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David Newton, ESPN Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sunday’s 21-13 loss to the previously winless Minnesota Vikings had been over for almost 45 minutes and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was sitting in his locker in full uniform waiting to address reporters.
Most of his teammates had showered and left.
The rookie’s stare was blank and his thoughts were deep into what he could have done to help the Panthers avoid an 0-4 start, joining the Chicago Bears as one of two winless teams.
“It’s not a good feeling,’’ the top pick of the 2023 draft later said. “It’s not a great feeling putting our heart and soul into stuff, and the results are not great.”
Some of Young’s teammates noticed the near look of despair on their quarterback’s face. Center Bradley Bozeman pulled up a chair and shared a few words with him.
Wide receiver Adam Thielen stopped by earlier.
“Man, I love that guy, and he has got such a bright future,’’ Thielen said. “I just want him to know that this is a tough league. That’s just how it is. It’s tough and you just have to keep fighting.”
Young hasn’t dealt with much adversity during his football career. He lost only four games as the starter at Alabama in 2021 and 2022. But in college, he was surrounded by an offensive line that could protect him, a running game that took the pressure off him and receivers who are now starring for other NFL teams.
At Carolina, Young has a line that on Sunday couldn’t keep Minnesota’s second-half blitzes off him, resulting in five sacks from a team that had only six in their first three games.
He is playing with a running game that has been almost nonexistent since Week 1, averaging 2.7 yards a carry Sunday against a defense ranked 19th in the league against the rush.
He is playing with a group of receivers who have struggled to get separation, even against a Minnesota defense ranked 25th against the pass.
“It’s hard for him to get going and get a rhythm with everything going all out of control,’’ running back Miles Sanders said of Young. “It’s kind of hectic for him, for any rookie quarterback.
“Honest, we’re not playing good football right now.’’
But Young isn’t blaming everyone else. He blames only himself, and he knows were it not for a few of his plays in the second half, the outcome might have been different.
One came with 3:58 left in the third quarter when a blitzing Harrison Smith forced the quarterback to lose a fumble that was returned 51 yards for a touchdown.
0:32
D.J. Wonnum returns Bryce Young’s fumble for a Vikings TD
Vikings grab the lead after D.J. Wonnum recovers and returns Bryce Young’s fumble for a 51-yard Vikings touchdown.
“That is a huge, huge, huge swing of the game,” Young said. “That’s stuff we talk about. That’s no one else but me.”
The other came with just over eight minutes remaining, when a sack for a 9-yard loss took Carolina out of field goal range.
Young slammed the football on the ground in frustration after the second, one of the few times his emotion has shown.
“Just frustrated at myself,’’ Young said. “Definitely stuff that I want back, but at the same time, I have to do a better job … of keeping that stone face regardless. Just mad at myself for stuff.’’
The frustration is mounting throughout the locker room for a team that had high hopes of being a factor in the NFC South and now hopes to be only the second of 164 NFL teams to start 0-4 and make the playoffs.
The San Diego Chargers did it in 1992, winning 11 of their final 12 games.
“I guess at a certain point and time, you gotta man up,’’ outside linebacker Brian Burns said. “That time is well overdue. So I don’t have much to say. I want actions to speak.’’
But for Young, the pressure to succeed is greater because of the expectations that come from being the No. 1 overall draft pick and a quarterback. It doesn’t help that the second overall pick, C.J. Stroud, is off to an impressive start for the Houston Texans.
Stroud had 306 yards passing and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 30-6 dismantling of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s thrown for 1,212 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions in four games for a passer rating of 100.6.
Young has thrown for 503 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in three starts, missing a Week 3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks with a sprained right ankle. He has led Carolina to only two scores, has completed one pass of 20-plus yards, and his Total QBR of 27.8 ranks last in the NFL among qualified quarterbacks.
“I know it’s a tough situation,’’ wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. said. “He’s our leader, so he takes it even harder than most just because the spotlight is always on him.’’
Coach Frank Reich understands and almost goes out of his way not to criticize Young even when things go poorly.
“You know, Bryce is progressing,’’ Reich said. “He is getting better. I am excited about that. [But] we are not here just because we drafted a quarterback No. 1. We’re not just sitting here saying we’ll just build to the future. We are here to win right now.’’
Young knows that, which may explain his look after the game.
“People are down,’’ Young said. “I’m going to try to pick people up. It’s all a collective group. Obviously, this is not where we wanted to be.”