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This time last year, Panthers coach Dave Canales benched an overwhelmed Bryce Young amid an 0-2 start, relegating him to clipboard duty while veteran backup Andy Dalton took command of the offense from the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. This year, the Panthers have started 0-2 yet again, looking flat on offense in a Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and for much of their Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals before a late comeback attempt came up short. 

Young is once again a large part of the Panthers' sluggish start, completing just 58.9% of his passes with three interceptions to counteract three touchdowns. But Canales has a much different outlook on his quarterback this year, telling reporters that his level of confidence in Young is "super high' despite their winless start.

"There's stuff, obviously, Bryce would come up here and say he'd like to clean up from the first two games. But I'm fired up about where we're headed," Canales said, citing Young's developing chemistry with receivers Brycen Tremayne, Hunter Renfrow and Tetairoa McMillan. "In a game where we had 90 plays, you get a lot of information about the other guys that come in. Bryce and Tremayne making a couple of plays, Hunter continuing to get comfortable in there, and certainly T-Mac because it's just two games in. So gathering a lot of information about our group as we continue to play. It was exciting to be able to just learn that. Again, the games are so valuable and teach us a lot about our guys."

Young was mum when asked about comparisons from last year to this year, speaking mostly in platitudes.

"I'm not really someone who looks [back], I don't compare towards last year," Young said. "Last year's over with."

This game marks an important week for the Panthers beyond the fact that it's their home opener at Bank of America Stadium. Young is starting to develop a reputation as being a thorn in the side of the hated Falcons. Young has won both of his last two starts against Atlanta, including last year's 44-38 overtime finale in which he scored five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). The win capped off a remarkable turnaround by the quarterback in the second half of the season; however, the Falcons will come to Charlotte boasting a revamped defense that just commanded a 22-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in which they forced four turnovers and piled up six sacks.