CHARLOTTE — Bryce Young couldn't stop smiling.

Whether he was walking off the field, following the Panthers' 30-0 win over the Falcons. Or as he stood watching and listening to Jaycee Horn give a post-game interview, recapping the first defensive shutout in five years.

Or grinning as Chau Smith-Wade broke down his pick-six in the locker room, before jumping towards the second-year corner with a dap and a "my (expletive) dog!"

"Hey, you're BY," Smith-Wade answered, pointing towards his quarterback, who has now defeated the Falcons in his last two starts against their divisional rivals. "You BY9!"

The last time Young faced the Falcons, in Week 18 of the 2024 season, he went 25-34 for 251 yards, with three passing touchdowns, plus 24 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. This time, the stat sheet looked much different, to the tune of 16-24 for 121 yards, plus eight yards on the ground and one rushing touchdown.

Of course, the most important stat is the one in the win column. And the Panthers were set on the path with their opening possession. After winning the toss, for the first time this season, and the defense holding Atlanta to a missed field goal on their first drive, Young and the offense took the field at their own 39-yard line.

They went 61 yards in nine plays, capping the drive with a Young scramble from the 4-yard line. He scrambled to escape pressure, found the sideline, and tight-roped his way in for the opening touchdown. It was the first time this season the Panthers have held a lead in a game, and it allowed the entire offense to take a breath and play to their strengths.

"That was big," admitted Young following the win. "We want to make sure we started off fast. We put an emphasis on just having urgency, and for us to, first off, defense set the tone, great stop to start off us on, offense going down, getting a score, I think we were able to continue to go with that. So, yeah, I think that was big."

The offense didn't score another touchdown until the fourth quarter, but simply having that first score allowed them to play more aggressively, and the defense took advantage with a pick-six and another interception that set up that touchdown.

Even without a bevy of offensive scoring, Young helped tip the scales towards the Panthers in the categories that most mattered: he didn't turn the ball over, ensuring the Panthers won the turnover margin, (the only Carolina turnover was a muffed punt, and they forced three Falcons turnovers). And they controlled the ball, winning the time of possession 31:58-28:02, including a four-plus-minute drive towards the end of the third quarter that was capped with a field goal.

"Just solid execution," head coach Dave Canales said of his quarterback's day. "Managing the game the right way, taking the aggressive shots when he felt like he had them there. I think we missed on most of those deep shots that we had down the field, but we had opportunities.

"I think those are things we'll continue to grow and execute those, but just in general, from the run game, pass pass game, to the protection, I just thought he really managed the game well."

The result was Young's first career win that did not come in the fourth quarter or overtime.

"We have a 24-hour rule, so I'm happy, and then it's one week, so, for now it's great, and then we'll come back tomorrow, we'll watch the film, see what we can replicate, see what we can learn from, and turn the page, but it feels good right now," expressed Young.

"Mondays are always more fun when you win, but it doesn't entitle us to anything next week. We have to make sure that we have a good week of practice. We execute for next week, so it can be something to build off for sure, but it's not guaranteed. We have to make sure we earn that, and I'm grateful to be around a group of guys that are making sure they embrace that."