On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers improbably moved to 4-3 on the 2025 NFL season with a road win over the winless New York Jets. It was the first road win of the year for the Panthers and pushed their record to above the .500 mark, which few fans could have seen coming before the season began.
Unfortunately, the Panthers didn't make it through this game unscathed from an injury perspective, as quarterback Bryce Young had to exit the game with an ankle injury, leading to Andy Dalton taking his place down the stretch of the contest.
On Monday, the team got a rough update on Young's status moving forward.
“#Panthers QB Bryce Young suffered a high ankle sprain on Sunday, an MRI revealed, and he is expected to miss this week’s game against the #Bills, per sources. Andy Dalton is now in line to start against Buffalo, and quite possibly beyond,” reported NFL insider Tom Pelissero on X, formerly Twitter.
Pelissero also provided some insight on the general timetable on a return for Young's sort of injury.
“The exact timetable for Bryce Young is TBD. This type of high ankle sprain is generally a 2-4 week injury, though Carolina is hopeful he could miss as little as one game. For now, the rising #Panthers turn to their veteran backup Andy Dalton,” he reported.
A tough break for the Panthers
Bryce Young has been a mixed bag so far in 2025, his third season in the NFL. At times, he has shown flashes of the talent and poise that allowed him to be the number one overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, particularly during games at home. At others, he's had fans calling for the team to replace him and draft another quarterback next spring.
On Sunday against New York, Young had been playing relatively well, completing 15 of his 25 pass attempts for 138 yards and a touchdown prior to the injury.
In any case, the Panthers will take the field on Sunday against the Bills with Dalton under center at 1:00 PM ET from Charlotte.
