The Carolina Panthers were a playoff team this past season for the first time since 2015. The club has come a long way since a 2-15 showing in 2023. Dave Canales’s squad finished 8-9 after a 1-3 start. The Panthers put up a good fight against the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round before bowing to league MVP Matthew Stafford and company, 34-31.
In the first half of that game, Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young hit on 11-of-20 passes for 151 yards, was sacked twice and threw a first-quarter interception that led to a second-quarter touchdown for Sean McVay’s club. Young did run for a touchdown with 37 seconds left before halftime to narrow the Rams’ lead to 17-14.
Panthers nearly upset the Rams in the 2025 playoffs
Jalen Coker TD
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
After intermission, Young completed only half of his passes (10-of-20) for 113 yards. However, he avoided being sacked and played turnover-free football. His seven-year TD pass to second-year wideout Jalen Coker with just 2:39 remaining that helped give Canales’s team a short-lived 31-27 lead. Young’s final numbers read 21-of-40 for 264 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Josh Sweat strip sack + Zaven Collins fumble recovery = 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3bs5uB1CSk
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 16, 2025
Slow starts were a problem for the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft this past season, and his play in the postseason loss to the Rams were indictive of those first-half struggles. You may recall that that the team opened 2025 with an 0-2 record. Young turned over the ball five times in the team’s first five quarters, one of those miscues a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in a 27-22 Week 2 loss at Arizona.
A season of two halves for Panthers’ QB Bryce Young
Tmac and the T is for Touchdown
Tetairoa McMillan x #ProBowlVote
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/fN5tchb342
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 30, 2025
In 16 regular-season games, Carolina’s starting signal-caller connected on 63.6 percent of his throws for 3,011 yards and 23 scores, with 11 interceptions. He was sacked just 27 times, but lost four of his seven fumbles.
In first half action, Young owned a 61.5 completion percentage. He threw for 1,311 yards, eight touchdowns and was picked off seven times. He was sacked 10 times, and lost three of his five fumbles.
However, this was a different player after intermission. He hit on 65.5 of his throws for 1,700 yards, and more than three times as many TD passes (15) as interceptions (4). While Young was sacked 17 times, he fumbled only twice and lost one of those drops.
Bryce Young has to be a bigger factor out of the gate
Bryce Young
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
The Panthers’ offense figures to take some steps forward this season, especially if Coker and 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan pick up where they left off late last season. It will also be interesting to see what new play-caller Brad Idzik comes up with as he takes over those duties for Canales. Nonetheless, Young’s play early in games must improve if the team is to avoid its share of cliffhangers this upcoming season.
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