5 winners and losers from the Carolina Panthers win vs. Texans in Week 8

Winner No. 3

Bryce Young - Carolina Panthers QB

Despite Bryce Young playing down his clash against C.J. Stroud, it's clear that this game meant more to the rookie quarterback than most. He'd heard all the talk about whether the Carolina Panthers made the right choice at No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, so this was the perfect opportunity to shut some doubters up.

Mission accomplished.

This was arguably Young's best performance of his NFL career. It's been refreshing to see his impressive growth from week to week, but there was far more confidence and conviction in Week 8 than we've seen previously.

Young made some outstanding throws at all three levels of the field. He stood firm in the pocket in the face of extreme pressure and led the Panthers on a game-winning drive to clinch their long-awaited first triumph.

The poise and ability to go through his progressions quickly remain a strong point. But the concerns about Young's size and seeing the field effectively against NFL-caliber opposition have been dashed over the opening seven weeks.

Young's reaction in the locker room after the game told its own story. Everyone in the building is 100 percent behind the signal-caller and firmly believes he is the man to lead this once-proud franchise back to prosperity.

Looking at the next fortnight, Young and the Panthers have a chance to start stacking up more wins. And who knows, they might be able to salvage some semblance of respectability from the season after all.