The Carolina Panthers looked out of sorts on offense during a Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Whenever that happens, the blame lands on the quarterback, no matter what happened. Bryce Young didn’t play well, but he was far from the only one.

That said, the QB took the chance to show some more exemplary leadership, refusing to place blame on anyone. He took accountability, opening his press conference with a highly critical self-reflection after the loss.

“Obviously can’t turn the ball over like that. I cost the team. I have to be better than that, just better decision-making,” he said. Young added that the team expects to play better but couldn’t get it done. He vowed to watch the tape and get better.

The QB also refused to make any criticism of the coaching staff, saying they did a “good job with the plan.” He added, “It’s on us, on me to play better. It’s nothing about the organization or coach or anything like that. Gotta be better.”

Bryce Youn

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) is flushed from the pocket during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Reporters offered Young several chances to share the blame, asking about coaching, his teammates, the poor snaps that plagued the QB-center exchange all day, but Young refused, shaking his head and firmly saying it was not anyone else’s fault.

He specifically said center Austin Corbett was not to blame for those snaps, even though he snapped early on crucial downs twice and had several other misplaced snaps. If not for Young, there would’ve been several fumbles on shotgun snaps.

But with all the negative from Week 1, Young is not going to dwell on it. He said they’d wear it for a while and watch the film, but then they’d “flush it” and move on to the rest of a “long season.” He said it’s always the goal to be the best they can be, and they’ll take what they can from this loss to get to that point.

The Panthers came into the game as underdogs, but there was an expectation that the offense would play better after how well they finished last week. Unfortunately, that did not transpire, and Young took full blame for it.

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