CHARLOTTE — A certain level of trust is necessary for a quarterback and wide receiver to be successful together. A receiver must trust a quarterback can get the ball on a line, on time, and in the perfect spot. A passer must trust the receiver to be where he's supposed to be and, more importantly, be willing to fight for the ball if a defender gets in the way.

The Carolina Panthers rookie receiving duo of Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker and quarterback Bryce Young took a big step toward that ultimate trust on Sunday. While the Panthers fell 28-14 to the Denver Broncos, Young – in his first start since Week 2 – put up 224 yards on 24-of-37 passing, with two touchdowns to two interceptions.

Over half of Carolina's total offensive production came on the first and last drive, the latter being when the game was seemingly out of hand. However, the connection Young found with Legette and Coker during that time helped the passer establish something that had been missing between him and his receivers in his first two starts: trust.

"He was giving me and Jalen more opportunities. He was throwing it up and letting us; I told him it was trust throws," Legette shared on Wednesday.

Young found Coker and Legette on the opening drive, capping it with a 6-yard touchdown pass to the first-rounder Legette. The final drive saw passes go to five different pass catchers, with the longest being pulled in by Legette and the touchdown going to the undrafted Coker for his first NFL score.

The three longest passes on the day were to Coker and Legette: a 29-yarder and 26-yarder to Coker, and a 23-yarder to Legette on the final scoring drive. Legette's stat line versus the Broncos read almost identical to his stat line in Week 1: four receptions for 35 yards, just without the touchdown. The difference was the type of balls Young was throwing the No. 32 overall pick this time.

"I definitely trust (Xavier); I trust all of our receivers. In this league, it's a lot of bang-bang plays, a lot of tight windows, and tough throws," Young said Wednesday.

Against the Saints in Week 1, the longest catch for the rookie was an 18-yard slant.

Against the Broncos on Sunday, Legette's 23-yarder was a deep corner in double coverage, with both defenders crashing. According to Next Gen Stats, the pass had a 20.2 percent completion probability. He had to go up to get it, and Young trusted him.

It wasn't just the long passes, though, that indicated that stronger chemistry. Legette pointed to his touchdown on the opening drive in addition to the others, in which he had a defender within a yard.

"Like the throw that he threw me for the touchdown, he kind of fit that into a window," Legette shared, and the deep ball he gave me, the one I made at the end of the game, that was trust passes."

Young will start again on Sunday as Andy Dalton recovers from a sprained thumb. And he'll have another shot against the New Orleans Saints, a team that picked him off twice, allowing no passing touchdowns in Week 1. But neither of these teams are the same as they were back in early September, for better or for worse.

One thing that has changed for good though, is the belief Bryce Young and his two rookie receivers have in each other.

"For me, I'm grateful for those guys. Just having trust in those guys, knowing the strengths they have, and going and letting them make plays are my jobs," Young said. "So, you know, for me, it feels great just having those guys to trust, and I'm grateful for the work they put in."