Bryce Young returned from an early ankle injury to lead the Carolina Panthers to a 30-27 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. After being tackled by Falcons safety Billy Bowman in the first quarter, Young refused assistance off the field and insisted on returning to play after medical evaluation.
“God blessed me with the ability to walk off,” Young said. “When I can, I will.”
Despite limping throughout the remainder of the game and during post-game interviews, Young managed to set a new franchise record with 448 passing yards, surpassing Cam Newton’s previous single-game mark. He also threw three touchdowns, helping his team improve their season record to 6-5.
“Pain. Pain’s an accurate way to sum it up,” Young said when asked about his condition after the injury. “Obviously, you’re just trying not to look too far. You’re just getting through it. Coaches were around, all the guys are around, so you know, you just breathe through the pain. That’s all it is. You’re just trying to push it, push through it, get back up.”
Young attributed his determination to a desire not to take opportunities for granted: “Again, regardless of what it is, I want to be out there with my guys,” he said. “I want to be out there to play. I don’t take this game for granted. The Lord’s blessed me to be here to have this opportunity, and any time that I am able to go, I always want to do that.”
Panthers head coach Dave Canales confirmed that backup quarterback Andy Dalton was prepared in case Young could not continue but praised both medical staff and Young’s resolve: “He said I’m good,” Canales explained regarding Young’s return. “He gave me a thumbs up… And Andy was ready and Andy was warming up and ready to go out for that series and you know I’ve got to commend (vice president of player health and performance) Denny Kellington and the training staff for getting that thing turned around quickly and making sure we did the right thing and do the full evaluation in there…”
The Panthers overcame a 21-7 deficit before halftime with a field goal and then a quick touchdown after halftime. Young completed passes to nine different receivers during the game and orchestrated his 10th career game-winning drive.
Canales described Young’s effort: “Oh, he was dealing with some stuff… The ankle flared up a couple of times… And at that point it was just a pain tolerance thing and he gutted it out. He wanted to do that for his teammates…”
Young credited teamwork as central: “Yeah, it’s part of our identity,” he said. “Coach says it all the time, it’s on the board everywhere we go… It’s finish.” He added gratitude for teammates’ efforts: “I’m super grateful everyone on that team gives their all… So, I want to make sure I can reciprocate that.”
Young’s performance contributed significantly throughout Sunday’s win.
