There was some consternation among Carolina Panthers fans on Sunday after tight end Hayden Hurst caught the first touchdown pass of quarterback Bryce Young’s NFL career, then slung the football into the stands.

After the game, Hurst took to social media to admit he had “blacked out and threw Bryce’s first touchdown in the seats.” But he also told fans to “dial it back about 30 percent” because the football had been retrieved.

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At his weekly press conference, Young filled in part of the rest of the story. It turns out backup quarterback Andy Dalton was the hero.

“Shout out to Andy,” Young said. “He did a great job. He tracked it down. He was on it. He had told me, like right when I got back to the sideline – it didn’t really go through my mind – but he was on it. He went and tracked it down. I don’t remember the exact story, but he told me he went and got it really, like, right away, I guess.

“Super grateful for that. My mom and my dad are super grateful for that. It was cool.”

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In Carolina’s season-opening game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Young connected with Hurst on a 4-yard throw as the Panthers tied the game at 7-7 with 5:09 left in the first half. That turned out to be Carolina’s only touchdown as the Panthers dropped a 24-10 decision to the Falcons.

Dalton has thrown 244 touchdown passes in his career, starting with a 2-yard toss to tight end Jeremaine Gresham with 2:22 left in the first quarter of the Cincinnati Bengals’ 27-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 11, 2011. Young’s first TD pass came one day short of the 12th anniversary of Dalton’s first.

The Panthers signed Dalton in the offseason shortly after acquiring the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft from the Chicago Bears. When Carolina used the first selection on Young, they had Dalton in place to serve as a mentor for the former Alabama All-American.

In his NFL debut, Young completed 20-of-38 passes for 146 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran three times for 17 yards and was sacked twice.

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In his first NFL game, Dalton completed 10-of-15 passes for 81 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, did not have a rushing attempt and was sacked three times.

In his second game, Dalton completed 27-of-41 passes for 332 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 24-22 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Young will play his second game on Monday, when the Panthers square off against the New Orleans Saints at 6:15 p.m. CDT at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. ESPN will televise the game.

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