Bo Nix and Bryce Young missed the Iron Bowl meet, but will battle it out in the NFL on Sunday

Bryce Young started the week preparing Bo Nix. Instead, the Carolina Panthers quarterback will try to take on Nix and the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Young was in favor of veteran Andy Dalton after starting the first two games of the season and has taken on scout team quarterback duties in practice, posing as Joe Burrow, Caleb Williams, Kirk Cousins and Jayden Daniels.

Dalton suffered a thumb injury to his throwing hand in a car accident on Tuesday, forcing Young back into the lineup.

RELATED: QUARTERBACK BRYCE YOUNG RETURNS TO PANTHERS STARTING LINEUP

If he had been called upon to do an accurate impersonation of Nix, Young would have been asked to get out of trouble. Nix has been sacked nine times this season, tied with the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson for the fewest quarterbacks to start every game in 2024.

“He’s just hard to tackle,” the Panthers defensive coordinator said said Ejiro Evero. “That is the reality. Guys are going to get him, and he obviously has the speed to get out of the pocket, he’s strong, so he can work through arm tackles, he can extend plays. …

“It’s definitely a combination. Like, they know what they’re dealing with in terms of a starting quarterback and the growth and maturation that will happen over time, and again, their staff does a great job when it comes to planning things out and the protection programs. are really good. They did a great job of that, and he’s just very, very difficult to tackle. He’s a good player.”

Nix, a former Pinson Valley High School star, has run for 255 yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries this season.

“I think it’s an important part of the game,” Nix said. “I think if you look at the times when it happens and all that stuff, it can be good for an offense. It can be used as a weapon, and so we will continue to use it for that and find ways to get explosives with my legs. And then if it’s not there in the passing game or the running backs or other guys running it, I have the opportunity to do that as well.

Nix won’t mind being labeled as a dual-threat quarterback like Allen and Jackson.

“I think it’s a compliment if they also give you the honor of throwing the ball,” Nix said. “I don’t think anyone wants to just be a running quarterback in this league, but the dual threat is a good tag, and important. …

“I think it’s really what the offense asks of you and how you respond to a game. Some guys stretch out to throw. They are doing very well. Some boys stretch out to run. They’re doing well. It’s just finding the right medium and being consistent with it.”

Nix and Young come from opposite sides of the Iron Bowl rivalry, but never got along in college. Nix started first Chestnut brown in the 2019 and 2020 games, and MacJones handled QB duties for Alabamaalthough Young did enter in the closing moments of the Crimson Tide’s 42-13 win in 2020.

Young started the Iron Bowls in 2021 and 2022. Nix missed Auburn’s final three games of the 2021 season, including the Iron Bowl, and in 2022 Nix played the first of his two seasons at Oregon.

Nix joined Denver as the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and was the starter from his first game. Young joined Carolina as the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and was the starter in his first game. But after Young’s 18 starts produced two wins, the Panthers have started Dalton in the past five games.

“He’s an elite processor,” the Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said about Young. “The ball is out very quickly. He’s a first-round pick for a reason. That wasn’t one team, that was a league, so he has talent. That’s not his problem. Obviously he’s a young player who hasn’t played much yet, so he’s still figuring out who he is, and so are we. If you watch his tape, he’s a great processor, accurate and athletic, so he’s what the young quarterbacks are.

“Obviously it hasn’t all been good for him, but getting the chance to watch sometimes allows them to sit back a little bit and relax and just play more freely and not worry about mistakes. So we’ll see what happens on Sunday, but he’s a talent who has earned his draft status.”

The Panthers and Broncos kick off Sunday at 3:25 PM CDT at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. Carolina has a record of 1-6. The Broncos are 4-3.

“They’re a good couple.” Nix said about the Panthers’ defense. “They keep everything for you. They don’t give up a lot of explosive play. They handle well. They do well to rush the passerby. Obviously they’ve got some key contributors there who are really good players in the league, and so we’ve got to watch out for those guys and then make sure that we keep doing what we’re doing and controlling the ball efficiently, it do well on third downs, do better on third downs because we haven’t been very good in that area all year. I think it just starts with an early down production and goes from there.”

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