Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young must avoid this trap.
The Carolina Panthers are 7-6 on the season and are amazingly in playoff contention, as they are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South.
While one would be remiss to largely attribute the Panthers' to Bryce Young, there is no question that he has been playing much better football of late and has been a critical piece in their most recent wins.
Remember: we saw this from Young during the second half of 2024, as well, where the former No. 1 overall pick came alive to put together a very strong stretch. He then got off to an incredibly slow start this year and may have come close to getting benched.
So why should we believe Young will maintain it this time around?
Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon has revealed the Panthers' worst nightmare for the rest of the way, and it involves Young sliding in the home stretch.
"While a late-season meltdown to miss the playoffs wouldn't be a major surprise for such a raw team, having that collapse driven by poor play from Bryce Young would be the true nightmare," Gagnon wrote.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images.Young has thrown for 2,337 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 63.4 percent of his passes and posting an 87.9 passer rating. Those aren't brilliant numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but they are a step up from his first two NFL campaigns.
The real conundrum Carolina is currently facing with Young is whether or not to exercise his fifth-year option for 2027. Earlier in the season, it appeared that it was a no-go, but with Young coming on down the stretch, it's a debate again.
A strong finish to 2025 by Young would probably force the Panthers' hand, especially considering how truly difficult it is to find a franchise quarterback in today's game.
But if Young falters over Carolina's last four games? Expect some very serious discussions to take place about whether or not the Panthers should make a quarterback change this offseason.
Carolina will face the New Orleans Saints this Sunday. It also has two games with the Buccaneers on its slate plus a matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.
We are about to find out a whole lot about Young and the Panthers.