2 Storylines I'm Watching Most in Panthers' Week 3 Matchup Against Browns

The Carolina Panthers couldn't have looked much different in their first two games of the season.

Week 1 left us with more questions than answers. Then Carolina went to Atlanta and put together a 34-3 win that probably even the biggest Panthers fan didn't see coming.

Now I'm interested to see what happens in Cleveland.

The Panthers have a chance to move to 2-1, but I'm not expecting them to go out and win by 31 points again. That's just not something you're going to see very often in the NFL. What I really want to see is whether some of the things we've watched through the first two weeks continue on Sunday.

Here are the two storylines I'll be watching the closest.

Can Bryce Young Keep This Going?

At some point, we may have to stop acting surprised by the way Bryce Young is playing.

Young has thrown for 648 yards and six touchdowns through the first two games. He followed up a strong game against Chicago with an even better one in Atlanta, throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns without turning the football over.

The numbers are great, but for me the biggest difference is how comfortable he looks. He isn't trying to force the ball to one guy, and he isn't looking for a huge play every time he drops back. He's taking what the defense gives him and spreading the ball around.

Jalen Coker has been outstanding. Tetairoa McMillan has continued to make plays, and we've also seen Xavier Legette and Darren Waller get involved. Young has a lot of guys he can go to right now, which is something we haven't always been able to say about this offense.

Now I want to see him do it again in Cleveland.

I'm not expecting 300 yards and three touchdowns from Young every Sunday. That's asking a lot from any quarterback. But if he continues making good decisions, protects the football, and gets the ball to his playmakers, I'll take that every week.

At some point, this stops being a good couple of games and starts becoming what we expect from him. I think we're getting pretty close to that point.

What Happens if Carolina Finds Itself in a Close Game?

This may actually be the one I'm most interested in.

We really haven't seen Carolina play what I would call a normal game yet. Week 1 turned into a shootout, with Chicago scoring 59 points. Then the Panthers went to Atlanta and basically controlled the game from start to finish in a 34-3 win.

So what happens if it's 20-20 with six minutes left Sunday?

That's something we haven't seen yet. Can the offense put together a drive when it has to have one? Can Young make a big throw on third down? If Carolina gets into the red zone late, can they finish the drive?

I'm also interested in seeing what Dave Canales does in that situation. If Carolina has the football late with a chance to win, does he stay aggressive? Who does he trust with the football? Those are the situations where you start finding out a little more about your team.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for a close game. I'm sure Panthers fans would be perfectly happy watching another 34-3 win and not having to sweat it out in the fourth quarter. I know I wouldn't complain.

I just don't think it's going to be that easy every week.

Carolina has shown us it can score a lot of points, and last week it showed us it can dominate a game. Now I want to see what happens when it's late in the fourth quarter and Carolina actually has to go win one.

That may tell us more about this team than anything we've seen so far.

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