Bryce Young is making a real case that the version of him the Panthers kept waiting for might finally be here. Two weeks into the season, he’s sitting second in the NFL in passing yards, third in yards per attempt, and tied for the league lead in passing touchdowns.
That’s a massive leap from where he stood after Week 1, when he was 23rd in the QB Power Rankings. After Week 2, he’s all the way up to ninth.
The confidence shows up in the way he’s playing. Young is attacking every level of the field, distributing the ball well, and making sound decisions.
That kind of command is exactly what the Panthers have been waiting to see, and it’s why his early-season stock is soaring. There will be tougher tests ahead than the Atlanta Falcons, but through two games, Young has been one of the early bright spots at quarterback.
On the other end of the spectrum, Baker Mayfield is sliding fast. The numbers tell a rough story: since 2024, he has 27 fumbles, which is the most in the NFL, and 28 interceptions, trailing only Geno Smith. That trend has only gotten louder in the first two weeks of this season.
In Week 1, Mayfield’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals included three fumbles lost. In Week 2, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Cleveland Browns at home, and while Mayfield avoided a fumble, he still threw an interception and struggled with his accuracy. The criticism got even sharper after the game because he had two hours during a lightning delay to figure out a game-winning two-minute drive and still came up short.
Whatever the reason, the Browns matchup has not been a place where Mayfield gets the revenge game treatment he might want. Dating back to last season, especially in the second half, he has often been a liability.
Tampa Bay made a point of holding firm on his contract this offseason before eventually giving him a three-year deal worth $165 million in total money and $120 million guaranteed. Two weeks into that deal, there’s already reason to wonder if the Buccaneers are feeling some buyer’s remorse.
In Other News...
Drake London Added More Tension To Atlantas Ugly Loss
Atlantas Week 2 loss to Carolina already had plenty of frustration baked into it, with the Falcons offense sputtering behind veteran Cooper Rush before rookie Jack Strand took over at quarterback. But the day got even messier for Drake London, who found himself in a verbal confrontation with someone in the stadium stands during the game, adding another layer of tension to an ugly afternoon for a team still searching for rhythm.
London said he reacted after hearing personal comments from the individual and later expressed regret over how he handled it. For a Falcons offense that spent much of the game stuck in neutral, the sideline emotion became part of the story, underscoring how quickly frustration can spill over when a team is struggling to find its footing. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathon Brooks Still Leaves Panthers With One Lingering Concern
Jonathon Brooks gave the Panthers a brief scare in his recent game when he exited with a groin injury, only for the initial concern to shift away from the ACL he had previously injured. Head coach Dave Canales said Brooks was able to return after dealing with the groin soreness, which at least offered some reassurance in the moment and kept the focus off the knee recovery that has followed him into his NFL career.
Even so, the situation leaves Carolina with the kind of lingering uncertainty teams never love around a young running back trying to settle in. Brooks is now viewed as week-to-week, and while the return in-game was a positive sign, the Panthers still have to monitor whether the groin issue becomes something that lingers beyond a single appearance. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Early Numbers Put One Big Offensive Question In Focus
After a Week 2 win over the Falcons, the early numbers around Carolina have started to sketch a clearer picture of what this offense wants to be. The teams explosive-play rate has been part of that conversation, but so has the larger shift in how the Panthers are operating relative to a year ago, when the passing game was used differently and the overall rhythm of the offense looked more restrained.
The challenge now is less about whether the Panthers can flash for a few big moments and more about how sustainable the balance really is once the rest of the league adjusts. Some of the data still comes with the usual early-season lag, which leaves a few measurements incomplete, but the trend line is already putting one central offensive question in focus as Carolina heads deeper into the schedule. [Read more 🡒]