For the first time in his NFL career, quarterback Bryce Young got to kneel out a Carolina Panthers’ victory on Sunday.

“It’s a great feeling,” Young said after the Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints 23-22 in an NFC South rivalry game by scoring a touchdown with 2:18 to play.

The No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft, Young was a winner in two of his 16 starts as a rookie, and in each victory – 15-13 over the Houston Texans on Oct. 29, 2023, and 9-7 over the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 17, 2023 – Eddy Pineiro kicked a field goal on the final snap to provide the winning points for the Panthers.

On Sunday, the Carolina defense stopped New Orleans’ final possession on downs at the Saints 46-yard line with 64 seconds remaining, giving the former Alabama All-American the opportunity to end the game with two kneel-downs.

The Panthers trailed 22-17 when they took possession at their 36-yard line with 3:26 to play. Young hit a third-down pass to wide receiver Xavier Legette for a 26-yard gain, and a 22-yard defensive pass interference penalty on the next snap moved Carolina to the New Orleans 16. Running back Chuba Hubbard covered that distance to the goal line to give Carolina a one-point lead.

“Where else would you rather be?” Young said of his attitude taking the field for what turned out to be the game-winning series. “That’s all you can ask for – have a chance to go take the lead on a drive. That’s what we play for, that’s what we work for.”

The Saints lost even though they outgained the Panthers 427 yards to 246 yards and did not lose a turnover. Back in the lineup after a three-game injury absence, New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr completed 18-of-31 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown. Carr’s 13 third-down passes produced four first downs and a touchdown.

Young completed 16-of-26 passes for 171 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He completed 7-of-8 third-down passes for 71 yards and four first downs.

The interception came when cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles took the football away from Legette after the Carolina wide receiver had caught the pass with 9:14 left to play.

“He came up big in some critical moments,” Carolina coach Dave Canales said of Young, “and gave us an opportunity a couple of times. Again, just proud of the step he took. Taking all the things we’re asking him to do, getting us to the right plays at the right time, so a great step.”

For the second game in a row, Legette caught a touchdown pass from Young. Their 3-yard connection capped a 45-yard drive as the Panthers took a 7-6 lead with 9:59 left in the first half.

Carolina’s middle touchdown drive covered 86 yards to open the second half. It included Young’s longest completion of the season – a 46-yard hookup with tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders – on the second snap of the third quarter. Hubbard’s 1-yard touchdown run put the Panthers ahead 17-13 with 9:59 left in the third quarter.

Young started his second NFL season as he ended his first – as Carolina’s No. 1 quarterback. But after the Panthers lost their first two games, including a season-opening 47-10 setback against the Saints, Carolina coach Dave Canales pulled Young for veteran Andy Dalton. Dalton started five games before sustaining a thumb injury in an automobile accident.

That put Young back in the lineup for a 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos one week ago. In that game, Young complete 24-of-37 passes for 224 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

After Sunday’s victory, Canales said “not yet” when asked if he was ready to name Young the starter for Carolina’s next game.

“We’ll take in all the information,” Canales said. “Watch the film. We got a process. We got to make sure we look at all this stuff.”

The Panthers ended a five-game losing streak on Sunday to raise their record to 2-7.

“More so than anything, I’m happy for the guys in that locker room,” Young said. “They work so hard, and for us to step up to the plate like this was huge for us, so it’s something for us to build off of.”

Carolina plays the New York Giants at 8:30 a.m. CST Nov. 10 at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

The Saints went to 2-7 with their seventh consecutive loss.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.