Bryce Young’s efforts go in vain after referees make blatant error in Panthers’ loss to Buccaneers
Referee mistake cost Bryce Young three crucial points which could have won the Carolina Panthers the game against Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Referees incorrectly ruled Bryce Young's touchdown pass to Adam Thielen incomplete (Image via Imago/SS)
The Carolina Panthers have shown some major improvements in the past couple of weeks. Most notably sophomore quarterback Bryce Young has been proving his first overall draft pick was not a bad choice. Earlier, they faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a chance to build on that promise.
The Buccaneers defense though, kept Young and his offensive teammates humble in the first quarter as all they could muster up was one field goal. Then in the second, Young showed that his play with his feet is something the NFL world has not seen yet when he ran into the end zone for a touchdown.
On the next drive, with a shorter than usual field, the second year quarterback went to work again. He drove his team down the field and stood eight yards short of the end zone. On a third and three with eleven seconds to go, the Carolina Panthers decided to take one more shot at a touchdown before sending in the kicking team.
Bryce Young saw the coverage and threw a rainbow pass to Adam Thielen. The veteran used his right hand to haul it in and then clutched the ball with both hands as he went down. While going down, his experience showed as he first put his left knee down and then his left elbow before touching the white line.
This is a Touchdown catch by Adam Thielen.
— Blego (@BlegoBro) December 1, 2024
Ruled incomplete initially, but currently under review.#KeepPounding #NFL #TBvsCAR pic.twitter.com/qo6kw4g405
However, referees on the field ruled the catch as incomplete. Then when it went into review, replays showed that Thielen went down before going out of bounds while having control over the ball. However, officials continued with their rule, forcing the Panthers to settle for a field goal.
Bryce Young and Panthers pushed game into overtime
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no slouch of a team. They lost a few close games against elite opponents and are looking to return to the playoffs. But the confidence the Carolina Panthers are playing with showed as they battled all the way through.
The home team took the lead and kept it for almost the entire third quarter. But then Baker Mayfield and his teammates showed resilience and scored twice despite the brilliant efforts of the Panthers defense. This put the pressure on the Panthers to avoid another home defeat.
Young first drove his team down to the Buccaneers 25-yard line. After taking their third timeout, Young received the ball on a 1st and 10 but saw the Buccaneers defense collapsed his pocket. He showed incredible poise to slither out of that mess, step up and throw an angled pass to Adam Thielen.
BRYCE YOUNG CLUTCH MODE PANTHERS LEAD!!!
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 2, 2024
?: FOX pic.twitter.com/KX1AK8uwEE
The pass was so good that it reached the veteran receiver just as he entered the end zone. That touchdown gave the Panthers the lead. However, the visitors tied the game sending it to OT and then won the game after Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard fumbled, and the Buccaneers scored to win 26-23.
But it was another brilliant display from the much-maligned quarterback. His passes were exceptional, and his teammates performed better with growing chemistry. More importantly, he did not show the lack of confidence that plagued his rookie season as well as the games until he was benched.
Related: Unnecessary egoistic fights in college football are getting out of hand and need to stop!
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Joseph Varghese
(2268 Articles Published)