Why the Panthers may be better off holding Bryce Young out one more week

It is painfully obvious now that the Carolina Panthers' offense goes as Bryce Young goes. Without him, even with a dominant run game they could've used better, the offense turned into a pumpkin. Andy Dalton looked as if he'd never played an NFL game before.

Clearly, if the Panthers are going to reverse the sting of this 31-point loss and get back over .500 and stay in the playoff hunt, they need Young back as soon as possible. Given that he wasn't ruled out until Sunday and is expected to practice this week, he may be healthy. But the Panthers should be very careful, and they may want to keep him on the bench healing fully this week anyway.

Bryce Young's health matters more than one game

Andy Dalto — Oct 19, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) exits the field during the third quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If the Panthers lose and drop to 4-5, the season isn't over. And even if it is, this wasn't really a season in which Carolina needed to contend. It's a slow rebuild, and they didn't need to make a massive leap, so if the juggernaut schedule the rest of the way gets them, so be it.

With that in mind, one loss isn't as detrimental. The Panthers, without Bryce Young, would almost certainly lose to the Green Bay Packers next Sunday. They may just want to take the loss and keep Young safe for another week to fully heal. High ankle sprains take two or more weeks usually.

Mostly, the Panthers ought to play it safe with Young because this is an awful matchup. If you missed it, more than half the offensive line (which was already banged up) went down with injuries on Sunday, some of which are serious.

Ikem Ekwonu and Damien Lewis have no injury designation, but Taylor Moton and Cade Mays are questionable. Brady Christensen is likely to join Robert Hunt on season-ending IR. Austin Corbett, Jake Curhan, and Yosh Nijman are set to play.

And who's waiting for them this week? Oh, just Micah Parsons, one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. What's going to happen when Parsons takes on an offensive line that is better in run than pass blocking without several starters and a hobbled QB behind them? Nothing good.

Young won't be as mobile, so he can't make up for the line's shortcomings. And with Moton, Mays, and Christensen probably all out, Parsons can line up wherever he wants and feast on the Panthers, thus putting Young's health at risk for the long term. It's probably not worth it. Dave Canales says they have to be smart about it. That might mean an extra week off.

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