Grading Bryce Young in Carolina Panthers' Horrific Loss to Buccaneers

Panthers QB reverted back to 2023 form

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Well, that was ugly. The Carolina Panthers got demolished by the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, falling to 3-3 on the season. Carolina was never in the game, as the Bucs scored 17 unanswered points by the 11-minute mark of the second quarter.

Entering Week 6, Bryce Young was the league leader in passing yards per game, and had an elite turnover ratio of 11-2. That ratio has changed drastically now, after what's easily the worst performance of the season for Young and the Panthers overall.

Young didn't finish the game, being subbed out early in the fourth quarter after the Buccaneers scored their 43rd point.

There are certainly other directions to point the finger at for this loss, but Young was still abysmal.

Turnovers And More Turnovers

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Bryce Young finished the Week 7 loss completing just 14 of 27 passes, for 163 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and 1 fumble lost.

It doesn't get much worse than that; there's no team that can recover from that many catastrophic mistakes. Young's fumble resulted in a scoop-and-score for the Buccaneers, and his first interception put Tampa Bay deep in Carolina territory.

Bryce Young fumbles and the Buccaneers scoop and score!💥 pic.twitter.com/WmcvairNvy

— J💥S Sports (@JordanOnSports1) October 25, 2026

Young was also sacked 5 times, which isn't fully on him because he was under pressure basically the entire game, being pressured on over 68% of dropbacks.

Part of the inefficiency was his failure to connect with his top receivers. Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker combined for 5 catches and 49 yards on the day, on 10 targets. For context, Darren Waller totaled more receiving yards than both receivers on just one catch: a 50-yard touchdown.

With such a crowded pocket and no time to process, Young looked like a deer in the headlights on a lot of throws.

This performance continues Young's trend of having no success against the Buccaneers, now 1-6 in his career against Tampa Bay. It's essentially the opposite of his dynamic with the Atlanta Falcons, a team he consistently shreds to pieces.

Bryce Young's Final Grade: D-

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Outside of the 50-yard touchdown pass to Waller, Young's other 13 completions weren't consequential to the game, as the Panthers only had one drive that reached the red zone, and it was in the third quarter, with the game already out of reach.

Even with the Buccaneers totaling 258 rushing yards, Young still contributed significantly to the Panthers' Week 7 loss.

Before Sunday, Young had played as well as any QB in the NFL not named Josh Allen or Brock Purdy, but his performance against Tampa Bay will likely be the worst QB performance of the week.

Final grade: D-