Answering the NFL’s biggest questions entering Week 14: Will the Panthers stick with Bryce Young as QB1 in 2025?

For the first time since Week 8, all 32 NFL teams were in action last week. The Thanksgiving Day tripleheader was a bust, as all three home (and favorite) teams won their games, but the Kansas City Chiefs barely survived the Las Vegas Raiders in the Black Friday showdown, thanks to a confusing penalty for illegal exchange.

On Sunday, Russell Wilson picked apart the Cincinnati Bengals defense, Kirk Cousins ​​threw four interceptions in another Atlanta Falcons loss and Bryce Young had an impressive performance in an overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Philadelphia Eagles also won their eighth consecutive game against the Baltimore Ravens. That defense has been playing incredibly well.

This week, I want to talk about what the Carolina Panthers should do at quarterback in 2025 and my picks for NFL Coach of the Year.

1. What should the Panthers do with Bryce Young in 2025?

It’s a narrative that’s been building for a couple of weeks. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has been playing some pretty good football lately. Bryce Young has gone from a player considered by some to be one of the biggest busts of all time to a quarterback with potential.

Two weeks in a row, Young has played well in front of his home fans despite losing by three points. In each contest, he has made great throws downfield and has generally looked like a completely different player.

In the eventual 26-23 overtime loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, Young also had a game-tying touchdown pass to Adam Thielen with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, where he reached into the pocket and threw up confident downfield for the Buccaneers. score. It marked the second drive Young led to tie the game in the final two minutes of a game in the last two weeks.

What changed with Young? Some things immediately catch my attention. He stopped holding the ball for long, leading to his own sacks. Go back and look at the Week 1 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Young didn’t get the ball out in time. This goes hand in hand with my next point, which is that Young now has an internal clock. He seems confident directing the offense and knows where the ball is supposed to go if option one isn’t open. Finally he is as a point guard, and that is development.

In his last four starts, Young is averaging 6.1 yards per dropback. He averaged 4.1 yards per dropback in his first three starts this season. The Panthers are averaging 23.3 points per game in Young’s last three starts after averaging just NINE points per game in Young’s first three starts. Young also has just one turnover in his last four starts, after turning the ball over five times in his first three starts of the season. Sunday marked the first time in his career that Young had three consecutive starts without a turnover, and the first time he threw for 250 yards in consecutive games.

Young has a higher passer rating (87.3) over his last three games than Justin Herbert (85.5), Aaron Rodgers (84.6) and CJ Stroud (84.0) over his last three games. He’s clearly shown improvement over the last month, so what are the Panthers going to do with their former top pick? I think they should keep him as a starter and use their first round pick elsewhere.

Kevin O’Connell, coach of the Minnesota Vikings He said it earlier this year.: “Organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.” Yes, Young’s start was horrible, but he’s starting to show people why he was considered the best pre-draft quarterback in his class. May he continue to develop alongside coach Dave Canales and teammates like Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks.

This is definitely a decision that goes against the current functioning of the NFL. If your quarterback isn’t Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, he’s replaceable! Get back on that quarterback carousel! No. Let’s stop doing that. I understand this league is about results, but how about giving the quarterback you mortgaged the future of the franchise for longer? I imagine David Tepper probably isn’t too eager to get rid of Young and admit that he was incredibly wrong in his decision to trade and draft him. So let’s see what 2025 brings. Young’s redemption arc has already been fun to watch. Maybe he’s capable of being a starter in this league.

2. My favorites for NFL Coach of the Year

If you’ve followed my column, you know I hate how NFL awards are handled. MVP has become a quarterback award, Comeback Player of the Year now has different rules, and Coach of the Year is also a bit shaky.

As things stand now, Dan Campbell, Mike Tomlin and Kevin O’Connell are the favorites to win the Coach of the Year award at BetMGM Sportsbook. They deserve it, for sure. but here they are my The three best coaches of the year for 13 weeks:

Jim Harbaugh (+600)

Harbaugh won the College Football Playoff National Championship at Michigan last year and will now make the playoffs in his first season in the NFL. The Los Angeles Chargers are currently 8-4, which is their best start to a 12-game season since 2018.

Harbaugh replaced the “defensive-minded” Brandon Staley and took his defense from a bottom-five unit to the top half of the league. The Chargers also currently rank first in scoring defense with 15.7 points allowed per game, after allowing 23.4 points per game last season, which ranked ninth-worst. They just defeated the Falcons, 17-13, while eliminating Cousins ​​four times. It was the fifth game this season in which Los Angeles allowed 13 points or fewer, which is tied for the most in the NFL.

Harbaugh’s impact on this franchise was felt immediately. Their defense is playing like Michigan’s did last year and Justin Herbert’s confidence has also increased. Herbert just became the sixth quarterback in NFL history to go 10 consecutive starts without throwing an interception.

Dan Quinn (+1600)

Who saw the Washington Commanders start the season 8-5? This franchise was criticized for signing Quinn and also for the moves he made in free agency. Bobby Wagner? Austin Ekeler? Are you sure those guys can still play? Yes, absolutely. They have had a big impact on this team, as have other signings like Jeremy Chinn and Frankie Luvu. Washington’s new decision-makers also gave up the Commanders’ last three first-round picks in a matter of months, and have STILL done better (Jamin Davis, Jahan Dotson, Emmanuel Forbes).

Selecting Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall also appears to be a great pick. He just became the first rookie in NFL history to complete 80% of his passes while throwing for three touchdowns and running for another in a game last week against the Tennessee Titans.

This franchise has been down for so long, and it took less than half a season to create a buzz that hasn’t been felt in DC for quite some time. Washington has the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite, a top-five offense and a top-five passing defense that is about to add Marshon Lattimore. They did all of this with a new coach who most would probably say was the most disappointing hire of the cycle.

Sean McDermott (+2000)

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought the Buffalo Bills were about to take a step back this season. I mean, they lost Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, Mitch Morse, Dane Jackson, Leonard Floyd and Tyrel Dodson, among others. How were they going to improve? However, through 13 weeks, the Bills look like the best team in the AFC.

The Bills have already clinched the AFC East with five games still to play, and Josh Allen has done an incredible job taking care of the ball this season, scoring 26 total touchdowns compared to seven turnovers. The offense has scored 30 points in six straight games, tying the longest streak in team history, and the defense is allowing 18.7 points per game, tied for No. 6 in the NFL.

You could argue that McDermott came into this season a bit in the hot seat regarding how the 2023 campaign ended and everything that happened in the offseason. But the Bills haven’t fallen off a cliff. They have improved and McDermott deserves credit.