Bryce Young has spent the last month rewriting narratives, record books, and quite possibly the Carolina Panthers’ season.
But on Monday Night Football in Week 12 — Carolina’s first prime-time appearance in two years — Young walks into the toughest stage of his career: a cross-country trip into Levi’s Stadium, under the lights, against a San Francisco 49ers team powered by the most dangerous player the Panthers ever traded away.
That, of course, is Christian McCaffrey.
Carolina knows McCaffrey's strengths all too well. They drafted him, built an offense around him, turned him into an All-Pro, and then traded him to the Niners in 2022 to begin a new era. It remains a contentious issue among fans to this day, especially after what he's achieved since.
Carolina Panthers must meet fire with fire against Christian McCaffrey on prime time
While San Francisco has been struggling with injuries, McCaffrey has become the entirety of their offense in 2025, a similar scenario to his final years with the Panthers.
He leads the team in rushing with 707 yards and six touchdowns. Crazy enough, McCaffrey also heads the Niners in receiving yards as well. His 74 catches are 43 more than any teammate, and his 732 yards through the air are 250 more than their next best target.
Just in time for Carolina, quarterback Brock Purdy is back, and he looked pretty good the moment he stepped back on the field in Week 11. After missing six weeks with a toe injury, he went 19-for-26 for 200 yards, no turnovers, and a 133.5 passer rating during a convincing victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Simply put, Purdy didn't skip a beat, and that's going to make keeping McCaffrey quiet even more complex.
Star tight end George Kittle also stepped up big time with 67 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He could be a challenging proposition for the Panthers to stop. Even San Francisco’s special teams are a problem in their own right. Skyy Moore ranks in the top 10 in total return yardage and averages 28.5 yards per kickoff return. He had a 98-yard return last weekend.
Carolina can’t afford that kind of momentum swing, not on the road, not in prime time, and not against a team with this many offensive weapons. The Niners will be without former Panthers kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who is perfect on field goals this season — 22-for-22, including six from more than 50 yards.
Still, coming off a historic performance, this is easily Young’s biggest test yet.
If Young can match punches with a McCaffrey-led offense in prime time and deliver another virtuoso performance, the Panthers will officially announce themselves to the conference. But if they can’t? San Francisco and the player they traded away might be the ones who tell them exactly how far they still have to go.