Editor’s note: This is the 12th installment of a season-long series on a breakout star from the past week of NFL action. The Week 12 winner: Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. 

Two months ago, the Panthers’ direction seemed clear: take a swing on another quarterback in 2025. 

The Bryce Young era appeared to be over — already. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick, whom Carolina had traded up for, had been benched after just 18 starts. 

But now, deeper into the season and on the heels of arguably his best game as a pro, the former Heisman Trophy winner is making a strong case for the franchise to stick with him. 

“We all know it’s his confidence,” Panthers right guard Robert Hunt said. “I think he is starting to figure out where he likes to be in the pocket, where he wants to be, and what he sees. You know he did the work, and he’s benefiting from it.”  

The Panthers fell short in their 30-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but Young went toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes, threatening an upset comeback victory against the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. The former Alabama star completed 60% of his passes for 263 yards (second-best of his career) and a touchdown with no interceptions and a 92.9 passer rating, a season-high. 

Young had a career-high five “big-time throws,” defined as passes that are typically thrown deep down field into tight windows with great ball location and timing, according to Pro Football Focus. 

“We’ve been wanting our pass game to continue to grow and to take steps and progress, and Bryce did a great job of pushing us forward that way,” coach Dave Canales said. “He’s making a statement to all of us and showing us that he can make plays in critical areas and really play within what we’re asking him to do and to extend. He did a great job of extending plays, which is a huge part of our offense that can really make us more attacking in that way.”

Since being reinserted as the Panthers’ starting quarterback in Week 8 by default (Andy Dalton injury), Young has made massive strides. His passer rating has improved for three consecutive weeks — from 76.9 to 77.6, 86.4 and 92.9 last week. He’s had no turnovers in back-to-back games. He’s also guided two game-winning drives in the past three games — the same total he had in 16 games as a rookie. 

In his past four starts, Young has a 61.7% completion rate, a 5:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio and an 83.5 passer rating. That’s up from a 59.3% completion rate, 11:13 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 70.9 passer rating in his first 18 starts. 

“I’m leaning on my teammates,” Young said. “It’s not just me at all. I think we’ve all kind of come into our own with the system, all having more time and forming our identity. All of us as a unit are starting to do that. 

“I just want to focus on what I can control.”

Why Young was successful in Week 12 

His ability to attack the middle area in the intermediate passing game, for one. 

That’s an area of the field that is believed to be difficult for him to target, as a 5-foot-10 quarterback looking over much taller linemen. In fact, three of his five interceptions this season have been in the intermediate center (between 10 and 20 air yards), according to Pro Football Focus. But he was effective throwing in the middle center against the Chiefs, completing 75% of his passes (9-of-12) for 108 yards and his touchdown on throws to the short center and intermediate center, per PFF. 

Young also appeared to be unfazed by Steve Spagnuolo’s heavy-blitzing defense. Against the blitz, the former No. 1 pick completed 78.6% of his passes (11-of-14) for 140 yards and his score. 

“I just saw him playing decisive, and it comes with confidence in knowing his guys are going to be where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there,” Canales said. “You saw a bunch of backfoot throws where he knew somebody was coming open and the anticipation, all that comes from the chemistry just building over these weeks. I was really excited to see some of those things come alive.”

Canales confirmed that Young will “absolutely” make his fifth straight start when the Panthers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The first-year coach praised the second-year QB for his continued progress.

As far as Young proving himself to be a franchise quarterback, though, Canales wasn’t ready to go that far. The evaluation is one week at a time. 

“That’s really far in the future,” Canales said.

It won’t be that far if Young keeps stacking strong performances. 

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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