Bryce Young and the Panthers find better footing in a 34-17 victory at the Jaguars

Bryce Young had much more success in his second game of the preseason, going 5 of 6 for 49 yards passing and setting up a touchdown in the Carolina Panthers' 34-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday night.

The game was suspended because of lightning in the area with 2 minutes left on the clock, but both coaches agreed to end it instead of waiting the mandatory 30 minutes before resuming play.

It was essentially over long before then.

Young directed a 58-yard scoring drive on the team’s second possession, picking up five first downs — five more than he had in three series at Buffalo last week. Jonathon Brooks capped the drive with 1-yard touchdown run.

“For us as a team, an identity, it was definitely a step in the right direction,” Young said. “You don’t want to get too high, too low. Figure out how we can replicate the good, and there’s plenty of stuff to learn from.”

A.J. Dillon also scored for the Panthers and receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. showed his speed with a 39-yard end-around, a 29-yard kickoff return and a 15-yard reception.

“I've always been a playmaker,” Horn said. “It's just showing up every day and being consistent and trusting the coaches and the plan they got set for me.”

It was a clear step forward for Young and Carolina’s first-team offense, which were no-shows against the Bills. The Panthers (2-1) managed 11 yards in three drives in Buffalo, with Young misfiring twice and getting sacked on three third-down plays.

“I was excited to see it come alive and just see more of the things that we’ve been seeing in camp,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “Just wanting it to translate in the game.”

Scoring against the Jaguars (1-1) should give Canales enough confidence to sit Young and other starters next week in the team’s preseason finale.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, held out all their starters for the second straight week and have no plans to play quarterback Trevor Lawrence, two-way star Travis Hunter or any other first-teamers in their final exhibition next week.

This one was messy for Jacksonville, which was penalized nine times in the first half to go along with two turnovers in the game.

“Just have to keep building,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said.

Running back Ameer Abdullah, a 12-year NFL veteran vying for a roster spot, improved his chances with 82 total yards.

Abdullah ran six times for 45 yards, including a 23-yard spurt in which he juked cornerback Chau Smith-Wade in the flat, and added three receptions for 37 yards.

“I thought he definitely showed up tonight,” Coen said. “It's kind of what we've all been seeing in a lot of ways in practice. You talk about a pro's pro, a guy that just does everything right.”

Abdullah is competing with DeeJay Dallas and rookie J’Mari Taylor for the fourth running back spot. Dallas fumbled in the third quarter Friday. He finished with 27 yards rushing and added a 2-point conversion.

Defensive end Derrick Brown, cornerback Jaycee Horn, running back Chuba Hubbard, receiver Xavier Legette and linebacker Devin Lloyd were among the dozen players the Panthers held out for various reasons. All of them are projected starters.

Cornerback Akayleb Evans, defensive tackle Cam Jackson, quarterback Haynes King, cornerback Will Lee, receiver Ja’seem Reed and tight end Darren Waller also sat out the game.

Jaguars backup Nick Mullens, who was 3 of 7 with an interception last week at New Orleans, turned in a better performance against Carolina.

Mullens was 6 of 7 for 65 yards and directed a 71-yard drive that led to a field goal. His outing should alleviate some concerns about Lawrence’s backup.

Signed earlier this month, Panthers receiver Roc Taylor had the catch of the game – and one of the best of the preseason. Taylor hauled in a 16-yard TD strike from Kenny Pickett late in the third quarter. Taylor was fully turned and had a defender in his face when he caught the pass.

Taylor, who played college ball at Memphis and spent training camp with Pittsburgh last year, celebrated with a giddy-up-horsey routine in the back of the end zone.

Panthers: Host Houston next Friday.

Jaguars: Host Tampa Bay next Friday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales watches during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Ameer Abdullah runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Kelly Jordan)

Carolina Panthers running back AJ Dillon celebrates after scoring during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Carolina Panthers running back AJ Dillon celebrates after scoring with quarterback Bryce Young during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Geno Smith's left ankle appears to be just fine. So much so that a one-drive cameo is all the New York Jets quarterback might need to get ready for the regular season.

The veteran quarterback, reunited with the team that drafted him back in 2013, completed all seven of his passes for 65 yards, the last 13 coming on a flip to tight end Jelani Woods for a touchdown in what became a 17-0 exhibition victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday night.

Smith, who sat out New York's preseason opener to give his aching ankle a break, showed a little mobility when rushed and needed just 10 plays to take the Jets (1-1) 69 yards on their opening possession.

“It felt good to be out there with the guys,” Smith said. “Obviously we got one drive in, but we scored a touchdown. You always want to start fast, and so that was a good thing. Definitely a lot of room for improvement.”

Asked what those things might be, Smith demurred.

“I'll keep that to myself,” said Smith, who played for the Jets from 2013 to 2016 and was acquired from Las Vegas in March.

New York coach Aaron Glenn was a little more expansive, pointing to a running game that managed just 62 yards, 16 of them coming on a scramble by rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik.

“I know (the Steelers), they pride themselves on stopping the run, but that’s not a pass for us,” Glenn said. “But we got to get better in that aspect, and we will.”

Klubnik, battling to be Smith's backup when the season opens, completed 10 of 15 passes for 75 yards. Bailey Zappe threw for 68 yards and Brady Cook's one completion was a 31-yard lob that Quincy Skinner cradled for a late touchdown.

New York's defense, a major weakness during a 3-14 slog in 2025, kept young Pittsburgh quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar in check. Jets rookie edge rusher David Bailey, the second overall pick in this year's draft, dropped Howard for an 11-yard loss in the first quarter.

Perhaps even more promising for New York, the defense also found a way to catch the ball, something that didn't happen at all during the regular season a year ago when the Jets became the first team since the NFL started tracking the statistic in 1933 to go an entire year without a single pick.

New York intercepted Howard twice in the first half with the Steelers (1-1) driving in New York territory. Andre Cisco stepped in front of a poor pass by Howard intended for Roman Wilson and raced 23 yards the other way. Samuel Womack made a nice grab on a ball again intended for Wilson on Pittsburgh's next drive.

Glenn deflected when asked about feeling any sense of relief seeing a couple of passes end up in the hands of players in green and white.

“Man, there’s so much noise on the outside that it’s really good to see our guys just focus on the now,” he said. “And they’re trained to do that, and it’s hard sometimes, but I’m really proud of how our guys respond to that and continue to work.”

Howard and Allar, given the entirety of the workload while starter Aaron Rodgers and longtime backup Mason Rudolph took the night off, failed to reproduce the fireworks that marked their impressive performances a week ago.

The duo who combined to lead four touchdown drives against the Packers failed to reach the end zone even once against the Jets.

Howard got the start and completed 10 of 15 passes for 75 yards, his most impressive moment coming on a 15-yard third-down connection with Ben Skowronek in which he stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure before finding Skowronek over the middle.

That moment, however, was overshadowed by a pair of throws that ended up in the hands of the Jets on a night the former sixth-round pick looked very much like the project that he is.

“We can’t let this trip us up going forward," Howard said. "We have to continue to make strides. And we didn’t really make any strides tonight.”

Allar, taken in the third round this year, avoided turning the ball over but wasn't quite as electrifying as he was last week. His best moment came on a 39-yard connection with Lake McCree in which Allar went through his progressions before floating the ball to an open McCree down the sideline. Allar finished 11 of 23 for 110 yards.

It didn't help either quarterback that the protection in front of them was shaky most of the night. The Steelers allowed four sacks, including two to recently signed edge rusher Nate Lynn, who spent 2024 with the Detroit when Glenn was serving as the club's defensive coordinator.

Jets cornerback Tre Brown was helped off the field in the second quarter, but he returned.

Jets: Host MetLife Stadium roommates the New York Giants on Aug. 28.

Steelers: Travel to Buffalo on Aug. 27.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Drew Allar (16) avoids a tackle during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the New York Jets, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

New York Jets safety Andre Cisco (8) runs the ball after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard, left, reacts after being sacked by New York Jets linebacker David Bailey (31) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith throws during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) greets teammates before an NFL preseason football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)