Turnovers doom Panthers in 24-10 loss to Falcons

Rookie quarterback Bryce Young had some good moments in his first game as a pro. He also made some rookie mistakes, as the Panthers fell to the Atlanta Falcons on the road, 24-10.

"I need to be better," Young said after the game. "Gonna learn from it... but obviously, we lost. My performance wasn't good at all so I have to do a lot better."

The number one overall pick certainly showed flashes of promise, especially during a pair of scoring drives that spanned halftime. He tossed his first career touchdown to tight end Hayden Hurst in the second quarter, capping a 75-yard drive to tie the game.

Young also led a 50-yard march to open the 3rd quarter, highlighted by a 16-yard scramble for a first down. That led to a 43-yard go-ahead field goal from kicker Eddy Pineiro.

Carolina out-gained Atlanta 281-221 on the afternoon, but three turnovers proved to be their undoing.

The first giveaway came on the 2nd drive of the game. Facing a 2nd & 16, Young threw into coverage over the middle and was intercepted by former Wake Forest star Jessie Bates III.

Three plays later, Atlanta found pay dirt on a swing pass to their own highly-touted rookie, running back Bijan Robinson. The top ten pick out of Texas shook a tackle behind the line of scrimmage and scampered to the end zone from 11 yards out.

In the 3rd quarter, with the Panthers nursing a 10-7 lead, Young was looking for Terrace Marshall Jr. on a short throw, but Bates picked him off again.

The Atlanta offense didn't do much on their ensuing drive, but still got points off the takeaway. Younghoe Koo converted a 49-yard field goal for the Falcons to tie the game, 10-10.

Bates struck yet again on Carolina's next drive. The Pro Bowl safety forced a Miles Sanders fumble at the end of a 10-yard run. Lorenzo Carter recovered the ball for Atlanta, setting them up for the go-ahead score.

Tyler Allgeier, who finished as Atlanta's leading rusher with 75 yards, scored twice in the 4th quarter to put the game away.

Meanwhile, the Panthers offense never threatened again. Bryce Young & Co. combined for just 34 total yards on their final four drives of the game.

It was a discouraging finish to be sure, but Panthers head coach Frank Reich is confident that his team -- and specifically Young -- will bounce back.

"Bryce is the last person I'm worried about," said Reich. "He's got the maturity of someone way beyond his years."

"In the next 24 hours, it should not taste good. And we need to eat every bit of it. Otherwise you don't learn and get better from it... and I believe we'll do that as a team."

Bryce Young is the 12th number one overall pick in the last 30 years to start in his rookie regular season opener at quarterback. After Sunday's loss, those players have now combined for a 1-10-1 record in those games.

Even Cam Newton, who set an NFL record with 422 passing yards and 3 touchdowns in his 2011 debut, came up short on the scoreboard. Newton and the Panthers lost 28-21 to the Arizona Cardinals.

The last number one pick to win his rookie regular season opener was David Carr in 2002. Carr’s final statline was far less spectacular than Newton’s – 10/22 for 145 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.

Edge rusher Brian Burns is arguably the Panthers best defensive player, and the 2-time Pro Bowler certainly played like it on Sunday, despite some concern that he wouldn't suit up at all.

Burns finished with 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble against Atlanta, despite skipping multiple practices in recent weeks.

Burns has indicated he wants a long-term deal that reflects his on-field production. He leads the team with 39.5 sacks, 50 tackles for loss and 8 forced fumbles since he was drafted in the first round (16th overall) in 2019.

The price tag for the Panthers to keep Burns almost certainly went up in the last week. 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, also a 2019 first rounder, agreed to a record-breaking 5-year, $170 million extension earlier this week, resetting the market for the NFL's best pass rushers.

14:54 2nd Q - Desmond Ridder pass short right to Bijan Robinson for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Y.Koo extra point is GOOD. 7-0 Falcons.

5:09 2nd Q - Bryce Young pass short right to Hayden Hurst for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. E.Pineiro extra point is GOOD. 7-7 tie game.

10:46 3rd Q - Eddy Pineiro 43 yard field goal is GOOD. 10-7 Panthers.

4:42 3rd Q - Younghoe Koo 49 yard field goal is GOOD, 10-10 tie game.

14:18 4th Q - Tyler Allgeier left end for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Y.Koo extra point is GOOD. 17-10 Falcons.

4:48 4th Q - Tyler Allgeier left tackle for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Y.Koo extra point is GOOD. 24-10 Falcons.