Young eyes improved offensive production in Panthers' 2nd preseason game
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is aiming for a more successful outing in his second preseason game after his team was shut out in his debut.
"We're competitors at the end of the day," Young said Wednesday, according to ESPN's David Newton. "There's no excuses for what's going on. For us, between the lines, we want to compete. We want to win. Things aren't always going to go as planned, but 100% every time we go out there, we want to score, we want to be successful."
"It's on me to get the ball to the right guys in the right spots," he added.
Head coach Frank Reich echoed Young's desire for more offensive success in the Panthers' matchup against the New York Giants on Friday.
"This isn't just Bryce, but (we need to) be better on third down, get our run game going a little bit. Just overall, on offense, we need to have a better outing," Reich said.
Young completed 4 of 6 passes for 21 yards in a 27-0 loss to the New York Jets last Saturday. The 2023 first overall pick led Carolina to just one first down in the three series he played and finished 0-for-2 on third down. The Panthers were the only team in the league to be held scoreless in the first week of the preseason.
Reich said Young will likely take the same total of snaps as he did last week, but he hopes the rookie passer will enable the offense to move the ball more, pick up first downs, and put points up on the board.
The head coach also considers the matchup with Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who employs a blitz-heavy scheme, a good challenge for Carolina's offense.
"If they're going to bring all pressures, which they probably will, they may get us on one or two, but somewhere along the line, we need to make some big plays," Reich said.
The Panthers will need to find a spark on offense without receiver Terrace Marshall Jr., who's still under evaluation after being carted off the field with a back injury Monday. Running back Miles Sanders will also be sidelined and could miss the entire preseason as he continues to rehab a groin ailment.
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