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Panthers Fans Chant MVP as Young, McMillan Torch Lions
By @sharedot · · 7 pages
- Culture
- NFL
- Bryce Young
- Panthers
Carolina fans serenaded Bryce Young with MVP chants after his first prime-time win, a 32-26 upset of Detroit that outlets call his breakout night.
A Prime-Time First, Chanted in Charlotte
Carolina beat Detroit 32-26 Sunday night at Bank of America Stadium, the first Sunday Night Football game there in 11 years, and Young's first prime-time win after going 0-3 in such games, AOL reports. Fans broke into MVP chants for the fourth-year quarterback, WSOC-TV journalist DaShawn Brown reported via AOL. The Panthers posted "PRIMETIME PANTHERS" with their #KeepPounding hashtag, and The Athletic's Joe Person wrote that Young and Tetairoa McMillan were "pretty much unstoppable."
Why the MVP Chants Feel Like a Reversal
Yahoo Sports frames this as a fourth-year breakout for a quarterback opinions had largely closed the book on: Young had been fine but far from great, with a career-best 3,011 passing yards last season, and a 54-yard outing in a Week 17 home loss to Seattle. Now he has two of his five career 300-yard games in the first four weeks of 2026, including 329 yards Sunday, and looks, in Yahoo's words, like the most improved player in the NFL. The TeSlaa highlight that headlined earlier coverage is now the footnote.
McMillan's Career Night Against a Broken Secondary
McMillan caught 14 passes for 192 yards and both touchdowns, per AOL, which notes his 14 catches were a career high for the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year and made him only the third Panther with 10 catches, 150 yards and a touchdown in a game, joining Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad, according to ESPN Research. Yahoo Sports says nine catches for 147 yards and a score came in the first half alone, with Young completing 14 of his first 15 passes against a Detroit defense missing Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
How Carolina Closed It Out
The game was tied 16-16 at halftime before Carolina scored 13 third-quarter points, with Chuba Hubbard running for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 6.1 yards per carry, AOL reports. Detroit pulled within six on Jared Goff's 8-yard touchdown to Sam LaPorta with 3:38 left, but the Lions went for it on fourth-and-20 earlier and needed a touchdown on the final possession, which ended in a four-and-out. Carolina converted both fourth-down attempts, including a Young throw to Darren Waller, without a turnover, per AOL.
Stakes, Byes and What Comes Next
Both teams sit at 2-2, per AOL, which reports Carolina now has a bye before visiting Philadelphia on Oct. 18, while Detroit visits Arizona on Oct. 11. Yahoo Sports notes the extension stakes: Carolina exercised Young's fifth-year option in April, so his rookie deal runs through 2027, and continued play at this level could make a massive extension an easy call. The Lions' lingering problem, Yahoo adds, is a secondary that surrendered the most points in the league entering Week 4 and may struggle all season.