Bryce

Young

Panthers coaches and front office officials “still believe in” Young despite his ups and downs this season, including a Week 13 meltdown against a weak Niners defense. Young finished the 2024 season on a hot streak after being benched early that season, but started 2025 with baffling decision making and poor throws both in the short areas and downfield. On the season Young ranks 21st out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks in drop back success rate and 30th out of 40 quarterbacks in yards per attempt. Graziano said he expects the Panthers to keep Young around in 2026 “because the cost will be reasonable (around $26.5 million), but then the question becomes what to do after that.”

Young came up big when it mattered most as the Panthers, who entered the day as double-digit home dogs, pulled off the upset. His first touchdown came on a 35-yard score by Chuba Hubbard on a dumpoff caught behind the line of scrimmage, but Young’s next two touchdowns came on long throws in pivotal moments of the game. Facing a fourth-and-three on the Rams’ 33-yard line, Young chucked a go-ball deep to Jalen Coker, who hauled in the pass for a score to give the Panthers a 24-21 lead. Then, in the fourth quarter with his team down 28-24 and facing a fourth-and-two, Young found Tet McMillan deep for a 43-yard score to again put the Panthers on top by three in what would prove to be the game-winner. Young’s play continues to be erratic at times, but this was undoubtedly a good week against a stout Rams defense. The Panthers now enter their bye week sitting at 7-6 and in the thick of the NFC playoff picture. They’ll return in Week 15 to face a woeful Saints team on the road.

The Panthers managed just 72 yards of total offense in the first half, even as their defense generated three turnovers on consecutive San Francisco possessions. Two interceptions gave the team the ball in San Francisco territory, managing just three points on those two takeaways. The 49ers also strategically deployed an effective blitz, against which Young went 1-for-5 for negative two yards and two interceptions. The loss drops the Panthers to 6-6, now a half-game behind the Buccaneers for the division lead as they prepare for a Week 13 meeting with the NFC-leading Rams before their Week 14 bye. Young will be a tough start against one of the top defenses in the league.

That should clear up any confusion over whether Young will be starting against the 49ers on Monday night. Young left Week 11’s game against the Falcons with the injury, but played through it on the way to an out-of-nowhere 448-yard performance. He’ll be on the QB2 line against the 49ers injury-ravaged defense, but probably pretty high on it between what could be a sneaky shootout and what feels like a real dearth of good quarterbacks available in Week 12 with four teams on bye.

As Panthers beat writer Joe Person notes, this is par for the course for Canales, who doesn’t offer injury updates during Monday’s presser. Young played through his injury in Sunday’s win over the Falcons, and churned out a career-high 448 yards in the victory. It was undoubtedly his best game as a pro, and gave the Panthers a much-needed win as they aim to keep pace with the Buccaneers in the NFC South. Given how he played on Sunday, it seems unlikely that this injury would sideline Young for Week 12’s game against the 49ers, but his status will be one to monitor throughout the week.

The Panthers entered this game desperately needing a win to stay in the NFC South playoff hunt. Young suffered an early ankle injury and was listed as questionable to return, seemingly spelling doom for Carolina. Young ultimately returned to the game without missing any time and picked the Falcons apart, setting a career-high in yards and tying his career-best in touchdowns. The ankle issue clearly bothered him at times and he went on to take five sacks in total, but the passing output was non-stop. Young closed regulation time by marching the Panthers down the field and tossing an easy touchdown to Tetairoa McMillan to take the lead. An Atlanta field goal sent the game to overtime, where Young once again had their number. A YAC-fueled 54-yard grab from Tommy Tremble set up Ryan Fitzgerald for a walkoff field goal, putting the Panthers a half-game back in the NFC South. Young can’t be expected to put up video game numbers next week, but this performance will at least keep him in the QB2 mix versus San Francisco.

Young took a hard hit from Falcons CB Billy Bowman Jr. in the first quarter. Bowman stepped on his ankle while making the tackle and Young was slow to get up. He left for the locker room and was listed as questionable to return. Young previously dealt with an ankle injury and missed one game because of it. He will attempt to play through the issue for the remainder of this game.

Young was drilled by an unblocked Atlanta defender for a sack. He stayed on the field, writhing in pain for a few moments before trainers helped him to his feet. Young managed to walk into the locker room under his own power. Falcons CB Billy Bowman Jr. stepped on Young’s ankle while taking him down, which could be the source of the injury.

Young had 26 yards passing on the Panthers’ 12-play, 67-yard opening drive that went for a touchdown. He couldn’t lead Carolina to any more points on the board for the rest of the game. Young lost a fumble in the third quarter and threw an interception in the fourth quarter. Five plays after his interception, the Saints scored a touchdown to take a commanding 10-point lead. The Panthers take on the Falcons on the road in Week 11, where they’ll surely try to hide Young as much as possible while Rico Dowdle continues to be the centerpiece of the offense.

Though Young didn’t necessarily play his best game versus the Packers, the team as a whole pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year. The Packers went run-heavy early, allowing the Panthers to amass a small lead on the back of 130 yards and two touchdowns from Rico Dowdle. Young then stepped up late in the game, converting a pair of first downs on the team’s nine-play, 40-yard drive that ended in a game-winning field goal. It was clear from the start that the Panthers wanted to feature their ground game, which now features Dowdle as the focal point. Expect more of that approach when the Panthers take on the Saints in Week 10. Young will barely crack the QB2 ranks for that game.