Panthers’ MNF disaster vs. 49ers is beginning of end of Bryce Young era

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Panthers’ MNF disaster vs. 49ers is beginning of end of Bryce Young era

Douglas Fritz, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Nov 25, 2025 ·

4 min read

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The post Panthers' MNF disaster vs. 49ers is beginning of end of Bryce Young era appeared first on ClutchPoints .

There was plenty of blame for the Carolina Panthers in their loss to the 49ers. At the head of the list was Bryce Young . And the Monday Night Football disaster was the beginning of the end of the Young era.

Remember when Young first came into the league, and the picture of him standing near NFL-sized players raced across the Internet? It was like, what were you thinking, drafting a guy that small, Panthers? A 5-foot-10 franchise quarterback?

Panthers must move on from Bryce Young

Young bombed against the 49ers in the national spotlight. He threw a wretchedly bad first-half interception that changed the course of the game, and averaged 5.8 yards per attempt.

Sure, he took responsibility for it , according to NBC Sports. But how far does that take a team?

"I've got to do a better job executing," Young said after the game, via the team's website. "Obviously, I've got to take care of the ball. I've got to do a better job of making plays go today. I take all ownership in that, and we have a locker room of guys that do that. So, you know, we've just got to be better. Again, there's not some magical fix."

Well, there is one magical fix. Draft a better quarterback or sign a free agent.

There are good examples of 6-foot quarterbacks having success: Drew Brees , Fran Tarkenton, Len Dawson, Joe Theismann, Michael Vick , and Billy Kilmer. There's a 5-11 success story in Russell Wilson .

But the only reasonable 5-10 comp was Doug Flutie. And he basically had one good season, collecting a Pro Bowl appearance in 1998, after eight seasons in the Canadian Football League.

It just went against the odds that Young could succeed. And in his third NFL season, he has shown it's just not going to work.

There was a glimmer of hope this year for the Panthers. They were winning games! And they headed into the Monday night contest with a record of 6-5.

But the secret in the room came from the poor performances of Young. Yes, he had two outlier games. He threw for 448 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime win over the Falcons. He totaled 328 yards passing and three scores in an early season loss to the Cardinals.

However, the rest of the passing-yards totals tell the real story: 154, 121, 150, 198, 199, 138, 102, 124, and 169. In those nine games, he has thrown nine touchdown passes and eight interceptions. That simply won't get it done.

Want a little deeper numbers dive? Check this out from Sports Illustrated.

"Since Young entered the NFL in 2023, he ranks 32nd of 32 qualifying quarterbacks (minimum of 900 plays) in EPA + CPOE at 0.029," Verderame wrote. "He's also last in success rate (41.9%) and EPA per play (-0.074). In short, he's the worst quarterback in football since joining the NFL after starring at Alabama."

The weird thing is that the Panthers are still very much in the playoff hunt. And that's the very reason this team needs a new leader behind center. The Panthers aren't in the playoff chase because of Young. They're in it despite him.

However, look at the remaining schedule: Rams, Saints, Buccaneers (twice), and Seahawks . Unless Baker Mayfield is out of the lineup because of his recent injury, the Panthers have no realistic shot of winning the division. That's true even though they are just one-half game behind the Buccaneers. And without a string of late-season wins, they're not going as a Wild Card, either.

HC Dave Canales needs to move on from Bryce Young

The reason the Panthers are in the mix is Canales. He has proven to be a solid NFL coach. If you can win games in the NFL with the type of quarterback play provided by Young, you're a good coach.

Pair Canales with a dynamic quarterback, and this franchise has a chance to be a division champion. There's enough young talent to be excited, especially rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan . He's looking like the real deal.

The draft will be important. And the Panthers should have their eyes on the next shot at a franchise quarterback.

"Looking forward, there [is] a litany of quarterbacks who could be first-round picks, including Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Oregon's Dante Moore , and Alabama's Ty Simpson , among others," Verderame wrote. "All could be gone before the six-win Panthers pick, but if one is waiting in the green room? Run to the phone."

Yep. Run to the phone. That's especially true if Simpson is there.

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