Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-05 · by Steve Reed The Associated Press
After Bryce Young rifled a 9-yard pass to Darren Waller on fourth-and-4 in the fourth quarter Sunday night during what became Carolina’s sixth straight scoring drive, the chants cascaded down from the upper deck at Bank of America Stadium.
asserted
chants → rifle → Stadium
Young finished off the Panthers’ 32-26 win over the Detroit Lions with yet another impressive stat line.
asserted
Young → finish → line
He completed 29 of 41 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns while playing without two of his top three receivers.
asserted
He → complete → receivers
But the idea of Young, who was benched two games into his second season in 2024, being an MVP candidate may not be far-fetched.
uncertain
who → bench → 2024
Through four games, the numbers put him among the league’s best quarterbacks.
asserted
numbers → put → quarterbacks
Ahead of Monday night’s Falcons-Saints game, Young led the NFL in yards passing (1,268), passing first downs (63), completions of 10-plus yards (55), completions of 25-plus yards (13) and deep passing yards (321), and was tied for third in touchdown passes (nine).
asserted
Young → lead → passes
He’s on pace to throw for 5,389 yards and 38 touchdowns, which would shatter franchise records.
asserted
which → ’ → records
Young has thrown for at least 287 yards in all four games, a huge leap for a player who struggled to eclipse 175 yards passing for the better part of his first two seasons.
asserted
who → throw → seasons
Now in his fourth season and third in the same offense, he is looking comfortable and confident.
asserted
he → look → offense
If Young took any satisfaction from hearing those chants, he wasn’t about to let on.
asserted
he → take → chants
The 5-foot-10 Young may lack size, but he’s never been short on humility.
uncertain
he → lack → humility
I’m super grateful for this community, for the fan base,” Young said.
asserted
Young → ’m → base
“But again, it doesn’t affect us as a football team.
asserted
it → affect → team
It doesn’t give us any extra yards, any extra points.
asserted
It → give → yards
We have to earn those.”
asserted
We → have → those
What’s working
Behind a strong run-pass option game, the Panthers were finally able to get Chuba Hubbard going.
asserted
Hubbard → work → game
Hubbard ran for 122 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns, and he helped open up passing opportunities for Young.
asserted
he → run → Young
It was the first time this season the Panthers were able to use the run game to set up the pass.
asserted
Panthers → use → pass
“It was great to have a little bit of balance there with some of the RPOs and playing off the runs,” coach Dave Canales said.
asserted
Canales → have → runs
“As you know, we’re trying to get our run game going and we saw that happen (Sunday).
asserted
that → know → ?
The RPO loosens it up a little bit and allows you to have some optionality.
asserted
you → loosen → optionality
You can start to dictate to the defense whether they can play zone or man and how they try to attack those things.
asserted
they → start → things
”
The run game has the potential to take another step forward once the Panthers get their starting offensive tackles back.
asserted
Panthers → have → tackles
Ickey Ekwonu (knee) and Taylor Moton (lung clots) have yet to play this season.
asserted
Ekwonu → have → ?
Moton could return after the bye this week, but Ekwonu remains at least a few more weeks away.
uncertain
Ekwonu → return → bye
What needs help
The Panthers need to find some answers at cornerback, which could mean bringing in help from outside the organization.
uncertain
which → need → organization
Carolina placed starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on injured reserve last week.
asserted
Carolina → place → reserve
Both are expected to miss about eight weeks.
asserted
Both → expect → weeks
Rookie Will Lee III and Akayleb Evans filled in Sunday night, but both struggled.
asserted
both → fill → ?
Jared Goff threw for 412 yards and the Lions piled up 452 yards on offense.
asserted
Lions → throw → offense
With Jalen Coker (quadriceps) and Xavier Legette (knee) sidelined with injuries, Young leaned heavily on Tetairoa McMillan against the Lions, and last year’s AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year didn’t disappoint.
asserted
Rookie → sideline → Year
McMillan turned in one of the best single-game performances in franchise history with 14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
asserted
McMillan → turn → yards
He nearly broke Christian McCaffrey’s team record of 15 catches and Steve Smith Sr.‘s mark of 201 yards receiving after a week of practices in which he and Young struggled to connect.
asserted
he → break → which
“Everything was clicking for us tonight, and that’s all you can ask for,” McMillan said.
asserted
McMillan → click → us
McMillan gave a shoutout to Smith after he scored his second touchdown, yelling into a television camera.
“Yeah, I ain’t gonna lie, I don’t know why I thought the camera had a mic,” McMillan said.
asserted
McMillan → give → mic
“So, I don’t know why they didn’t catch what I said.
asserted
I → know → what
But I said, ‘Shoutout to Steve Smith.
asserted
I → say → Smith
If you see this face, that means I scored again.’
asserted
I → see → face
So, I did a little tribute to him for sure.”
asserted
I → do → him
Ryan Fitzgerald missed two extra points against the Lions.
asserted
Fitzgerald → miss → Lions
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
