Panthers 9, Falcons 7
Q. (Off microphone)
BRYCE YOUNG: It feels great. These are a lot more enjoyable after wins. It feels great.
On a serious note, obviously a lot of adversity, a lot of ups and downs throughout the year, but just for us as a team, this is definitely a team win.
Defense did a great job. We all fed off of each other. Tough conditions, of course. It was a dirty, nasty game. We knew that it was going to be that coming in.
For us this late in the year obviously with all this going on, it feels great. We're still in it right now, still enjoying it, but obviously still going to be stuff to learn from, still stuff to improve. So we have to build off of it.
Q. It almost feels like a weight has been lifted. Do you feel that?
BRYCE YOUNG: Right now obviously it's so new. Really just we're all happy. There's a lot of joy for sure. It really comes from us wanting to see each other succeed. We want to see each other win.
We put the work in. We trust in each other, and obviously we haven't been able to see a lot of those results this year, but it's always great when you get to see that and it actually gets to come to fruition on Sunday.
Again, right now it's still fresh. Still enjoying it, but there's still obviously a lot of stuff we want to get better at and want to improve on.
So feels great. We'll move on and file it away and take the good and the bad from it.
Q. What were the conversations like in the huddle seven and a half minutes to go, ball on your 5? What are you saying to each other in that moment?
BRYCE YOUNG: I mean, where else would you rather be, opportunity to go down and win the game? For me there's no other group I would rather do it with. We all have faith in each other. We all believe in each other, and it was just a great opportunity.
Just in the huddle being able to look at each other. We all had the same look in each other's eyes. We all had confidence, and we were able to put it together.
So credit goes to my teammates, to everyone, and then to TB and Coach Tabor for managing everything.
Q. You used a similar message at the Iron Bowl: Where would you rather be? Did you get flashbacks to some of your older, you know, game-winning drives?
BRYCE YOUNG: You're always in the moment. There's not really a lot of time to think back. You're all-in. You're all focused. You're all in that moment. So that's kind of where I was.
Q. As a quarterback, offensive player, did you want to punch it in there at the end, or what was going through your mind?
BRYCE YOUNG: I wanted to win the game. That's what I wanted to do. That was the best-case scenario. Being able to walk off, us being able to -- with a field goal, it would be the last play, that the best-case scenario. Ultimately wanted to do whatever it took to win the game.
Q. Can you take us through the third down throw to Mingo and then DJ's toe tap on the second down...
BRYCE YOUNG: Third down obviously in that situation, got to have it, and Mingo ran a great route. Got match coverage, ran a great route, and made it easy for me. Did a great job coming back to the ball too. So in a big-time moment like that seeing Mingo step up, not surprising at all, but it was great. It was key.
Same thing with DJ. Just want to give him a chance, give him a shot. Obviously a big play wanting to get in the field goal position at the time and then wanting to make sure you're keeping the drive going and want to give DJ a chance, and, again, stepped up in a huge moment.
Q. How would you stack up these conditions with the worst you have ever played in, and how were you able to execute some of the passing plays on that big drive?
BRYCE YOUNG: Me personally probably pretty up there, but it wasn't a surprise. Something we knew was going to happen all week.
Then also that's part of the game. It's part of the NFL. Games like that are going to happen.
You've got to still be able to, obviously, throw the ball. It's different. Not go going to lie like it's not, but you can't let that affect your execution. Can't let that affect what you can and can't do. Can't let that affect the throw.
It's just a different feel, and it's different, but you still have to have the same results. And still stuff I want to improve on, keep getting better at, but really especially in conditions like that, you lean on your teammates, lean on your guys and coaching staff, and I definitely did that today.
Q. How bad did this team need the win just knowing the mentality after all the tough losses after tough losses, and how bad did Bryce Young need a win like today? Seeing your look after the last few games, it hasn't been great.
BRYCE YOUNG: It's something for us to build off of. Again, obviously it hasn't gone the best before this, but we need a win every week. There's no week that we need one more than the other.
And throughout all this, we never lose faith, never lose confidence, never lose trust in each other. There's no loss of fight.
So, again, obviously it's great. They're hard to come by, and they mean a lot. We've got to enjoy it and then file it away and take what we can from it and improve.
Q. Chris talked about practicing with a wet ball this week to get you used to these conditions because the weather obviously wasn't like today. How much did this help prepare you guys?
BRYCE YOUNG: It definitely helped. We knew it was going to be like this, and throughout the week it was nice. Being able to try to emulate the conditions as much as we can, it was great preparation. Again, credit goes to the staff for that.
Q. Your completion percentage improved this game over last game. What do you attribute that to?
BRYCE YOUNG: The people around me doing a great job. Today making it easy on me. Receivers doing a great job and running backs doing a great job getting open. O-line doing a great job protecting for me. Same with TB and doing a great job of dialing it up and getting us play calls.
To last game, a lot of stuff I wanted back and wish I could have done better, but I think that all the credit for today definitely goes to my teammates.
Q. How will you celebrate this one?
BRYCE YOUNG: We're just in the locker room able to have a little fun for a couple of minutes while we're still here.
Again, it's a great feeling, but it's a long season. We have a game next week. We'll go back in there, have a couple more laughs today. Then when we come back to work, we all come back together during the week, it will be behind us.
It's always easier to coach off of a win, so that will be great, but just celebrating in the locker room with the guys and turn the page.
Q. I know you talked about leaning on your teammates, but X gets that interception, and you have an opportunity. What personally is going through your mind right before that drive?
BRYCE YOUNG: Again, we want to play together, so the defense makes a big play like that, going through our mind is let's go capitalize. Obviously getting a red zone turnover, that's huge.
Defense has been playing lights-out, doing a great job. Then they gave us an opportunity like that, and we want to capitalize. That's really our mindset.
Q. You wore a jacket on the field a lot during and between plays and all that. I hadn't seen much of that. Was it that cold, or were you just trying --
BRYCE YOUNG: It was a little cold out there. It was a little cold. It was a little cold. So just trying to put myself in the best position when we go out there.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports