Bryce Young’s name is creeping back into the MVP conversation, and the latest bump came after an ugly win that still said plenty about how far he’s come.
The Panthers beat the Eagles on the road, and even with an uneven day against a strong defense, Young did enough to leave Philadelphia with the win. That was notable on its own. What made it even louder was hearing MVP chants after the game in Lincoln Financial Stadium, a building where that kind of reaction is hard to ignore.
Those chants may have been the headline moment, but the market is starting to catch up, too. Young’s MVP odds moved from +5000 to +4500 on DraftKings after Week 5, a number that would have been hard to imagine before the season.
Early on, there was still some skepticism attached to the way people were viewing Young’s play. He was performing well, but the bar had been set so low that every encouraging week came with a little extra shine.
That lens doesn’t hold anymore. After five straight games in which he has been no worse than pretty good, the case is built on real production, not just comparison.
Peter Dewey of SI wrote, "Carolina’s Bryce Young has led his team to a top-10 showing in EPA/Play this season, and he moved from +5000 to +4500 to win MVP after another win in Week 5."
He continued, "Young threw for 281 yards and two scores on Sunday, his fifth straight game with at least 280 passing yards. He has 11 touchdown passes and just two picks, and Carolina is in the driver’s seat to win the NFC South after a 3-2 start."
That’s the bigger story here. The Panthers are moving in the right direction, and Young is the reason why.
His MVP odds are still long, and there are plenty of players ahead of him. If the season ended today, he wouldn’t be a finalist.
But he’s done enough to get some down-ballot buzz, and that in itself is a stunning turn after everything he’s already been through in his first three seasons.
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