'Impossible' to place offensive woes in loss to 49ers entirely on QB Bryce Young

The Panthers' offense wasn't ready for prime time at San Francisco. It would be easy to pin the team's loss on quarterback Bryce Young, which would be unfair.

Nov 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) rushes the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Another week of NFL action and another edition of Bleacher Report’s game summations featuring the winners, losers, and top takeaways from 14 games.

On Monday night, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Carolina Panthers, 20-9. Dave Canales’s team managed a mere 240 yards of total offense, owned the clock for only 22:18, and was a miserable 1-of-7 on third-down conversion attempts.

It was a rough outing for Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young. “With the defense banged up,” explained B/R, “the Panthers desperately needed their offense to provide a spark. They didn’t get it, and what started as a close, competitive game drifted out of reach.”

“It’s impossible to put all of the blame on Young’s shoulders, but his performance (169 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) was extremely disappointing on the heels of a 448-yard, three-touchdown game in a Week 11 win.”

Nov 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) catches an interception against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

That aforementioned defense entered the game undermanned and things got worse before they got better. “In the early goings, it felt like Carolina might pull off the upset. Then, cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Cory Thornton left the game with injuries, and San Francisco started to pull away. The Panthers were already without linebackers Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom, who were inactive…”

In terms of the offense, running back Rico Dowdle touched the ball just 10 times and finished with only 74 yards of total offense. In fact, the Panthers totaled a season-low 13 rushing attempts in the 11-point loss.

To say that Canales’s offense has been erratic is an understatement. The loss to the Niners marked the third time in the last five games that Carolina scored less than 10 points. That likely won’t do this Sunday when the Panthers host the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams.

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