ESPN NFL analyst breaks down what went wrong for Bryce Young in Week 1

Dan Orlovsky shares a four-minute video breakdown of what he saw from the Panthers' starting quarterback in his brutal season opener.

Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) carries the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at EverBank Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

A whole lot of things went wrong for the Carolina Panthers in their Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. They couldn't stop the run, allowing 200 rushing yards to a team that finished 26th in rushing offense last season. They couln't pressure the quarterback, with Trevor Lawrence facing a league-low 13% pressure rate in Week 1.

Among the other major issues that surfaced, the Panthers couldn't get plays in on time, they couldn't snap the ball right and they couldn't keep their feet in-bounds when they needed to. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the performance was the regression from Bryce Young, who did not look anything like the confident and red-hot QB he was at the end of last season.

So, what went wrong for No. 9? Here's ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky sharing a detailed breakdown of what he saw from Young on Sunday.

Where Bryce seems to be for @Panthers pic.twitter.com/QQ5Y3ITTNA

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 9, 2025

In the end Young finished with a line of 18/35 for 154 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a lost fumble. He also had a pick-six called back by a penalty, otherwise he would have finished the game with four turnovers.

For his efforts Young earned a respectable grade from Pro Football Focus that didn't make any sense. Every other metric was brutal, including a 20.0 QBR that ranked 29th. Only Bo Nix, Cam Ward and Tua Tagovailoa posted a lower mark this past week.

Young has to play better - there's no disputing that - and to his credit he did take responsibility for his performance. However, the bigger issue is that Young needs to get better coaching and playcalling from Dave Canales. Without that, it's going to be really hard for him to get back to the level he was playing at in Week 18.

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