Bryce Young’s knee is still on the radar in Carolina, but both the quarterback and Dave Canales are treating it like a manageable issue for now.
The Panthers’ quarterback has been dealing with the knee problem since the Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns, and it has kept showing up on the injury report over the last several games. On Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, though, the issue felt more visible in a 27-19 loss that put Young under constant pressure.
Young was hit by a pass rush that never really let him settle in. He was pressured on a career-high 22 dropbacks, and he did not try a single scramble. With the Panthers’ offensive line unable to keep the pocket clean, Young didn’t use his legs to extend plays the way he usually might.
Canales, when asked whether the injury has limited his quarterback, didn’t dismiss the idea.
"Maybe," he replied. "I would say that he certainly doesn't look like he's got that quick make-you-miss kind of deal. But he was able to create some space for himself.
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"But the rush got after us, and that's the bottom line. We gotta take care of that first part of it so we have an element of time to be able to execute the play."
That pressure was the story of the night. Young was sacked six times, and Carolina was forced into a one-dimensional approach on offense.
After the game, Young said the knee isn’t something he’s leaning on as an excuse.
"I'm fine," he stated. "Everyone's dealing with something at this point in the year.
It's football. Nothing like that is an excuse."
The next test could be even stiffer in Week 9, when the Panthers face the Denver Broncos and their defense at home.
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