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Watch: Every ugly snap from Bryce Young, Panthers starting offense vs. Texans

Carolina's starters didn't get much time on the field, and what action they did see was pretty, pretty bad.
Tim Weaver|
Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) calls a play against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium.
Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) calls a play against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Observers who were on hand for the Carolina Panthers' preseason game against the Houston Texans yesterday were confused when head coach Dave Canales pulled his starters after just a handful of plays. Canales had told reporters earlier in the week that the plan was to play Bryce Young and the rest of the first-string offense for three series against Houston.

That would have been a good test for Young and company, as the Texans have one of the toughest defensive units in the NFL. However, after seeing how poorly they performed on their initial drives Canales decided to pull the plug.

In case you blinked and missed it, here's a look at every snap the starting offense put in yesterday.

Panthers starters vs. Texans

This is pretty ugly stuff to put on film, to be sure. After the game when Canales was asked why he pulled his starters so early he replied that he didn't like the unit's execution of the basics.

While he was wrong to yank them that quick - and also wrong not to give them another chance this week against Pittsburgh - he wasn't wrong about their execution level.

This is exactly why teams have preseason games in the first place, though. If the offense is this out of sync against a good defense not playing them again until Week 1 isn't going to make them any better - because they certainly aren't competing against a strong defense every day at practice.

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Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.