Bryce Young — Week 1: Four Touchdowns and the Pick Before Halftime
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Young completed twenty-three of thirty-seven throws for three hundred sixty-one yards and three touchdowns, ran for a fourth from the seven, and threw one interception — deep left for Jalen Coker with eleven seconds left in the half, down 31–24. He was sacked twice, both on third down, and Kenny Pickett took the final possession of a 59–37 loss to the Bears.
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11 seconds left in the second quarter, first and 10 at the Carolina 40, Panthers down 31 to 24. Bryce Young went deep left for Jalen Coker, 22 yards in the air, and Malik Muhammad intercepted at the Chicago 38. The expected-points cost was small — −0.4, and expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — but the play cost 10.1 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it.
The line: 23 completions on 37 throws, 361 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, two sacks, +10.4 expected points on 39 pass plays, and 363 air yards. The touchdowns: four yards to Chuba Hubbard on third and four at the Chicago four with 11 40 left in the first, no score; 51 yards deep left to Coker on second and five from the Carolina 49 with 12 49 left in the second, down 21 to seven; eight yards to Coker on second and eight with four oh five left in the fourth, down 52 to 31. The fourth score was his own, a seven-yard scramble behind the right tackle on first and seven with eight 51 left in the second, to tie it at 21. 17 throws before halftime for a hundred 93 yards and +8.3 expected points on 18 pass plays; 20 throws after for a hundred 68 and +2.2 on 21. Both sacks came on third down and both drives ended in punts.
The two throws that decided the game were the pair at the Chicago 39 late in the third, down 38 to 31: third and three, short right for Jonathon Brooks, incomplete; fourth and three, deep left for Tetairoa McMillan, incomplete. About 12 points of win probability between them, and Kyle Monangai ran 61 yards on the next snap. Nine targets went to Coker, eight to McMillan, five to Tommy Tremble, three to Hubbard, two each to Darren Waller, Brooks, Xavier Legette and Mitchell Evans, and four throws had no receiver named. Carolina converted four of nine third downs. Kenny Pickett took the last possession after the Coker touchdown, and the play-by-play gives no reason.
Back in June the preview's read on Young was a QB19 season across 16 games with a floor built on durability — 90 percent availability — rather than on efficiency or touchdowns. Sunday was the other thing: 361 yards and four scores in a game his team lost by 22. One shootout does not turn a durability floor into an efficiency ceiling, and the two throws at the 39 are the ones to keep. Carolina is at the Falcons on Sunday the twentieth.
_Data via nflverse._
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