CHARLOTTE — So much of football is about situations.

Can you manipulate certain looks and coverages to your advantage? Can you bend a matchup to your will? And most importantly, how do you take control when inevitable chaos reigns?

Players spend hours, days, weeks, and years preparing for every kind of situation, hoping nothing will catch them off guard during a game. The unknown is still bound to happen, but anytime you can have even the slightest edge, it can make the difference between a win and a loss.

Even if your quarterback is trying to volleyball spike it, and it eventually turns into a touchdown.

Over a year ago, Panthers game management coordinator George Li laid out a unique situation for his team and the blueprint should it arise. The idea was simple: a ball thrown by the Panthers offense gets tipped or batted at the line of scrimmage. What do you do?

"We talk about it. Shout out to George," shared quarterback Bryce Young on Wednesday. "That's my guy. He does situations, as well, over here, and I think it was last year he had a video on it."

The answer is to bat the ball down before the defense can intercept it. In theory, it can be done by anyone on the field, but it's drilled into quarterbacks and offensive linemen especially, given their proximity to a batted ball.

Since a batted ball would have been touched by both the quarterback and the defense, at that point an offensive lineman is no longer an ineligible receiver. But in reality, catching the ball in that manner and situation risks being tackled and losing yardage. The best bet is to bat it down as an incomplete pass.

"That's a drill," admitted coach Dave Canales on Monday. "The offensive linemen are aware of that too; when that ball goes up, it's like we got to — it's jump ball. You're playing at the park. Someone throws it up, get up there and knock it down so we can play the next one."

It makes sense; defenses thrive off tips because they often turn into interceptions, so you want to eliminate that possibility since an incomplete pass is way better than a turnover. Still, the awareness to actually do it in real time is another thing entirely.

Derrick Brown remembers when Aaron Rodgers, known for his high football IQ, did it to him during a play. And Drew Brees was one of the best in the game at the play in those situations. Then on Sunday, after a year in the Panthers' back pocket as a "break glass in case of emergency" answer, Young found himself in that exact situation.

The Panthers had the ball in great field position, the Falcons' 35-yard line, thanks to another bout of situational football to start the game. On Atlanta's first play, a quarterback run by Cooper Rush, safety Zakee Wheatley saw an opening and punched at the ball. It popped out, and safety Nick Scott was aware and ready, jumping on it to give Carolina possession.

On a second-and-7 from the Falcons 21-yard line, Young dropped back, looking for a receiver deep. He threw, but before the ball got past the line of scrimmage, Atlanta linebacker Kendal Daniels stuck his arm up, getting his hand on the ball and sending it careening wildly.

The Falcons defense started to converge, but the ball flew so high, Young had time to run into its trajectory. He spiked the ball down, and the Panthers retained possession.

"Right when that came up, it's like, we talk about it, internalize it, and then they prepare us for it, so yeah, that was what it was," explained Young, who also admitted the ball flying as high as it did definitely gave him time to get to it and make the play.

"That was a very proud moment," admitted Li, who was watching from the press box with a smile, "seeing him do that."

Especially because with the chance to reset, they drove for a score.

Right tackle Monroe Freeling joked he wishes in hindsight he'd have caught it and run it in for a touchdown. But it didn't matter, because Young's heads-up play ensured Carolina still had the ball, and a few plays later, he hit Chuba Hubbard for the first of many scores that day.

Young joked afterward that he "didn't jump that high," and in true teammate ribbing fashion, the locker room agreed.

"Bryce jumping and us not jumping is probably the same," laughed the 6-7 Freeling.

And longtime volleyball player Tetairoa McMillan was stingy with his scoring of the spike.

"Yeah, I mean that was, it was cute," shrugged McMillan with a smirk. "I give him a five. It's a five."

That's a five out of 10, mind you. Why the harsh score?

"Didn't get up very high," stated the receiver. "I feel like he got a little more bounce than he showed for sure."

While his teammates are going to continue to poke at Young for not jumping as high as he probably could have — except Darren Waller who made sure to give his QB a shoutout during the game — the simple act of making the play is all they really care about.

"That just speaks to the competitor that Bryce is and how much he cares about this team and the teammates," said linebacker Bobby Okereke, who inserted as a defender; his first instinct would've been to hit the opposing quarterback midair. Luckily for him and the Panthers, the Falcons did not do that Sunday. "He's going to put his body on the line, do anything to make sure he doesn't turn the ball over. So a teammate that I'm extremely grateful for."

Added McMillan, "I mean, that's just a heads-up play, really. That's just Bryce being the smart dude he is, and just IQ for the game and just knowing the situation and just him being able to bat the ball down. That's good in that situation."