By Clark Gerber, WRAL Sports contributor

Indianapolis Colts	27
Carolina Panthers	13
Final

On Sunday, Bryce Young made three successful touchdown passes. However, the issue was that two of them were caught by the opposing team.

The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Carolina Panthers 27-13, thanks in part to the impressive performance of experienced defensive player Kenny Moore. Moore managed to intercept the rookie quarterback twice, returning both interceptions for touchdowns. This caused great trouble for the Panthers and helped secure the victory for the Colts.

Panthers head coach Frank Reich acknowledged that it was a challenging day, with penalties and execution being major obstacles. He emphasized the need to not expect sympathy and instead focus on putting in the effort to improve.

In the last minute of the second quarter, Moore made a significant play as Carolina attempted to score a field goal before halftime.

Young’s pass was delayed and not aimed accurately towards the right side. Moore anticipated the play and intercepted the ball, running it back 49 yards for a crucial touchdown.

At halftime, Carolina was behind 20-3, which was their biggest deficit so far this season. However, they showed some signs of improvement at the beginning of the third quarter.

Young orchestrated a 15-play, 77-yard drive to score for the Carolina Panthers and close the gap.

On a 3rd & Goal play, Bryce Young successfully connected with DJ Chark for a 5-yard touchdown pass, briefly giving the Panthers a sense of optimism.

However, on the subsequent drive, the Panthers appeared ready to reduce the score to a one-point difference when Young committed another significant mistake.

On this occasion, the inexperienced player’s pass was too elevated as he aimed for Miles Sanders on second down and eight yards to go. The ball was intercepted by Moore, who then ran it back for 66 yards, effectively securing the victory for the visiting team.

Bryce Young only had one interception returned for a touchdown throughout his college career.

On Sunday, he scored two pick-sixes and also had a third interception in the 4th quarter, which added to his already unimpressive performance in terms of statistics.

Young ended the day with a total of 173 yards after completing 24 out of 39 passes.

Reich stated, “I have witnessed top quarterbacks in the sport perform much worse than this.” He believes that experiencing this will be beneficial for him and that it’s important to have the opportunity to recover from a game like this.

In the beginning stages of the game, the Panthers were heavily impacted by penalties while the Colts gained a significant advantage.

In the first quarter, the Colts had kicked the ball away, but a penalty against Carolina for being offside gave them a boost. The 5-yard penalty allowed Indianapolis to have a first down and put their offense back in action.

After a few plays, the Panthers defense had another opportunity to prevent a first down on a 3rd & 7. However, Gardner Minshew’s 7-yard scramble, along with a 15-yard penalty for a late hit, aided the coach in reaching scoring range.

The Colts scored a field goal after a 15-play, 75-yard drive.

During the following Indy drive, Carolina received another penalty on a 3rd down play, resulting in a significant 15-yard penalty. Xavier Woods was cited for unnecessary roughness after making contact with Michael Pittman Jr., causing an incomplete pass.

The call that caused controversy elicited negative reactions from the audience at the Panthers’ home stadium, and paved the way for the first touchdown of the game.

Jonathan Taylor caught a pass and ran 10 yards while evading defenders before reaching the end zone in a twisting motion.

The Panthers are faced with a quick turnaround as they aim for their second victory of the year. They will travel to face the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football in the upcoming week.

Scoring summary

At 1:52 PM, on the second quarter, Matt Gay successfully kicked a 26-yard field goal, bringing the score to 3-0 in favor of the Colts.

At 7:43 in the second quarter, Gardner Minshew threw a pass to Jonathan Taylor for a gain of 10 yards. Matt Gay successfully kicked the extra point, bringing the score to 10-0 in favor of the Colts.

At 3:34 in the second quarter, Eddy Pineiro successfully kicked a 35 yard field goal, bringing the Colts’ score to 10-3.

At 0:53 in the second quarter, Matt Gay successfully kicked a 57-yard field goal, bringing the score to 13-3 in favor of the Colts.

At the 20 second mark of the second quarter, Kenny Moore II made a 49 yard interception return, and Matt Gay successfully completed the extra point kick. This put the score at 20-3 with the Colts in the lead.

At 4:34 on the third quarter, DJ Chark Jr. caught a pass from Bryce Young for a gain of 5 yards. Eddy Pineiro successfully kicked the extra point, bringing the score to 20-10 in favor of the Colts.

At 1:40 PM on the fourth, Kenny Moore II intercepted the ball and ran 66 yards for a touchdown. Matt Gay successfully kicked the extra point, bringing the Colts’ score to 27-10.

At the 8:08 mark in the 4th quarter, Eddy Pineiro successfully kicked a 49-yard field goal, bringing the score to 27-13 with the Colts in the lead.

Source: wralsportsfan.com