What Panthers QB Bryce Young did really well in 2025

Sometimes you have to take a deeper dive into the numbers. For Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young, the third-year quarterback stood out in one important aspect.

Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

For the second time in four years, the NFC South champion owns an 8-9 record. Despite losing their final two games, the Carolina Panthers are division winners for the first time since their Super Bowl 50 campaign of 2015. The franchise is headed to the playoffs for the first time since ’17.

What a change a year makes. Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young was new head coach Dave Canales’s starter for the first two games in 2024. He was benched after two games, and eventually returned and started Carolina’s final 10 contests. In a total of 14 appearances (12 starts) this past season, he hit on 60.9 percent of his throws for 2,403 yards, 15 scores compared to 11 turnovers.

In 2025, Young’s completion percentage improved (63.6), as did his yards (3,011) and touchdown pass total (23)—playing and starting in 16 games. NFL Senior Researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno presented this interesting statistic that bears more than just a glance.

Most first downs or TD under pressure this season, per @NextGenStats:

1. Drake Maye - 72 🔹(14-3 W-L)
2. Drake Maye After Week 15 - 60 🔹(11-3 W-L)
3. Baker Mayfield - 59🔹(8-9 W-L)
3. Jacoby Brissett - 59🔹(1-11 W-L)
5. Justin Herbert - 58🔹(11-5 W-L)
5. Jared Goff - 58🔹(9-8… https://t.co/IpgqqVLwqf

— NFL Researcher (@NFL_Researcher) January 5, 2026

Two weeks into 2025, the first overall pick in the ’23 NFL draft was off to a rocky start. Young turned over the ball five times in his first five quarters of action. One of those miscues was a lost fumble retuned for a touchdown in an eventual 27-22 loss at Arizona in Week 2. That means in his last 14 outings, he coughed up the ball only 10 times.

Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

What Holzman-Escareno’s numbers show is that despite some up-and-down play for an up-and-down team, Young’s resiliency is noteworthy. Canales’s club is going to need that on Saturday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium against a Rams’ team that they managed to defeat, 31-28, in Week 13. Sean McVay’s club led the league in scoring with 518 points.

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