MVP Chants Rain Down as Bryce Young Rewrites the Panthers Record Book

The "M-V-P" chants started in the fourth quarter and followed Bryce Young all the way off the field. On Sunday night, in front of Charlotte's first home Sunday Night Football crowd in 11 years, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick looked every bit the franchise quarterback the Carolina Panthers bet on, carving up the Detroit Lions in a 32-26 win.

Young completed 29 of 41 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, opening the game with 11 straight completions and posting a 110.7 passer rating. According to ESPN, his nine touchdown passes are the most any Panthers quarterback has ever thrown through a season's first four games — a mark even Cam Newton never reached. He enters the bye leading the entire NFL in passing yards (1,268), first-down completions, and completions of 10 and 25-plus yards, with zero fumbles and just two interceptions.

His favorite weapon was second-year receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who set career highs with 14 catches for 192 yards and both of Young's touchdown throws, thriving even with fellow receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker sidelined by injuries. Chuba Hubbard added 122 rushing yards and two scores.

Detroit refused to fold. Jared Goff threw for 412 yards, and Sam LaPorta's late touchdown cut the margin to six before Carolina closed it out. Newton himself saluted his successor on social media afterward. The win lifted the Panthers to 2-2, and with an offense averaging 30.3 points per game — fourth in the league — Carolina suddenly looks like a team nobody wants to face.