Bryce Young says injured knee 'fine' after taking 6 sacks vs. Packers
Young called his banged-up left knee fine even though Green Bay's pass rush sacked him six times in a 27-19 Panthers loss at Lambeau Field.
Young says the knee is not the story
Bryce Young says his injured left knee is "fine" even after the Green Bay Packers sacked him six times in a 27-19 Panthers loss Thursday night at Lambeau Field. Young played with a brace on the left knee he hurt in a Week 3 road loss to the Cleveland Browns, and against Green Bay's pass rush, his usual ability to escape the pocket and extend plays was not there. He was pressured on 48.9 percent of his dropbacks, sacked six times and hit nine times, and when pressured he completed just 6 of 16 passes for 46 yards with an interception, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He threw only one pass of 20 yards or more the entire game. Still, Young would not use the knee as a reason for the rough night. "I'm fine," Young said. He called the injury no excuse, saying, "Nothing like that is an excuse," and added, "That's all that matters."
A line that could not hold up
Carolina's protection broke down mostly on the edges. Next Gen Stats charged Young with 22 total pressures, 13 of them coming off the edge. First-round pick Monroe Freeling, starting again at right tackle with Taylor Moton done for the season with a fibula and ankle injury, was charged with four pressures and a sack allowed. "It's all about opportunities," Freeling said. "If you don't, you don't win."
The interior had its own problems. Waiver-wire pickup Corey Bullock started at left guard for the second time in four games in place of Damien Lewis, then left in the third quarter with a quad injury. Practice-squad call-up Jake Curhan, who played 13 games for Carolina last year, took over at left guard. Curhan said the spot duty is "what I've been doing for the last five years." Right guard Robert Hunt was the only Panthers lineman not charged with a sack on the night.
Where the knee injury started
Young's left knee was hurt in that Week 3 loss to the Browns, and he said it had not held him back in the weeks since. Against Green Bay's rush, though, his typical quickness in the pocket looked compromised even with the brace on. Coach Dave Canales said Young did not look like his usual make-you-miss self, though he still managed to create some space for himself. Canales said the bigger issue was the pass rush getting through up front, and that the Panthers need to give Young more time in the pocket to execute plays.
Panthers fall to Packers, 27-19
Green Bay beat Carolina 27-19, with quarterback Love throwing three touchdown passes while Carolina's offense ran into trouble up front all night. For the Panthers, Thursday's real story was not the final score. It was a line that let Green Bay's rush dictate the game, and a quarterback who refused to point at his bad knee as the reason.
Facts per ESPN, ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.