Panthers QB Bryce Young's return to starting lineup comes at inopportune time

The Carolina plan on starting quarterback Bryce Young in Week 8 following Andy Dalton's Tuesday car accident.

Anyone anticipating Young's breakout performance should probably wait.

In Week 8, the Panthers (1-6) will play the Denver Broncos (4-3), who have feasted on young quarterbacks recently, including in Week 7 against New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler.

While Young isn't a rookie, he's still encountering several of the same growing pains as the most inexperienced quarterbacks. He has 18 career starts and regressed in his two 2024 starts before being benched for Dalton in Week 3.

The former No. 1 overall pick has appeared in mop-up duty twice since receiving his demotion. In his most recent appearance, during Week 7's 40-7 loss to the Washington Commanders, Young was 2-of-2 for negative-four yards.

The Broncos are particularly great at pressuring quarterbacks and Young has struggled when facing pressure during his career. Per data from Pro Football Focus , his 29.2% pressure-to-sack rate is the highest among quarterbacks with at least 75 dropbacks this season.

Denver produced 13 sacks in its four most recent games against starting rookies, including six against Rattler on "Thursday Night Football." In the Broncos' 33-10 win, Rattler finished 25-of-35 for 172 yards (4.9 yards per attempt) and two fumbles lost.

Broncos defensive tackle Zach Allen leads the league in total pressures (39), per PFF , while as a team, Denver ranks second in sacks (28) and fifth in pressure rate (28.6%).

The Broncos are a horrible matchup for Young as he attempts to salvage his career in Carolina. If this Sunday is an audition for him to win his job back, he shouldn't expect a callback afterward.