Bryce Young keeps stacking good days, and the Panthers keep reaping the benefits.
After two weeks, Carolina’s offense has looked anything but ordinary. The Panthers are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the fourth-most yards per game and sit behind only the Buffalo Bills in scoring. Young has been the engine behind that surge, and in Week 2 he helped push Carolina past Atlanta in a 34-3 rout of the Falcons.
That performance drew another strong review from Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report, who gave Young an “A” grade for the week. Sobleski wrote:
The comparison may have been considered lofty when making reference to a four-time NFL MVP. Young didn't disappoint when the two teams met Sunday.
The 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick threw for 287 yards and a three touchdowns. He threw three scoring passes in back-to-back games, which is a career-first.
Head coach/play-caller Dave Canales is doing an excellent job of directing an offense to make Young comfortable by highlighting the quarterback's strengths. The individual still has to deliver, though.
Young has.
The numbers back up the praise. Through two games, Young ranks second in passing yards with 648 and sits in the top five in several key categories. He has also protected the ball well, with just one turnover so far - an interception in Week 1 that wasn’t really his fault.
Keeping up a three-touchdown pace is a tall order, but if Young keeps playing at this level, he’ll have a real argument for Most Improved Player of the Year - at the least.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Have A Kenny Pickett Decision That Could Matter
Quarterback injuries around the league have already started to reshape how teams think about their depth, and that can create a ripple effect for Carolina. Kenny Pickett, who has starting experience and was once a first-round pick, suddenly looks like the kind of quarterback other clubs could circle if they need a steady option behind center early in the season.
Chicago and Washington are among the teams dealing with uncertainty after setbacks to Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, and that kind of scramble often opens a market for available passers. For the Panthers, Pickett is now more than just an extra arm on the roster, because his value could become part of a larger conversation if teams start looking for insurance, even though no transaction has been reported. [Read more 🡒]
Xavier Legette Just Faced A Tough Reality In Carolina
Xavier Legette has reached a point familiar to plenty of young receivers in the NFL: the rsum looks solid enough on paper, but the path forward suddenly feels anything but secure. The Carolina Panthers wideout, a first-round pick in 2024, has put together 86 catches for 924 yards and seven touchdowns across 33 games, yet his standing in the offense has slipped as other receivers have moved ahead of him on the depth chart.
Legette acknowledged on a recent podcast that the 2026 season could be a pivotal one for his future in Carolina, a sign the conversation around him has shifted from development to proving ground. His playing time tailed off late in 2025, even though he still flashed the kind of ability that made him such an intriguing pick in the first place, including a 55-yard catch in a recent game that drew praise from head coach Dave Canales. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Open Against A Browns QB Drama That Could Get Louder
Deshaun Watson is expected to be under center when the Browns open against the Panthers in Cleveland, but the backdrop to that matchup is already doing a lot of the talking. Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot noted that if Watson had lost the previous game against Tampa Bay, Shedeur Sanders would have been named the starter, a detail that adds real intrigue to a game Carolina will be watching closely even before kickoff.
The Browns now have a short week ahead of their next game, which could factor into how they handle the position moving forward. For the Panthers, it means preparing for a Cleveland team with an unsettled quarterback situation hanging over it, and possibly one more headline waiting to surface after this one. [Read more 🡒]
