Bryce Young outshines long-time friend CJ Stroud  

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Bryce Young earned his first win as an NFL quarterback by leading the Carolina Panthers to a game-winning field goal on the final play of a 15-13 result against the Houston Texans.

On the day the Carolina Panthers honored legends Muhsin Muhammad and Julius Pepper with residency along the Hall of Honor at Bank of America Stadium, they unveiled a new offensive era.
Rookie offensive coordinator Thomas Brown was awarded the play-calling reigns Oct. 16 as the winless Panthers entered the bye week.

With most of the pre-game hype surrounding the matchup of No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young and second selection C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans, Brown’s debut flew under the national reporting radar.  

Head coach Frank Reich made the move to give the Panthers coach more time to manage all aspects of the game and provide an opportunity to Brown. Changes needed to be made.

And, on the final drive, when the Panthers had a chance, they delivered with a 15-play 86-yard drive, capped by Eddy Pineiro’s 23-yard field goal as time expired, claiming a 15-13 victory over the Texans.

After the game, Reich awarded a ceremonial game ball to Brown.

Young also received one for earning his first NFL win.

Brown delivers late with play calls

In his first season with the franchise, Reich hired Brown during the offseason to help design an offensive game plan suited for a rookie quarterback. Through the off-season’s major milestones – rookie mini-camp, offseason training activities and training camp, the duo crafted and installed the philosophy that underwhelmed through six outings, all losses.

With Reich calling plays, the Panthers produced just 10 offensive touchdowns, including just two rushing.

Sunday’s start fell flat, however, producing just 18 total first-quarter yards.

Brown started connecting with Young on the third series. It ended without points, however, after Young’s forced fourth-and-2 pass to Adam Thielen fell incomplete. Brown and Young appeared to build confidence on the 10-play effort. The series featured a flea-flicker attempt. It failed, but at least play-calling showed a bit of flavor.

“I thought he called a great game,” Reich said. “It was (all) him. I resisted the temptation to get involved.”

On the final drive, Brown and Young delivered. The 1-6 Panthers were the final NFL team to earn a win this season.

“You definitely would not think that was his first-time calling plays,” Young said.

Young gets the best of friend, rival

The Young-Stroud showdown proved to be the hot pregame storyline. In the weeks leading up to April’s draft, speculation centered on which top prospect the Panthers would choose, although it was commonly known team owner David Tepper favored Young.

Young, who finished 22-of-31 passing for 235 yards and a touchdown, outdueled Stroud in their first NFL matchup, despite suffering a season-high six sacks. Stroud went 16-of-24 for 140 yards.
During his postgame press conference, Young downplayed the showdown.

 “We’re two teams,” he said. “That’s my dawg. My brother. I have a ton of love and respect for him. I’m super proud to be part of this team. It was a real resilient win.”

Trailing 13-12 with 6:17 remaining, Young took over at the Panthers’ 9. Fifteen plays – and a few breaks later – Young got the final word.

“Being able to see the opportunity and embracing it,” he said, adding the best part of the day was “winning … that’s all I got.”

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