing for 885. He entered the season as one of the favorites to win the Heisman, based on his leap from 2021 to 2022, but hardly anyone could have predicted the eye-popping statistics he accumulated.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young arrived early for his first NFL practice, then put on a show for his new coaches.
The No. 1 overall pick from Alabama made a great first impression at Friday’s rookie minicamp, wowing coach Frank Reich and others with a series of on-target throws while showing poise in the pocket and good decision-making skills.
“I don’t want to overdo it on the first day, but he did every little thing right,” Reich said. “The little throws out in the flat, the little bubble screen stuff, the deep over (the top) throws, throws in the flat. … He just threw it with accuracy, saw (the field) well and knew where guys were supposed to be.
Reich said Young showed “complete command” of the offense.
After being selected ahead of childhood friend C.J. Stroud from Ohio State in the draft, Young said he was eager to get on the field and prove himself.
He wasn’t kidding around.
Young arrived at the practice field nearly an hour before the listed start time, and well before most of the media had arrived to snap a picture or grab a video of him arriving in his No. 9 jersey.
“I wanted to set a tone,” Young said. “I was just here trying to get stuff down like we all were. In this rookie minicamp we have talked about the themes of the team, and one of them is making sure we are prepared. I think we all want to make the best first impression that we can.”
Several of Young’s completions during the non-padded practice went to Jonathan Mingo, the team’s second-round draft pick from Mississippi — a connection the Panthers hope will turn out to be special for years to come.
On a crossing route, Mingo caught a perfectly thrown spiral in stride before quickly turning up the field toward the end zone.
“I’ve been on the opposite side of Bryce for the last two years (in college) and I’m 0-2 against him, so it’s a blessing to finally be on his side,” Mingo said. “We have to keep building our chemistry and help the team win. Just keep practicing, Practicing makes us better. He’s making me better and I’m making him better.”
Between plays, Young received coaching from longtime NFL quarterback Josh McCown, the team’s new QBs coach. Mingo took some advice from former Panthers wide receiver and NFL analyst Steve Smith, who stopped by to see the rookies.
Mingo said he was impressed with Young’s presence in the huddle, which included serious moments and others where they joked around and enjoyed the music being pumped in through speakers on the sidelines.
Mingo said Young is “poised, relaxed and smooth” in the pocket, always knowing where he wants to go with the ball.
“He doesn’t think too much,” Mingo said. “He just goes out and has fun.”
Carolina has a lot invested in Young after trading away four draft picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore to move up to the No. 1 overall pick.
Panthers owner David Tepper said he’s counting on Young to lead the franchise to multiple Super Bowl titles after five seasons in which the team hasn’t found a long-term answer at quarterback.
The Panthers haven’t made the playoffs since 2017, the year before Tepper bought the team.
While questions will continue to linger about Young’s 5-foot-10, 204-pound stature until he can prove he’s tall enough and strong enough to play in the NFL, the early impressions he made Friday were all positive.
Reich said that Young “mentally and physically, he looked the part in every way.”
“He threw the ball exceedingly well,” Reich added. “You can tell he was in a good space mentally. He really had a firm grasp on everything we asked.”
Young made sure he was prepared coming in, not just by studying the playbook.
He’s spent months taking in advice from all sorts of people at the NFL level, both current and former, about how best to transition to the league. That included several talks with former Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones, now with the New England Patriots.
Young said Jones has been “super gracious” talking to him about a number of issues.
“I want to do everything I can to set myself up to be successful and to help the franchise,” Young said. “A lot of people have helped me. I’m going to keep leaning on the people who have had success and been doing it longer than I have.”
KANSAS CITY, MO—After being selected by the Carolina Panthers with the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, University of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young reportedly called his friends and family Thursday to let them know that he’s completely fucked. “Hey, Grandma, I just wanted to call to share with you that my career is basically over,” said Young, telling his loved ones that he was deeply depressed to become a member of the Panthers. “Welp, I’m totally screwed, and I wanted you to know. Now I’ll get to hang around for a couple years while their inept coaching staff tries to figure out what to do with me, and then our relationship will sour around 2027, when the front office blames me for the team’s continued lack of success. After that, I’ll get to spend the next five or six seasons as a backup on three different teams, and then I’ll retire as an all-time top draft bust. So that really sucks. I was hoping to fall a few spots so I wouldn’t get picked by the team that fucked up Cam Newton, but I guess other prospects have all the luck.” At press time, Young was spotted sobbing into his new Panthers jersey.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 3 Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN on Friday that quarterback Bryce Young is on track to play Saturday at No. 6 Tennessee, but that the final decision will be made during pregame warm-ups.
“He’s done a lot more in practice this week and thrown a lot more than he did a week ago,” Saban said. “He wants to play and feels like he’s healthy enough to play. We’ll know for sure once he gets on the field, starts throwing and how he feels then.”
Young, the Heisman Trophy winner a year ago, missed Alabama’s 24-20 win last week over Texas A&M after spraining his right throwing shoulder a week earlier against Arkansas.
Saban said last week that Young was a game-time decision, but Alabama decided prior to the game that he wasn’t ready and instead played redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe, who threw three touchdown passes but also had three turnovers.
Young threw in the tunnel at Bryant-Denny Stadium a week ago before coming out onto the field for warm-ups. He stood and watched the other quarterbacks during the throwing part of warm-ups.
Saban said on Friday that he felt much better about Young’s chances of playing than he did at this time a week ago.
The plan is for Young to go through full pregame warm-ups on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Young did not throw on Thursday, but that was by design to have him rested for game day.
“There’s no reason to rush a quarterback back with this kind of injury,” Saban said. “Bryce is such a competitor that he always wants to play. The soreness he had last week hasn’t been nearly as bad. You can see that when he throws it. But we still need to make sure everything checks out before the game.”
The Crimson Tide and Vols meet on Saturday for the first time as unbeaten teams since 1989.
Young has passed for 1,202 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions this season. He’s also rushed for three touchdowns. Young is 18-2 as Alabama’s starter.
Saturday’s game should be one of the better quarterback matchups of the season in college football. Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker has passed for 1,432 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s also rushed for three touchdowns.
Georgia took back the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press college football poll from Alabama on Sunday after being bumped out last week by the Crimson Tide, who slid to No. 3.
The Bulldogs received 32 first-place votes and 1,535 points in the Top 25, presented by Regions Bank, to easily reclaim No. 1. They were just two points behind Alabama at No. 2 last week.
Georgia thumped Auburn 42-10 on Saturday. The Tide, whose Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young was sidelined by injury, escaped an upset bid at home by Texas A&M.
Ohio State moved up a spot to No. 2, receiving 20 first-place votes and 1,507 points.
No. 3 is a season-low for Alabama, which was preseason No. 1 but fell to No. 2 after Week 2. The Tide received 11 first-place votes.
There were two notable season debuts in the Top 25: No. 24 Illinois is ranked for the first time since 2011 and James Madison is in the AP Top 25 for the first time in its program history. The Dukes are playing their first season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in Division I college football’s highest level.
Clemson overtook Michigan and moved up to No. 4 and the Wolverines fell one spot to No. 5.
Tennessee moved up to No. 6, which is the best ranking for the currently undefeated Volunteers since No. 5 early in the 2005 season. Tennessee stumbled to a 5-6 and unranked finish that year.
Southern California fell one spot to No. 7, and Oklahoma State, Mississippi and Penn State held their places to round out the top 10.
POLL POINTS
The shuffle that Georgia’s made from No. 1 to 2 and back No. 1 over three polls hadn’t happened in more than a decade.
Florida went back and forth between Nos. 1 and 2 in 2009, flip-flopping with Alabama as both teams won in late October.
The Tide is the first team to drop from No. 1 to No. 3 off a victory in 25 years, when Nebraska beat Missouri in overtime on the famous “Flea Kicker.” Michigan jumped from No. 4 to No. 1 on Nov. 10, 1997, after it won 34-8 at No. 2 Penn State.
IN
The week after Kansas handed the ignominious title of Power Five conference team with the longest streak of being unranked to Illinois, the Illini are now off the schneid in their second year under coach Bret Bielema.
Illinois improved to 5-1 by beating Iowa and landed in the poll for the first time since Oct. 16, 2011 — 178 polls.
Next up on the list of longest ranking droughts for Power Five schools are: Rutgers (2012), Oregon State (preseason 2013) and Vanderbilt (final 2013).
— James Madison has been a powerhouse in the the Football Championship Subdivision for years, winning a national title in 2016 and losing to North Dakota State in the NCAA championship game in 2017 and ’19. The Dukes have had no issue moving up so far, going 5-0 and averaging 44 points per game.
— No. 22 Texas is ranked again after blowing out rival Oklahoma and tied with Kentucky in the Top 25.
OUT
— BYU is unranked for the first time this season after losing to Notre Dame.
— Washington dropped out of the rankings after a second straight loss.
— LSU’s return to the Top 25 was brief after getting thumped at home by Tennessee.
CONFERENCE CALL
The Sun Belt went from its inception in 2001 to 2015 without having a ranked team. The conference has now had at least one team ranked for at least one week each of the last five seasons and six of the last seven.
James Madison is the second Sun Belt team to reach the Top 25 this season, along with Appalachian State.
SEC — 6 (Nos. 1, 3, 6, 9, 16, 22).
Big 12 — 5 (8, 13, 17, 19, 22).
ACC — 4 (Nos. 4, 14, 15, 18).
Big Ten — 4 (Nos. 2, 5, 10, 24).
Pac-12 — 4 (Nos. 7, 11, 12, 20).
American — 1 (No. 21).
Sun Belt — 1 (No. 25).
RANKED vs. RANKED
A season-high six games matching ranked teams:
No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan.
No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee.
No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 13 TCU.
No. 15 North Carolina State at No. 18 Syracuse.
No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 Kentucky.
No. 7 USC at No. 20 Utah.
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Alabama reclaimed No. 1 from Georgia in The Associated Press college football poll in one of the closest votes in the recent years, and six teams — including Kansas — made their season debut on Sunday.
The Crimson Tide received 25 first-place votes and 1,523 points in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank, two points more than the Bulldogs. Georgia received 28 first-place votes to become the first team since Alabama in November 2019 to have the most first-place votes but not be No. 1.
The Tide was No. 2 behind LSU that year, with 21 first-place votes to the Tigers’ 17.
The last time there was a two-point margin between Nos. 1 and 2 was Nov. 1, 2020, when Clemson was ahead of Alabama. There have been three other polls with a two-point margin at the top since 2007.
Ohio State remained third, but the Buckeyes also gained some ground on the top two, getting 10 first-place votes.
The Crimson Tide started the season at No. 1, but the defending national champion Bulldogs took the top spot away from their Southeastern Conference rivals after Week 2 when Alabama needed a late field goal to beat Texas.
The Bulldogs remain unbeaten but needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat four-touchdown underdog Missouri on Saturday night. Earlier in the day, the Tide managed to pull away from Arkansas in the second half without Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young.
Young sprained his throwing shoulder in the first half and missed most of the game in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Clemson and No. 6 Southern California all won and held their places this week, though the Wolverines and Tigers are now separated by just three points.
No. 7 Oklahoma State, followed by Tennessee, Mississippi and Penn State, round out the top 10.
The rest of the AP Top 25 got a major overhaul after 10 ranked teams lost, five to unranked opponents. That cleared the way for seven teams to move into the rankings this week, most notably No. 19 Kansas.
The Jayhawks are ranked for the first time since Oct. 18, 2009, which was the longest drought for a team currently in a Power Five conference.
POLL POINTS
The closest margin between Nos. 1 and 2 in AP poll history is zero. Oklahoma and Miami tied for No. 1 in the 2002 preseason poll, and Miami and Washington shared the top spot in mid-October 1992.
The last time there was a one-point margin between the top two teams was 1992, when the Hurricanes and Huskies were separated by a point in the weeks before and after they were tied.
With Kansas back in the rankings, the longest poll appearance drought belongs to Illinois, which was last ranked in 2011. And the Illini have positioned themselves to make the leap with a 4-1 start heading into their home game against Iowa next week.
Next up on the list is Rutgers (2012), Oregon State (preseason 2013) and Vanderbilt (final 2013).
IN
The voters generally decided to start from scratch at the back half of the rankings, flipping seven teams.
— No. 17 TCU is in the rankings for the first time since a brief stay in 2019 at 25th.
— No. 18 UCLA is off to its first 5-0 start since 2013.
— No. 19 Kansas stayed unbeaten by knocking off Iowa State. The Jayhawks last started 5-0 in that 2009 season, then proceeded to drop their next six games and fall to the bottom of major college football for more than a decade.
Both Kansas schools are ranked for the first time since Oct. 14, 2007.
— No. 22 Syracuse improved to 5-0 with an easy victory against Wagner and finally cracked the rankings. The Orange are ranked for the first time since early in the 2019 season.
— No. 23 Mississippi State has been ranked for only one week (after the first regular-season game of 2020) since the end of 2018 season.
Both Mississippi SEC schools are ranked for the first time since Nov. 11, 2015.
— No. 24 Cincinnati. The Bearcats are the one team to enter the rankings this week that already had been in this season. Cincinnati fell out after a Week 1 loss at Arkansas and has won four straight since.
— No. 25 LSU has its first ranking under coach Brian Kelly. The Tigers have won four straight, including two SEC games, since losing a heartbreaker to Florida State on Labor Day weekend.
OUT
Among the seven teams to drop out of the AP Top 25, five of them will be unranked for the first time this season: Oklahoma, Baylor, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Pittsburgh.
Florida State and Minnesota had brief stays in the AP Top 25. The Seminoles and Gophers were teams on the rise for a week and then both lost at home.
CONFERENCE CALL
SEC — 7 (Nos. 1, 2, 8, 9, 13, 23, 25).
Pac-12 — 5 (Nos. 6, 11, 12, 18, 21).
ACC — 4 (Nos. 5, 15, 16, 22).
Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 7, 17, 19, 20).
Big Ten — 3 (Nos. 3, 4, 10).
American — 1 (No. 24).
Independent — 1 (No. 16).
RANKED vs. RANKED
No. 25 LSU at No. 8 Tennessee.
No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas.
No. 11 Utah at No. 18 UCLA.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com
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