Bryce Young didn’t have much room to work on Thursday night in Green Bay, and the Panthers quarterback left the game saying his left-knee issue wasn’t the reason Carolina’s offense stalled in a 27-19 loss to the Packers.
Young absorbed six sacks as the Panthers fell to 3-4 at Lambeau Field, and after the game he pushed back on any notion that the knee injury he’s been managing since Carolina’s Week 3 loss at the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 27 played into the performance.
"I'm fine," Young said after Thursday's contest, per Mike Kaye of ESPN. "Everyone's dealing with something at this point.
It's football. Nothing like that is an excuse.
Go out there, play the game -- blessed to be able to do that. That's all that matters."
Even with a brace on his left knee, Young looked less able than usual to slip away from pressure with his legs. Green Bay’s defense got to him repeatedly, finishing with nine hits on the Carolina quarterback.
Young went 23-of-41 for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception in what became Carolina’s second straight defeat. The loss came just days after the Panthers were beaten 43-13 at home by a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that had only one win at the time.
Afterward, Young gave the Packers credit for making life difficult all night.
"They executed better," Young said about the Packers' defense. "A lot of stuff was on film, but they just do a really good job of disguising.
They're a really good defense. So, we have a lot of respect for them.
They were better than us today, for sure. They deserve that win.
We should have been better. We've just got to execute better -- that's all it is."
Panthers coach Dave Canales, though, didn’t sound quite as convinced by Young’s own read on his condition. Asked about the quarterback’s mobility, Canales said Young didn’t exactly look like himself when trying to create plays on the move.
"I would say that he certainly doesn't look like he's got that quick, make-you-miss-type of deal, but he was able to create some space for himself," Canales said about Young. "But the rush got after us, and that's the bottom line. We've got to take care of that first part of it, so we have an element of time to be able to execute the play."
With Carolina’s bye already behind them in Week 5, Young will have extra time to heal before the Panthers return home to face the Denver Broncos on Nov. 8. Denver, currently 5-2, will host the 5-1 Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday afternoon.
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