The Carolina Panthers are still figuring themselves out. They’re young. They’re inconsistent. They don’t always play clean football for four quarters.
And yet, when the game tightens, when the margin disappears, when the fourth quarter becomes uncomfortable, the ending looks the same.
Third-year quarterback Bryce Young with the ball in clutch time, and the Panthers digging deep in the face of adversity.
Their landmark win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was yet another chapter in a pattern that’s becoming impossible to ignore: when it’s winning time, Young keeps delivering.
Bryce Young is finally starting to look like the quarterback Carolina Panthers envisaged
Young authored his 12th career game-winning drive in the victory, the most of any quarterback in the NFL since 2023. Six of those have come this season, putting him one shy of former Panthers signal-caller Jake Delhomme’s franchise record set back in 2003.
Sometimes it’s a strike from the pocket. Sometimes it’s chaos. Against the Buccaneers, it was a 34-yard dart to wide receiver Jalen Coker to set up a go-ahead field goal, and a Houdini act under pressure to find tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders for a touchdown.
Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn put words to what’s quietly becoming the team’s shared belief. When Young gets a chance to come through in the clutch, he always seems to deliver the goods. That inspires immeasurable confidence across the locker room.
Statistically, Young was efficient but unspectacular versus Tampa Bay. The former Alabama star completed 21 of 32 passes for 191 yards, two touchdowns, a 102.5 passer rating, and 20 rushing yards. However, the No. 1 pick in 2023 extended plays. He kept his eyes downfield under pressure. And he’s starting to weaponize his legs as the offense grows more comfortable leaning into that part of his game.
Head coach Dave Canales called it “activating the second play.”
“Bryce just miraculously got out of some pretty tough situations right there, kept his eyes downfield and got us a touchdown,” Canales said.
That ability to survive chaos and then punish defenses for it is becoming central to Carolina’s offensive identity. And it’s contagious.
“It’s a testament of who he is as a person… the hours he puts in, taking care of his body, being a pro’s pro,” Corbett said. “He’s real dang good when he’s got the time.”
The win pushed Carolina into sole possession of first place with two games remaining. While the Panthers don’t have everything figured out yet, when the moment arrives, Young takes over.
And the Panthers can feel it.