Starting the football season well is usually pretty important. It gives you time in case things go wrong. Injuries occur more later in the year, so if you’ve stacked wins early on, you can afford some of them.
The Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young don’t play by those rules, though. They started slow in 2024 and 2025, but rebounded magnificently in both years. Young specifically really steps up in the late weeks, which is arguably when the wins matter so much more.
Combine that with his renowned clutch prowess in the late portion of individual games, and it’s easy to see that Young shines when the lights are brightest.
Bryce Young is clutch in every sense of the word
Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) after a win against Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
When the lights are bright, Bryce Young usually shows up. He has 12 game-winning drives, including six this season. Aside from two weeks ago in New Orleans and all the way back in Week 2 in Arizona, he hasn’t missed a chance to win the game this year when he’s had it in the fourth quarter.
But aside from that, he also seems to show up best in the later portion of the season. That’s pretty clutch, too. Everyone remembers his late-season resurgence last year.
The Panthers went 4-5, but Young played like a top 10 quarterback after he returned from the bench. This year, he’s also playing really well down the stretch, and the Panthers are winning.
Two years in a row we’re seeing end of season Bryce as the best version of Bryce pic.twitter.com/VyFK2Xjk50
— Edgar Salmingo, Jr. ✌🏽 (@PanthersAnalyst) December 23, 2025
In Weeks 1-10, Young was near the bottom of most QB stats, including turnovers and total touchdowns. He just wasn’t producing all that much.
Fast forward to today, and Young is a totally different player. He’s fumbled the least since Week 11. He’s fifth in interceptions and fourth in total touchdowns as a quarterback.
Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) reacts with wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. (15) as running back Chuba Hubbard (30) is in the foreground in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Few QBs are playing much better than he is. One day, we’d all like to see a full season of quality play from him, and that definitely means Dave Canales needs to treat preseason as a more important piece of the puzzle.
But regardless, we can all rest assured that Young will show up when it matters most.
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