Memorable Monday Night Football quarterback debuts that Bryce Young could learn from
If there’s one piece of advice Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich will offer his rookie quarterback as he approaches another milestone in his young NFL career, it’s this:
Relax.
“It’s a long wait until Monday night,” Reich told reporters, speaking as if he’d already rehearsed these words on Bryce Young. “Don’t get amped up too early. Just be patient. It’s a long wait.”
Reich bases this advice in his 17 years as a coach in the NFL. But he also is pulling from experience. Reich made his first start as an NFL quarterback himself on a Monday night in 1989, filling in for an injured Jim Kelly with the Buffalo Bills.
Reich led the Bills to a 23-20 comeback win against the then-undefeated Los Angeles Rams, thanks to two fourth-quarter touchdown passes. That was one of the two wins he led in his two starts before Kelly came back. (Reich eventually landed in Carolina and was the starter for the franchise’s first NFL game — but that’s another story.)
“Always enjoy Monday night games,” Reich said, “and that’s one of the reasons why.”
Young could learn a bunch from Reich’s first start on that prime time stage. But as Reich admitted — and as the modern day’s best quarterbacks have shown — playing well on the Monday Night Football stage, for whatever reason, isn’t always easy.
Again, Reich would probably respond, Patience.
“You have such a long build-up for your first game, first real game,” Young said. “The moment you declare, it’s not in the forefront of your mind, but it’s another one of those milestones and boxes to check.”
He added: “It’s definitely a blessing to have that type of platform, for us as a team. It’s great and cool, but we’re still playing on the same field we would’ve if it was on a Sunday, and we’re still going to have to execute against a great team in New Orleans.”
Here’s a look at a few Monday Night Football quarterback debuts of three other quarterbacks — specifically QBs who are overall No. 1 picks, like Young — that Young can learn from.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
The Monday Night Football debut of Joe Burrow, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, was on Halloween of 2022. He went 25 of 35 for 232 yards and two touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns. It wasn’t all glorious, though. He also threw an interception and took five sacks en route to a 32-13 loss. That was the team’s last loss of the season before playing the eventual Super Bowl champions, Kansas City, in the playoffs.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray was the 2019 overall No. 1 pick and had a good Monday Night Football debut on October 19, 2020. The Texas native went 9 of 24 for 188 yards and two touchdowns — and added 10 carries for 74 yards and a score on the ground — en route to a 38-10 win against the Dallas Cowboys. (He has played in two other MNF games; his first was his best.)
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in 2018 and former Carolina quarterback, has played in five Monday Night Football games, per StatMuse. One of his best was his first, which occurred in Week 2 of 2019 against the New York Jets. He went 19 of 35 for 325 yards and a touchdown. He also threw one interception and was sacked three times in the 23-3 win.
