Bryce Young made his long-awaited NFL regular season debut on Sunday, but struggled mightily as the Carolina Panthers fell to the Atlanta Falcons by two scores on the road.

When asked about his thoughts on Young's debut, new head coach Frank Reich largely deflected away from the topic of the rookie QB. He noted that his struggles were the least of his concerns, and pivoted back to addressing the team as a whole.

“The next 24 hours should not taste good. We need to feel the disappointment and the hurt, but not just feel it. We have to figure out how to get better,” Reich said after the game, per David Newton of ESPN.

Young was 20-of-38 passing in his first NFL action, with 146 yards and a touchdown, but adding two interceptions. His teammate Hayden Hurt also hilariously launched his first career touchdown ball into the stands, drawing many reactions on X.

Young was the first overall pick out of the Alabama Crimson Tide, and a former Heisman trophy winner. He earned the starting job in Carolina over the summer, and will have some growing pains as he adapts to playing against NFL defenses.

The Panthers will be back in action next week on Monday Night Football when they host the New Orleans Saints. Both teams struggled offensively, and will try to improve before their divisional clash next week. The Saints are an early -1.5 favorite on the road, with the line subject to change as Week 1 results pile in and modify the data.