First overall pick Bryce Young had an unpleasant welcome to the NFL on Sunday afternoon.
Young was 20-of-38 for 146 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions as the Panthers slumped to a 24-10 defeat to the Falcons in a game they once led 10-7. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about the result — quarterbacks picked first overall are now 0-14-1 in openers since 2002 — but that didn’t make it any easier for Young to swallow after the game was in the books.
“That’s unacceptable,’' Young said, via David Newton of ESPN.com. “That’s on me. I just have to clean that up. . . . Not good enough. Not good enough to win, obviously. I made crucial turnovers, which you can’t do, especially where they happened. That falls on me. That falls on my shoulders.”
Panthers head coach Frank Reich said after the game that he has no concern about Young’s ability to bounce back after the loss and Panthers players shared similar sentiments when asked about the rookie after the game. That belief should help Young absorb this loss and the other bumps in the road that are sure to come over the course of the season.