The win ended the Panthers' five-game home losing streak that dated back to last season.

Carolina traded to select Young out of Alabama first overall in 2023 and quickly made him the face and starter of the franchise. But in September, after just 18 starts and poor performances, he was benched in favor of experienced replacement Andy Dalton. His problems were compounded by the contrast between him and Houston quarterback CJ Stroud, who was drafted immediately after him and found early success, leading the Texans to the playoffs as a rookie.

In September, according to Fox's Jay Glazer, four teams inquired about trading Young after he was benched, but were told Carolina would not consider a trade. Glazer added that the Panthers “still believe there is a future here.”

That future came last week when Dalton sprained his thumb in a car accident and put Young back in the lineup before the loss to Denver, where he completed 64% of his passes and threw two touchdowns but also two interceptions.

Young is further proof that being a top draft pick alone doesn't provide career isolation in the NFL – even if a team gave up assets to trade them. This week, Indianapolis benched quarterback Anthony Richardson, the fourth pick in the same draft as Young, and earlier this season Tennessee benched its own second-year quarterback, Will Levis, who was a second-round pick in 2023.

First- and second-round quarterbacks who don't perform well in their first home games often get more opportunities elsewhere, such as Sam Darnold, who thrived in Minnesota after floundering with the New York Jets and Panthers, or Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay followed by Cleveland and Carolina. Less common is when the starter returns from the bench to gain the full favor of an organization that had lost enough confidence to initially cut him. Young appears to have that opportunity now.