It’s been an up-and-down season for the Carolina Panthers, and it doesn’t appear that they’re getting off the rollercoaster anytime soon.
After being ravaged by the Buffalo Bills in a 40-9 loss in front of their own home crowd, the Panthers could be finding themselves trying to traverse treacherous waters in the future, depending on the health of quarterback Bryce Young. When the Panthers return to the practice field on Wednesday, there’s no guarantee that the former No. 1 overall pick will join them.
Dave Canales Provides an Update on Bryce Young
Head coach Dave Canales said on Monday that Young opened the week with a good running session, but the team is managing his high ankle sprain day by day.
Canales: Bryce Young had a good session running today; the goal is to have him practice Wednesday but they’re taking it day by day.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 27, 2025
Young sustained the injury in the October 19 win over the New York Jets, paving the way for Andy Dalton to take the reins and start in his place this past weekend. He completed 16 of his 24 passing attempts for 175 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. Dalton, a 15-year NFL veteran, was also sacked a ghastly seven times and fumbled twice.
The Panthers will need all hands on deck this week, and that includes Young. They travel to Lambeau Field on November 2 as massive underdogs against a surging Green Bay Packers team, who have won three games in a row. Most recently, they conquered Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Sunday Night Football,” remaining atop the NFC as the No. 1 seed through eight weeks.
Panthers’ Promising Season Has Taken a Nosedive
After opening the regular season as losers in three of their first four games, the Panthers rattled off three wins in a row, beating the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, and Jets all by one score.
A major reason for their success through the month of October has been running back Rico Dowdle, who amassed 473 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns across a two-game span. The Panthers signed Dowdle, a former Cowboy, this past offseason to pair him with Chuba Hubbard, fresh off his contract extension. While Hubbard was sidelined briefly with a calf injury, Dowdle took control of the backfield tenfold.
It hasn’t just been the running game that has been the story of the Panthers this season. They’ve also seen a moderate jump in performance from Young, who struggled across his first two years in the league. As of right now, he’s completing a career-high 61.6 percent of his passes and is on pace to set career highs in passing yards and passing touchdowns. His current passer rating of 84.4 is also the highest of his career.
Is Young good enough to be in the Most Valuable Player discussion? Probably not, but the Panthers are in pursuit of landing a franchise quarterback, and they believe that Young, who has a PFSN QB Impact score of 64.3, is what they’re looking for; any strides will be celebrated.