11-19-2025, 09:55 PM -
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6818234...lebration/
Xavier Legette brought Dolla Bill out of its stable for the first time Sunday, and Legette’s ride on the imaginary horse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium brought a smile to the face of quarterback Bryce Young.
Legette’s signature celebration — which he’d kept in mothballs after two previous touchdowns this season — prompted a couple of other Carolina Panthers teammates to hop on their own pretend horses and join him. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu dubbed his horse Quarter Bill, joking that it was skinnier than Legette’s and had made the 6-4, 320-pound lineman late to the end zone party.
It was a fun moment … and an important one. Legette’s 36-yard touchdown catch on the first series of the second half pulled the Panthers to within a touchdown and opened the floodgates — or barn door — for a downfield passing offense that had been missing most of the season.
Legette’s reception, his longest of the season, was followed by five more Young completions of 20 yards or longer in the Panthers’ 30-27 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. It was an aerial show unmatched in the Panthers’ 31-year history: Young’s 448-yard passing total broke Cam Newton’s single-game, franchise record of 432 yards, which had stood since Newton’s rookie season of 2011.
As cool as it was to see Legette galloping across the back of the end zone, Chuba Hubbard was struck more by what it meant to Legette, who had become the face of the team’s vertical passing woes.
“The celebration was amazing, but the biggest thing that I look at from that moment is just the progression and work that he’s put in,” said Hubbard, the fifth-year running back.
“He’s a great player. He’s been resilient. He’s had to deal with adversity. To see him get all the (negative) media attention and all this other stuff kind of coming at his ear here and there — fans saying this and that. And just continuing to work hard, put his head down and just do what he does. And then for it to show up the way it does, it’s good to see.”
Legette, the former South Carolina receiver drafted 32nd in 2024, has been overshadowed much of the year by Tetairoa McMillan, whose 748 receiving yards lead all rookie receivers. Legette went off for nine catches (on 11 targets) for 92 yards and a touchdown during a Week 7 win against the New York Jets when All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner shadowed McMillan most of the day.
But Young had targeted Legette only seven times over the next three games as he became more reliant on McMillan. Coach and offensive play caller Dave Canales said there was a concerted effort to get Legette more involved against the Falcons, figuring he’d have favorable one-on-one matchups while No. 1 corner A.J. Terrell covered McMillan.
That was the case Sunday after the Panthers had driven into Atlanta territory on the first possession after halftime. With Terrell across from McMillan on the right side of the formation, Legette was the lone receiver to the left, drawing man coverage from Natrone Brooks.
Legette beat Brooks with a double move and made a nice fingertips grab on a well-placed ball by Young. Legette had run nearly the same route the week before in a 17-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, but he and Young couldn’t connect on the pass in the end zone.
Coaches want Legette to keep running to create more separation when tracking deep balls, which he did to perfection on the touchdown at Atlanta. “You’ve gotta maintain that speed to be able to get up under that ball. I’d say catches like that are kind of hard,” he said Tuesday.
But it’s something Legette has been working on after failing to pull down several long passes last year as a rookie, most notably on a potential game-winning touchdown in the final minute against the Philadelphia Eagles, the eventual Super Bowl champions.
After their miss against the Saints, Canales said Young and Legette discussed the play last week — then saw those conversations bear fruit in Atlanta.
“That was an amazing play. Great execution by Bryce to buy a little time, get the ball up and down, and Xavier just running under, securing the catch, and taking advantage of that opportunity,” Canales said. “Had a similar opportunity the week before against the Saints. We just missed it. We were just a touch off on that one.
“But those are things that Bryce, Xavier, they talk through those things. The whole group, really, just having conversations throughout the week and watching the hard work pay off, it was so rewarding.”
Young completed passes to nine receivers Sunday. McMillan still got the lion’s share of the targets with 12, which he converted into eight receptions for 130 yards — both career highs — and two touchdowns. But four other players had at least four catches, including Legette (4-for-83 and the touchdown) and second-year wideout Jalen Coker (4-for-52, plus a 2-point conversion).
Young’s passing yards were coming in big chunks. The Panthers (6-5) finished with nine completions of at least 20 yards after managing just 21 over their first 10 games.
“We all know that we can make them type of plays downfield,” Legette said. “I guess we was waiting for it to happen, and we’re just hoping it continues to happen.”
That it came against the NFL’s top-ranked passing defense made it sweeter, although Legette conceded he wasn’t aware of the Falcons’ ranking. “But it for sure makes it extra special, though,” he said.
The key now for the Panthers will be building on the passing game success while maintaining the balanced attack Canales prefers. By moving McMillan out of his customary, single-side X alignment at times against the Falcons, Canales might have unlocked something in the passing game.
Legette was on the bench with a hip injury at the end of the Falcons game. And though he still felt “banged-up” Tuesday, he plans to play against the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football.”
If Legette continues to play as he did Sunday, it makes game planning more difficult for opposing defensive coordinators. “I felt really good for him,” Hubbard said of Legette. “More of it will come, I’m sure.”
And with it, more lively celebrations from Legette, who owns more than a dozen horses, including a quarter horse with the same name as his end zone steed.
“The first couple touchdowns I had, I didn’t do the Dolla Bill celebration,” Legette said. “Them boys, they wanted me to bring it back.”
Ride on.
Xavier Legette brought Dolla Bill out of its stable for the first time Sunday, and Legette’s ride on the imaginary horse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium brought a smile to the face of quarterback Bryce Young.
Legette’s signature celebration — which he’d kept in mothballs after two previous touchdowns this season — prompted a couple of other Carolina Panthers teammates to hop on their own pretend horses and join him. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu dubbed his horse Quarter Bill, joking that it was skinnier than Legette’s and had made the 6-4, 320-pound lineman late to the end zone party.
It was a fun moment … and an important one. Legette’s 36-yard touchdown catch on the first series of the second half pulled the Panthers to within a touchdown and opened the floodgates — or barn door — for a downfield passing offense that had been missing most of the season.
Legette’s reception, his longest of the season, was followed by five more Young completions of 20 yards or longer in the Panthers’ 30-27 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. It was an aerial show unmatched in the Panthers’ 31-year history: Young’s 448-yard passing total broke Cam Newton’s single-game, franchise record of 432 yards, which had stood since Newton’s rookie season of 2011.
As cool as it was to see Legette galloping across the back of the end zone, Chuba Hubbard was struck more by what it meant to Legette, who had become the face of the team’s vertical passing woes.
“The celebration was amazing, but the biggest thing that I look at from that moment is just the progression and work that he’s put in,” said Hubbard, the fifth-year running back.
“He’s a great player. He’s been resilient. He’s had to deal with adversity. To see him get all the (negative) media attention and all this other stuff kind of coming at his ear here and there — fans saying this and that. And just continuing to work hard, put his head down and just do what he does. And then for it to show up the way it does, it’s good to see.”
Legette, the former South Carolina receiver drafted 32nd in 2024, has been overshadowed much of the year by Tetairoa McMillan, whose 748 receiving yards lead all rookie receivers. Legette went off for nine catches (on 11 targets) for 92 yards and a touchdown during a Week 7 win against the New York Jets when All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner shadowed McMillan most of the day.
But Young had targeted Legette only seven times over the next three games as he became more reliant on McMillan. Coach and offensive play caller Dave Canales said there was a concerted effort to get Legette more involved against the Falcons, figuring he’d have favorable one-on-one matchups while No. 1 corner A.J. Terrell covered McMillan.
That was the case Sunday after the Panthers had driven into Atlanta territory on the first possession after halftime. With Terrell across from McMillan on the right side of the formation, Legette was the lone receiver to the left, drawing man coverage from Natrone Brooks.
Legette beat Brooks with a double move and made a nice fingertips grab on a well-placed ball by Young. Legette had run nearly the same route the week before in a 17-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, but he and Young couldn’t connect on the pass in the end zone.
Coaches want Legette to keep running to create more separation when tracking deep balls, which he did to perfection on the touchdown at Atlanta. “You’ve gotta maintain that speed to be able to get up under that ball. I’d say catches like that are kind of hard,” he said Tuesday.
But it’s something Legette has been working on after failing to pull down several long passes last year as a rookie, most notably on a potential game-winning touchdown in the final minute against the Philadelphia Eagles, the eventual Super Bowl champions.
After their miss against the Saints, Canales said Young and Legette discussed the play last week — then saw those conversations bear fruit in Atlanta.
“That was an amazing play. Great execution by Bryce to buy a little time, get the ball up and down, and Xavier just running under, securing the catch, and taking advantage of that opportunity,” Canales said. “Had a similar opportunity the week before against the Saints. We just missed it. We were just a touch off on that one.
“But those are things that Bryce, Xavier, they talk through those things. The whole group, really, just having conversations throughout the week and watching the hard work pay off, it was so rewarding.”
Young completed passes to nine receivers Sunday. McMillan still got the lion’s share of the targets with 12, which he converted into eight receptions for 130 yards — both career highs — and two touchdowns. But four other players had at least four catches, including Legette (4-for-83 and the touchdown) and second-year wideout Jalen Coker (4-for-52, plus a 2-point conversion).
Young’s passing yards were coming in big chunks. The Panthers (6-5) finished with nine completions of at least 20 yards after managing just 21 over their first 10 games.
“We all know that we can make them type of plays downfield,” Legette said. “I guess we was waiting for it to happen, and we’re just hoping it continues to happen.”
That it came against the NFL’s top-ranked passing defense made it sweeter, although Legette conceded he wasn’t aware of the Falcons’ ranking. “But it for sure makes it extra special, though,” he said.
The key now for the Panthers will be building on the passing game success while maintaining the balanced attack Canales prefers. By moving McMillan out of his customary, single-side X alignment at times against the Falcons, Canales might have unlocked something in the passing game.
Legette was on the bench with a hip injury at the end of the Falcons game. And though he still felt “banged-up” Tuesday, he plans to play against the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football.”
If Legette continues to play as he did Sunday, it makes game planning more difficult for opposing defensive coordinators. “I felt really good for him,” Hubbard said of Legette. “More of it will come, I’m sure.”
And with it, more lively celebrations from Legette, who owns more than a dozen horses, including a quarter horse with the same name as his end zone steed.
“The first couple touchdowns I had, I didn’t do the Dolla Bill celebration,” Legette said. “Them boys, they wanted me to bring it back.”
Ride on.