Panthers' Young 'excited for the future' after wild-card round loss

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is looking forward to building on Carolina's 34-31 wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, a contest his team led by four points with under three minutes left.

"Obviously, not a great feeling at all, you don't want the season to come to an end," Young told reporters postgame, according to team reporter Darin Gantt. "Special group of guys in that locker room, and it's a tough one, but I'm super grateful. I wouldn't have wanted to have this year with any other group."

Young added, "I'm super excited for the future, but that'll come. Again, it's fresh. It's not a great feeling, but I couldn't be prouder of these guys."

Young, in his first-career postseason start, completed 21 of 40 passes for 264 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also added 24 yards on the ground and a rushing score that cut the Rams' lead before halftime.

The 2023 first-overall pick's biggest play of the game came on a skilled throw to Jalen Coker for a seven-yard touchdown that gave Carolina a late lead.

However, Los Angeles gained 71 yards on seven plays on the following possession that culminated in a game-winning score.

The Panthers won the NFC South with an 8-9 record in 2025, their first division crown since 2015. Young, 24, is under contract for one more year, but Carolina is expected to pick up his fifth-year option for the 2027 campaign this offseason, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"The first game next year we'll probably be underdogs," guard Robert Hunt said after Saturday's contest. "The second game will be underdogs. So it's what it is.

"This is only Year 2 of the program, and we had a playoff game here, and we took, I think, a really, really good team who I think can go win the Super Bowl to the end of the game, and you know we just fell short," Hunt added.