The fans in the crowd of 72,709 for Carolina’s home opener on Monday night who shared their opinions via boos before leaving early probably won’t understand Panthers coach Frank Reich’s comments after the 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

“I’ve seen this before,” Reich said after Carolina dropped to 0-2 in the 2023 season. “It’s not that far away. It looks bad, but really, I don’t believe it’s that far away. We make a couple of plays here and there, and the next thing you know, you got 28, 30 points. I know that’s true. I know we have the players and coaches to do it. I have zero doubt about that. It’s just we have to execute better on offense.”

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With No. 1 draft pick Bryce Young at quarterback in his second NFL game, Carolina scored on its final two possessions, giving the Panthers a chance at an onside kick, which the Saints recovered.

Young had a 26-yard scramble on a third-and-11 snap to put the Panthers in New Orleans’ end of the field, and Eddy Pineiro cut the Saints’ lead to 13-9 with a 36-yard field goal with 5:30 to play.

New Orleans moved 79 yards in six plays for a touchdown to reassert control of the game.

Young came back to complete 7-of-9 passes for 59 yards, capping an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Adam Thielen with 1:16 to play, then connecting with Thielen again on a 2-point conversion pass to pull the Panthers within three of the lead.

Running back Chuba Hubbard had 14-yard run on a fourth-down snap and Young connected with fellow rookie Jonathan Mingo for 22 yards on the key plays in the drive.

“Just execution,” Young said of the improved production down the stretch. “We were able to execute that drive, but, obviously, it was too little, too late. But I think it was just being able to put one together and execute.

“A lot of times, we were one thing away. I missed throws that should have kept the sticks moving, whatever it may be. It was just execution. Once again, I think we were in good spots to be successful. We just didn’t make enough plays to win, and that starts with me.”

The former Alabama All-American completed 22-of-33 passes for 153 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran for 34 yards on two carries against New Orleans. Young also lost a fumble and was sacked four times.

Reich said he did not think the booing fans were directing their dissatisfaction toward Young.

“I don’t think that’s Bryce,” Reich said. “That’s on me, that’s on our team, so that’s part of it. I don’t like it. Believe me, we want to give the fans wins and an exciting brand of football, and that’s what we’re going to do. That’s what we’re planning on doing.

“It’s a process. We’re two games into a 17-game season. Things haven’t gone the way we wanted, but nobody’s throwing in the towel, and it’s a long year.”

In his NFL debut on Sept. 10, Young completed 20-of-38 passes for 146 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and ran three times for 17 yards in a 24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

“I think Bryce is handling the pressure well,” Reich said. “Listen, he’s the quarterback. Head coach, quarterback, we’re going to take the heat. That just comes with the territory, so you own that and you understand that when you’re in that position. …

“I can tell you this: Our struggle on offense, it’s not one person. We’ll look at the film, but I think Bryce did some really positive things. Made some plays with his feet, made good decisions, made good throws, showed plenty of things that we want to see, so I was encouraged by that. I know how hard it is to play that position.”

The Panthers return to the field on Sunday, when they square off against the Seattle Seahawks at 3:05 p.m. CDT at Lumen Field in Seattle.

While Young was glad to finish Monday night’s game with a touchdown drive, it’s not something he’ll hang his hat on.

“You try to build on positive things,” Young said, “but it’s not going to carry over for any points on Sunday.”

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