Lack of balanced offense comes back to bite Bryce Young and Panthers again in loss to Saints

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A frustrated Bryce Young sat on a chair, staring blankly into his locker following the Carolina Panthers’ 17-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints and seemingly looking for answers that just aren’t there.

The normally even-keeled Young looked and sounded perturbed as he stepped behind the podium a few minutes later.

“No one likes losing,” Young said.

If the Panthers (5-5) hope to become a playoff team this season — or even sometime in the not-so-distant future — they’re going to have to find some production in the passing game and become a more balanced offensive team.

On Sunday, Young completed 17 of 25 passes for 124 yards, marking the eighth time this season the 2023 No. 1 overall pick in the draft has failed to eclipse 200 yards passing. Take away his 328-yard, three-touchdown performance in Week 2 against Arizona, and Young is averaging a paltry 148.2 yards per game through the air with eight TD passes and six interceptions.

The Panthers have won five games mostly behind running back Rico Dowdle, who has had four games of at least 125 yards rushing this season and came into the weekend third in the league in rushing.

But eventually, teams are going to figure out how to shut down one-dimensional teams, and the Saints, who came in with just one victory this season, did just that. They stacked the box to stop Dowdle and dared Young to beat them.

He couldn’t.

Young had one completion of longer than 20 yards, and starting wide receiver Xavier Legette was a non-factor, failing to catch a pass while being targeted just once. Dowdle was limited to 53 yards rushing on 18 carries.

“They had a great plan for our run game and they executed better than us,” Dowdle said.

Young didn’t help matters by turning the ball over twice in the second half — once on a fumbled exchange with receiver Jimmy Horn and another on a poorly thrown deep out that was intercepted by Alontae Taylor.

“We definitely can’t have turnovers,” Dowdle said. “We know turnovers equal losses. That is something we preach on and talk about all of the time, taking care of the ball. So just can’t have that.”

Young blamed it on a lack of execution.

“There are enough plays out there for us to make, and we didn’t make them. Again, that that falls on my shoulders,” Young said. “That’s on me. As a unit, we all take ownership in that, and, and we have to be more efficient.”

The Panthers’ vertical passing was virtually nonexistent against the Saints’ 18th-ranked defense, as it has been for most of the season.

Coach Dave Canales said it’s something the Panthers are working to improve upon.

“From a game-planning standpoint, I got to make sure I am putting my guys in the right spots and that we’re taking advantage of the matchups,” Canales said.

Canales refused to pin the loss on his third-year QB.

“I think he’s throwing the ball great,” Canales said. “He’ll have some plays that he’ll tell you that he would like to have back, but in general, this is not about Bryce, this is about me. This is about our group. This is about us taking the steps so we can be a balanced offense.”

But the reality is that at some point, Young is going to have to prove he can carry the team with his passing.

That simply hasn’t happened often enough.

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