Patience Is Paying Off For Bryce Young

I'm not sure when we fell into the collective delusion that first-round quarterbacks should be capable of leading an NFL team on Day 1. Was it induced by the take economy? Is this sports radio's fault? Did Joe Burrow's early success create this standard? I can understand certain teams like the Browns or Jets believing it necessary to have their top draft pick run the offense right away, because they have little hope otherwise, but what's everyone else's excuse? While you may get Andrew Luck or Lamar Jackson on occasion, often these teams just end up stunting the growth of potential stars, who end up having to rehab their careers and abilities elsewhere. I was thinking about these things Sunday night while watching Bryce Young have arguably the best game of his career for the Carolina Panthers, against the Detroit Lions. Young led the Panthers to a 32-26 win while throwing for 329 yards and two touchdowns on 29-of-41 passing. Second-year wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was the biggest beneficiary, accounting for 43 percent of the Panthers' total yardage. He caught 14 passes for 192 yards, and accounted for those two TD passes. Young and McMillan's chemistry has been building since last season, and never was it more useful than when last night's game was on the line. Despite outplaying the Lions for most of the game, the Panthers were in a spot of trouble late in the fourth quarter. After Detroit scored and cut the lead to six, Young and the offense took over on their own 36-yard line with 3:38 left to play. At the very least, the Panthers needed to get a first down and force a few timeouts out of the Lions. A one-yard run by Chuba Hubbard forced the first burned timeout, and then a penalty followed by an incompletion put Young in a tough spot. Suddenly it was third-and-14, only 22 seconds had come off the clock, and Young was scrambling to avoid pressure. That's when he saw McMillan near the sideline, and made an absurd throw to invite an incredible catch:

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