Bryce Young, Panthers Defense Ripped by NFL Fans After Blowout Loss to Bucs in Baker's Injury Return

Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers were off to a solid start this season, but had some of their weaknesses exposed against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Young struggled in the 43-13 loss to the Bucs, throwing for just 163 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 14-of-27 passing.

Unfortunately for Young and the Panthers' offense, they got little help from the defense. While Baker Mayfield had just 64 passing yards and a touchdown in his first game back since Week 3, Tampa Bay rushed for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Bucky Irving led the charge with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

While the Panthers came into Sunday's matchup 3-2, their run defense had been inconsistent at best. They gave up 291 yards to the Chicago Bears in Week 1 but had success against top running backs like Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Carolina will need to be more consistent in keeping the ground game controlled if it wants to win the division and reach the playoffs again.

As for Young, he came into the matchup against the Bucs ranking inside the top 10 in passing yards, touchdowns and interceptions, continuing to build off a career season in 2025.

Clearly, Tampa Bay's defense rattled him, and he looked more like the rookie version of himself.