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The Rare Bryce Young Attribute That Provides Immense Hope for Future

The Carolina Panthers' third-year quarterback showed a lot of resiliency in 2025, and it's easy to see why he has emerged to see why he's become a team leader.
Russell Baxter|
Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) reacts in the fourth quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) reacts in the fourth quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Despite the fact that the Carolina Panthers’ 2025 season ended with three straight losses, there was a lot to be optimistic about. And while quarterback Bryce Young got off to a rocky start, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and showed his share of inconsistency, his ability to bounce back time and time again was one factor in Dave Canales’s team winning a division title, the franchise's first since 2015.

The 24-year-old signal-caller was a recent guest on Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, and the host caught him a little off-guard with a statistic that brought a smile to Young’s face.

The Panthers’ quarterback played and started 16 regular-season games in 2025. He connected on 63.6 percent of his throws for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns, but did turn over the ball 15 times via 11 interceptions and four lost fumbles. Young was sacked 27 times, but also ran for 216 yards and two TDs.

In the 34-31 home loss to the wild card Los Angeles Rams, that aforementioned inconsistency reared its ugly head again for the majority of the first half. After two quarters of play, Young had hit on just 11-of-20 passes for 151 yards. He was sacked twice and served up an interception. However, in the closing moments of the second quarter and his team down 17-7, he led a five-play, 81-yard drive and capped it off with a 16-yard TD run that enabled Canales’s team to narrow the Rams’ lead to three points.

Bryce Young vs. Ram
Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) rushes for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half during the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

In the second half, the three-year pro threw for 113 yards and one score. His seven-yard TD connection with wide receiver Jalen Coker with 2:39 to play gave Carolina the lead, but the Panthers’ defense didn’t have answer for Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford in the closing minutes.

In any case, Young and company have something to build on. Canales’s team proved to be a hit in 2025, and led by a promising quarterback who obviously thrived in the roughest of times.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.