On Sept. 8, 2002, quarterback David Carr completed 10-of-22 passes for 145 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and even though Carr endured the first six of the 76 times he would be sacked that season, the Houston Texans defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19-10.

That was the most recent time a quarterback who was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft started the opening game of his first season and came away with a victory.

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On April 27, Bryce Young became the 15th quarterback selected with the first pick in an NFL Draft since Carr joined the Texans from Fresno State. On Sunday, the former Alabama All-American is set to start the Carolina Panthers’ season-opening game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Carolina coach Frank Reich doesn’t think Young will have an easy time of it, and history supports his view.

“Obviously we think very highly of him, but this isn’t going to be a cakewalk,” Reich said. “It’s going to be fight and scratch every step of the way. He’s got to fight to get better. He’s a really, really, really good player, but he’s got a lot of learn. I have a lot to learn. This is our first year as a staff, a new offense. We got a lot to learn, so we do that while we’re in business, while we’re rolling along, and that’s what we’re going to do. Excited he’s our leader on offense and have confidence he’s going to grow into the player that we all want him to be.”

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Of the 14 quarterbacks taken with the No. 1 pick between Carr and Young, the best outcome in a season-opener was the Arizona Cardinals’ 29-29 overtime tie with the Detroit Lions on Sept. 8, 2019. Cardinals QB and 2019 No. 1 pick Kyler Murray threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns in the game between teams that would combine for eight victories that season.

Of the other 13 No. 1 pick quarterbacks, eight lost and five didn’t start. Even former Auburn star Cam Newton came up on the short end of a 28-21 decision against Arizona in 2011 despite throwing for 422 yards and two touchdowns and running for another TD for Carolina.

All nine of the quarterbacks between Carr and Young who started in the opening game threw at least one interception. Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford, Andrew Luck and Trevor Lawrence were intercepted three times apiece.

The most recent No. 1 pick quarterback who wasn’t intercepted as the starter in his team’s season-opener was Jeff George on Sept. 9, 1990. George completed 13-of-24 passes for 160 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the Indianapolis Colts’ 26-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. But in the Colts’ second game, George threw four interceptions.

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While Young might have made it look easy on his way to becoming the No. 1 pick, the quarterback said he didn’t achieve that success without learning how to deal with adversity.

“I definitely wouldn’t say my career has been a cakewalk,” Young said. “Again, whatever people look at it from the outside. But there’s always ups and downs throughout a season. There’s highs and lows. There’s times where you feel great. There’s times you feel like there’s a bunch of stuff you got to improve on and work on. I feel like that’s something that has been consistent for me.

“Obviously, this is a new experience, a new level. There’s going to be challenges. Again, I know everything’s not going to go perfect. Obviously, I can’t predict the highs or lows, but I know there’s going to be ups and downs this year. For me, whatever they are, I’m going to lean on God, lean on my family, my teammates, my coaches to weather that and to try to still be productive.”

Young said his preparations for his first NFL season had included soliciting advice from other quarterbacks, such as former Alabama teammate and current New England Patriots QB Mac Jones.

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“I’ve been grateful to talk to some other guys,” Young said. “Guys I’ve played with and just other guys I’ve known that have shared experiences. … I’ve gotten wisdom from other guys that I kind of hold sacred. It’s stuff that I think about. And I have a lot of respect for a lot of other guys who have gone through this.

“Coach Reich said it’s not going to be perfect. There’s going to be ups, there’s going to be downs. But there’s always going to be that standard, that level that we want to strive to. And when we don’t get there or if things don’t go perfect every play, we have to turn the page.”

The Panthers and the Falcons will square off in an NFC South game at noon CDT Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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