Losing to the 1-8 Saints of all teams is brutal, but even worse than that is the major flaw it exposed in the Panthers offense.
New Orleans showed up with a simple plan: choke off Rico Dowdle, stack the box, and force Bryce Young to beat them. It worked flawlessly.
Young completed 68 percent of his passes but for only 124 yards, two turnovers, and a third that was erased only by a roughing the passer call.
It was the fifth time this season he has failed to hit even 150 passing yards and the eighth time he’s stayed under 200. For a former No. 1 pick entering Year 3, that’s simply not good enough.
FOX analyst Mark Schlereth didn’t sugarcoat anything: “We don’t think your quarterback is good enough to beat us… Your quarterback does not have what it takes. That’s exactly what they [Saints] said. And you know what? They were 100 percent correct. That passing game was pathetic.”
Carolina traded two first-rounders, two second-rounders, and D.J. Moore for the right to draft Bryce Young. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield have thrived elsewhere so it’s easy to blame ownership.
But the truth is that this is the most stable Carolina’s organization has been in years. Dave Canales is a great coach, meaning Young is at a lot of fault here.
Analysts Drop the Hammer
GettyPanthers QB Bryce Young
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski didn’t hold back either, saying the Panthers have been winning “in spite of Bryce Young, not because of him.”
He highlighted the same trend Panthers fans see every Sunday:
- Low passing output
- Lack of explosive plays
- Conservative play-calling born from mistrust
- Mistakes when forced to push the ball
Pro Football Focus backs it up with brutal rankings:
- 31st among 37 QBs in overall grade (59.5)
- 25th in passing yards
- 20th in passing touchdowns
Year 3 quarterbacks aren’t supposed to be development projects anymore. But Bryce Young’s resume remains a collection of short passes, cautious game plans, and long stretches where the offense does absolutely nothing.
The Defining Stretch That Will Decide His Future
GettyPanthers QB Bryce Young
The next seven games (most of them against playoff-caliber opponents) are a defining stretch for Young’s future.
And it all starts this weekend, when Young heads to Atlanta – where he once threw five touchdowns in his signature game as a Panther.
Carolina blew the Falcons out 30-0 in Week 3 but was outgained badly. They survived on takeaways and field goals, not the passing offense. Now they face an opponent hungry for payback and equipped with a defense built specifically to test quarterbacks who hesitate.
And for Bryce Young, hesitation has been the theme of 2025.
With a fifth-year option decision looming in the spring, this back half of the season isn’t just about playoff hopes, it’s about determining whether Young is truly the guy or if Carolina has to face the unthinkable: Did they pick the wrong quarterback and put the franchise on the wrong timeline?
Young has survived adversity before. He’s answered pressure before. But this is different, this is franchise-defining pressure. This is the type of stretch that determines whether Carolina doubles down or hits reset.
Right now, the panic meter is loud. And if Bryce Young doesn’t make a statement soon, his time in Carolina might be over.
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