Bryce Young turns the Panthers-Cowboys on their head with a career-long touchdown pass

The Carolina Panthers were in big trouble. The Dallas Cowboys were down 10-0 in a disastrous first half, had the ball in the red zone and would likely run out the remaining seconds on the clock and score again to at least take a 13-0 halftime lead. An unforced fumble by Cooper Rush gave life to the Panthers.

Bryce Young immediately took advantage of a long field before the finish. The Panthers’ QB had suffered a poor first half with two turnovers, his first multi-turnover game since Week 8. All Young needed was one last chance to do something in the first half, and that’s exactly what he did.

One play after the fumble recovery, Bryce Young, alone in the backfield, searched downfield for a target he had sorely missed in recent weeks: Jalen Coker. Coker was wide open and Young took advantage by delivering a perfect ball that Coker finished off for the rest. It was an 83-yard touchdown, by far the longest of Young’s career.

The Panthers had looked listless at best. The play calls, the execution and the general demeanor were not good. That play, whether it sparked a true comeback or not, gave them some life, at least for the moment.

The Panthers were the favorites in this game, for the first time in 33 games. Yet they played like massive underdogs for the first 90% of the first half. They looked like a 3-10 team, not the unit that nearly upset three division leaders in a row. This passing game was similar to that of the Panthers in Weeks 9-14, not Weeks 1-8.

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