The Bryce Young Era is underway. Well, kinda. The No. 1 overall pick played three series in the team’s preseason opener against the New York Jets, finishing 4-of-6 for 21 yards. His last two series were 3-and-outs as the offensive line struggled. Matt Corral played the remainder of the game as previously indicated by head coach Frank Reich. The offense sputtered and the Panthers could only muster two first downs in the entire first half; finishing with a negative one passing yard.
A pair of field goals by Greg Zuerlein put New York up 6-0 with 4:09 to play in the second quarter. Zach Wilson took all of the first half snaps for the Jets en route to a 102.7 rating and a 2-yard touchdown toss to Kenny Yeboah to go into the half with a 13 point lead.
The lone bright spot for the Panthers came when safety Sam Franklin intercepted Tim Boyle in the third quarter. However, Carolina was not able to capitalize and turned the ball over on downs. Boyle later connected with E.J. Jenkins and Zack Kuntz to close out the scoring with a final score of 27-0 in favor of the Jets. Corral finished with 15-of-22 for 126 yards, one interception that came at the end of the game. The Panthers gave up five sacks with Corral taking four of them for a total loss of 25 yards. Wilson finished 14-of-20 for 123 yards and one touchdown. Boyle finished with a rating of 101.7 on 9-of-10 passing and two touchdowns.
