Bryce Young didn’t just flash in Carolina’s playoff battle with the Rams in January. He put a stamp on it.
With 2:39 left, the Panthers quarterback was on the turf, smiling wide and throwing both arms up after delivering a go-ahead touchdown strike to Jalen Coker in the back corner of the end zone. Young had taken the hit, stayed down long enough to see the replay on the stadium board, and still managed to leave a mark in one of the first signature moments of his career.
The Panthers wound up losing when Matthew Stafford answered late, but that night still mattered inside the building. Young threw for 288 total yards and helped Carolina put up 31 points over the final three quarters against a defense that ranked fourth in the NFC in scoring defense last season. For a then-24-year-old quarterback who was still trying to find his footing, it was the kind of performance that made the Panthers believe bigger things were coming.
Nine months later, that belief is looking a lot more justified.
Carolina is only 2-2, but the offense is humming. The Panthers rank fourth in the NFL in scoring, and Young leads the league with 1,268 passing yards.
He has topped 287 passing yards in all four games, has 10 total touchdowns and only two interceptions. Among quarterbacks with more than two starts, only Lamar Jackson has a better Pro Football Focus grade.
“He's out there looking like Alabama Bryce,” a Carolina source told CBS Sports.
That line captures where this has gone for Young, Carolina and third-year coach Dave Canales: a gradual four-year climb that is finally starting to show real shape. The Panthers were 2-15 in Young’s rookie season in 2023, improved to 5-12 in 2024 and then reached the playoffs last year for the first time since 2017. Now the former Alabama Heisman Trophy winner is driving an offense that looks far more dangerous than the one he inherited.
The support around him matters, too. Young has been playing through a stretch that has included injuries to key teammates such as Coker, Xavier Legette and multiple offensive linemen. Even so, the production has held.
“Let's call a spade a spade: His first year in the league, he got handed a really shitty deck of cards, had an offensive line that couldn't block a soul and they didn't have any (high-caliber) wideouts,” a Carolina source said. “And just overall, his first couple years, you didn't really see a supporting cast.
“But then last year and this year, he's been getting used to the offense, actually has some weapons around him and has a line that can protect him. And credit to Bryce, too.
The dude works his ass off. Great leader.
Really smart. Elite processor.
As good (pre-snap) and with protection as there is and understanding where he has to get to, how to move it and knowing: OK, I just made a big bet in protection, I could be hot here and this is where I'm going to go with the ball.
“And then also, I think the staff has found what he does well and is putting him in position to be as successful as possible and highlight what his strengths are.”
That has shown up in the way Carolina is using him. The Panthers believe Young thrives in RPOs and in the kind of quick, decisive rhythm that lets him get the ball out fast.
The comparison from the source was telling: he’s being used almost like a shortstop, reading, deciding and firing without hesitation. Carolina leaned into that last year, and it has continued this season.
The latest example came in last week’s 32-26 win over the Lions, when the Panthers used RPOs even more heavily based on how Detroit was defending. Young finished 29 of 41 for 329 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
One opposing coach who has faced Carolina this season pointed to the same traits.
“He's playing more in rhythm,” the coach told CBS Sports. “He's working through progressions.
He's getting the ball out on time. The other thing I think he does extremely well compared to other shorter quarterbacks around the league is that he throws big in-breaks like daggers and digs extremely well and makes people pay with that.
And I think the organization has done a good job shoring up the interior of the pocket for him. They've got massive (interior offensive linemen).
And I feel like that's critical for shorter quarterbacks. You can't give up push up the middle because they can't see if you do, like I always felt that was a problem with Kyler (Murray) in Arizona.
But with Bryce, you started to see him take a step last year and I just feel like he's now playing so efficiently, being more consistent and I've definitely seen growth from last year to this year.”
For Carolina, that’s the payoff: cleaner pockets, quicker decisions and a quarterback who now looks like the player the Panthers hoped they were getting. As one opposing team staffer put it, “You can definitely see him coming into his own.”
In Other News...
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Devin Lloyds latest outing against Atlanta gave Carolina exactly the kind of defensive spark this group has been missing. The Panthers linebacker was everywhere, piling up nine tackles, picking off two passes, breaking up three others and adding a sack, a performance that quickly pushed him into the center of the conversation around the defense.
Dave Canales and teammate Jaelan Phillips were quick to praise both Lloyds production and his leadership, and with good reason. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after becoming the first NFL linebacker since 1982 to hit that combination in one game, a reminder that Carolina may finally have its defensive centerpiece back in full view. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Young Has Panthers Fans Asking How Real This NFC South Push Is
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Still, the bigger question is how much of this early push is sustainable once the schedule tightens and the division games start to stack up. CBS Sports has Carolina in its probably about average tier, grouped with Atlanta and ahead of a Tampa Bay-New Orleans duo that sits lower right now, which feels like a fair snapshot of where things stand. The Panthers have earned the right to be part of the conversation, but the bye week also gives everyone a chance to ask whether this is the start of something real or just a brief opening in a wide-open NFC South. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Canales Made One Sacrifice That Could Change The Panthers
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For a Panthers team sitting at 2-2, the move adds another layer to a season still taking shape. Canales has made it clear he values the chance to use his emotional intelligence during games, but the real test will come over the long haul, as Carolina continues to see whether the decision helps the coach be more effective and the offense more consistent. [Read more 🡒]