Late in the evening of October 20, the weather turned dark, the rain swelled, and the wind howled. Outside, swirling currents of air rippled through the trees lining the campus perimeter. Inside, countless eyes eagerly awaited the clash of two undefeated teams in Amazon’s second season of Jungian play—the Carolina Panthers against the Detroit Lions at the home of the Panthers. With both teams possessing championship aspirations, it was expected to be the biggest game of the season to date.
The Young and McMillan connection figured prominently in the pregame narrative as the duo faced an increasingly prescient and potent Lions pass defense spearheaded by Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., who owned College Football Playoff matchups versus Marvin Harrison Jr. and Alabeo Williams.
From the outset, the Panthers were intent on attacking the Lions’ defense. A sweep set the tone on the first play from scrimmage, and Young’s early touches went into complementing and challenging the Lions’ defending strategy.
Dancing in the pocket, firing between zones, and thrusting an occasional off-schedule completion downfield, he briefly stoked expectations of an explosive outing for the offense. Likewise, McMillan was involved early and often with careful interplay amongst the offense as he sought to exploit the zones opposing defenders vacated or the defense’s courage-emboldening gambles.
Complemented by the spectators, the two renewed an instinctual rhythm that had incubated through months of practice together.
Would their heartbeat merge once again so fateful that it would resoundingly drown out the deadly echo that on another night had so cruelly stolen their former teenage teammate’s life?
