Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Bryce Young has his first NFL passing touchdown, but he might not get the ball back
Bryce Young threw his first NFL touchdown pass on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
However, he might not get the football as a souvenir of his accomplishment.
The rookie quarterback put his name into the scorebook in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against Atlanta with this short touchdown throw to tight end Hayden Hurst:
This is a well-designed play, an RPO concept run down near the goal line that pairs an inside run with a spot/flat combination on the outside. Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo runs a spot route from the outside, which creates some traffic for Hurst who releases to the flat. As he does this Young meets running back Miles Sanders in the backfield.
But Young, spotting man coverage on the outside and a crowded box, pulls the ball from Sanders and simply flips it to Hurst in the flat for the easy touchdown, the first passing touchdown of Young’s career.
One problem, however.
Hurst then flips the ball into the stands, which you can see at the end of the clip.
Maybe Young will get the ball back. Maybe not. But this is a moment he — and Panthers fans — have been waiting for.
