CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bryce Young won't have to wait for Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales to review film and talk to staff members before learning whether he will remain the starting quarterback.
Canales said shortly after Sunday's 30-27 loss to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs that Young "absolutely'' will start next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium.
Canales' change from waiting 24 hours to three days before naming the starter came after Young played arguably his best game since Carolina (3-8) made him the top pick of the 2023 draft. He completed 21 of 35 pass attempts for 263 yards and a touchdown.
He was particularly impressive against the blitz, completing 11 of 13 pass attempts for 135 yard and a touchdown.
Even three-time Super Bowl champion MVP Patrick Mahomes was impressed after watching the 23-year-old throw a scare into the Chiefs (10-1), who won on a last-second field goal after being favored by 10.5 points.
"He played his tail off,'' Mahomes said. "Man throws a really good football. It's funny, I think Texas Tech was the first one to offer him when he was in eighth grade, and I was at Texas Tech, so I remember watching his highlight tapes then and knew he was going to be a great player.
"Obviously, he went to Bama and was the first draft pick, but I think it has been cool to see him bounce back these last few weeks and play some great football. I know he has it because I've seen it for a long time and he gave us a scare today.''
As impressive as Young was on the field, he was equally impressive in a rare postgame locker room speech. The only other notable time he addressed the team after a game came last year in an emotion-packed speech following a loss to the Bears in Chicago.
"We all were fired up,'' said guard Robert Hunt, who was signed to a five-year, $100 million deal during the offseason to help Young take the next step after a rookie season in which he was 2-14. "It was impressive. I wanted to go play again, really.
"I'm really happy for the kid. Believe in him, too.''
Canales wouldn't go that far when asked whether Young has proven in the last three games -- wins against the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants, and a close loss to the Chiefs -- that he can be the team's franchise quarterback of the future.
"That's really far into the future right now,'' the first-year NFL head coach said of Young, 2-4 this season and 4-19 for his career. "I'm looking to just build off of this week.''
But Young did take a step forward in that Canales is not debating between Young and Andy Dalton, as has been the case since Dalton lost the starting job in Week 8 when the veteran missed a start with a thumb injury sustained in a minor car accident.
"I don't have to make any statements. He's making it for himself,'' Canales said of Young. "He's continued to show us the progress we're looking for, bringing our skill plays to life.
"It's the coaching staff, it's his teammates, showing us what he can do when he's out there.''
Running back Chuba Hubbard said Young showed leadership with his postgame speech.
"I'm going to keep what he said in-house, but Bryce said the right things,'' Hubbard said after rushing for 58 yards and a game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:46 remaining to quiet a Kansas City fan base that had taken over Carolina's home field.
Young, who has been all smiles the past few weeks in winning consecutive games for the first time in his NFL career, showed little emotion after the loss.
"I just want to focus on what I can control,'' he said. "I always have the same mindset and preparation. You want to be better. ... I'm definitely grateful for the confidence [to name me the starter]. I'm grateful for that.''
