It was hard to ignore. As the Bank of America Stadium crowd basked in its first home win of the 2026 season, multiple "MVP" chants erupted during the Panthers' 32-26 win against the Detroit Lions on Sunday night. The three-lettered chorus was aimed at quarterback Bryce Young as he put together an epic aerial performance.
Young, 25, leads the NFL with 1,268 passing yards. He's tied for third in passing touchdowns -- with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff and Tyler Shough -- with nine. The Panthers (2-2) have a .500 record through the first quarter of the season for the first time since 2021, and Carolina is also 10-8 with Young as a starter dating back to Week 3 of last season.
Young is protecting the ball quite well. Through four games, he has two interceptions and no fumbles lost. He's averaging 4.5 touchdowns for every one interception so far this season. Young is pushing the ball downfield at a quality clip in 2026, averaging 7.8 yards per pass attempt, up from 6.3 in 2025. He has thrown at targets 20 yards or more downfield on 11.1% of his passing attempts.
Young has undeniable chemistry with his top wide receivers Tetairoa Mc Millan and Jalen Coker.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing