Bryce Young is quietly becoming a bigger part of the Panthers’ success but nobody is talking about it, and maybe that’s a good thing
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is quietly off to an insane start through two regular season games and maybe that’s how the Panthers want things to go in 2026.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is balling right now, and off to the best start to a season of his NFL career. Yet, absolutely no one is talking about it.
In Week 1, the conversation rightfully overlooked Young’s performance and the offensive success after allowing 59 points against the Chicago Bears. It is a team game, after all.
In Week 2, the conversation again rightfully overlooked Young’s performance and the offensive success after a dominating game by Carolina’s defense. For Young, he’s not concerned in the slightest about not being in the spotlight.
“What about the performance by the defense,” Young said when asked about his game in Week 2. “Those guys setting the tone from the very beginning all the way through the end. We were really just piggybacking off of them. It was a great team win. We’re going to celebrate today, flush it, and we gotta refocus next week.”
This is the kind of Bryce Young the Carolina Panthers needed to see, and not just on the stat sheet
Going into this game, everyone knew there’s a different kind of energy around Bryce Young when he faces the Atlanta Falcons in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. I was hoping to see Young come in, dominate, and let everyone know about it in this game.
Young certainly dominated again in Atlanta, throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns while leading Carolina’s offense to another 30+ point showing. But, there was no cockiness exuding from Young, just a quiet confidence in what he’s done through two weeks while keeping that team-first mindset.
The stats through two games have been eye-opening from what Young has been able to produce but they only tell half the story. Young is operating at an entirely new level in this offense working alongside offensive coordinator Brad Idzik and taking full command.
“It’s just ownership,” head coach Dave Canales said. “Something we talk about a lot is watching this offense become Bryce’s offense. It’s so evident in the week when he’s tweaking routes, angles of the cuts, and saying ‘I want you flatter on this one, take one more revolution here, come straight back to me or come back down your stem.’ All of these different things that are a part of our system, Bryce is fine tuning those with the guys. You can see the trust level, some of the anticipatory throws, that’s just all the timing and conversations the guys put in.”
The best part is that it’s not just one player Young is relying on. Young was a point guard out there hitting three after three. He completed 10+ yard completions to five different pass catchers with four players going for 30+ receiving yards. He’s got full command of this offense, full trust in his weapons, and making plays on the field.
The Panthers needed to see this version of Bryce Young in 2026. It’s been on full display this entire time through two games, even if it hasn’t been the team’s biggest story. He’s playing his best football right now and if the story isn’t focused on him, maybe it’s a good thing because that means even better things are happening for the rest of this team.
