Fair question posed about Bryce Young ahead of Panthers’ most important game

The first game of the final week of the 2025 NFL regular season takes place Saturday afternoon at Tampa. The Carolina Panthers, 8-8 this season after going a combined 7-25 the previous two years, can win the NFC South with a victory over the fading Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Noted NFL.com writer Eric Edholm focused on the matchup in terms of its “must-know storylines.” Not surprisingly, each was on the team’s quarterback. It’s a battle between the first pick in the 2023 NFL draft in Carolina’s Bryce Young, and the first overall selection in 2018 (by the Browns) in current Buccaneers’ hurler Baker Mayfield.

When it came to the Panthers, Edholm wonders which version of the third-year signal-caller shows up this weekend for Dave Canales’s team?

“Bryce Young has made strides in each of his NFL seasons and has had his share of successes in 2025, leading four fourth-quarter comebacks and six game-winning drives. Young’s calm in the face of pressure has been a welcome sight for a team that has been weighed down for years by poor QB play. But he also has yo-yoed back and forth the past few weeks with good and bad performances, matching Carolina’s win-loss-win-loss pattern for the past eight games.

The first-place Panthers have been good enough this season to knock off the Packers, Rams, and the reigning NFC South champion Bucs. They also were swept by the last-place Saints. Edholm mentioned Young’s play two weeks ago when they knocked off the Buccaneers at Charlotte.

“Young completed 21 of 32 passes for 191 yards and two TDs in the Panthers’ win over the Bucs in Week 16, also scrambling effectively against pressure. Facing a beat-up Bucs defense again could provide more big-play opportunities after struggling last week vs. Seattle, as Tampa Bay has had coverage and pass-rush issues lately and could be without cornerback Benjamin Morrison.”

Young and McMilla — Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates with wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) after a play during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Edholm feels that the Panthers could be aggressive early in this game when it comes to the passing game. “Look for Young to try to hit Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker on deep shots early to get them going, although it could be tougher if running back Rico Dowdle (toe) is ineffective or can’t go.”

It’s worth a mention that Canales’s club is 7-5 in its last 12 games after a 1-3 start this season. This shapes up as quite the opportunity for Bryce Young to shine.

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