Bryce Young has surpassed Baker Mayfield as the best QB in the NFC South (for now)

Heading into the 2026 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were favored to win the NFC South for one key reason: Baker Mayfield.

While the other teams in the division had strong offseasons and built talented rosters, the Buccaneers still held the edge at the quarterback position. Or so we thought.

Mayfield has only played in three games this season due to injury, so the sample size is too small to jump to any reckless conclusions. Still, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has been playing the best football of his career, and has separated himself as the best quarterback in the division this season. 

Bryce Young is giving the Panthers a QB advantage the Buccaneers no longer have

Through five games, Bryce Young has thrown for 1,549 yards with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

He’s on pace for 5,266 yards, 37 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. That would not only be the best season of Young’s career, but it would be one of the most productive quarterback seasons in NFL history, and that’s no exaggeration.

Young is one of just four quarterbacks ever to throw for 280-plus yards and a touchdown in each of his team’s first five games, joining Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning.

Young is in his fourth season since being drafted No. 1 overall back in 2023, and the Panthers have long been waiting for him to emerge as a true franchise quarterback. It seems he’s finally taken that step in his development. 

If Young can sustain this level of play, and this is who he is consistently going forward, the Buccaneers could be in serious trouble in the NFC South.

For comparison’s sake, Mayfield’s first three starts of the season prior would put him on a full-season pace for 3,485 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Prior to his injury, he was playing by far the worst football of his Buccaneers career,

The one area where the Bucs were expected to be head and shoulders above the competition was at the quarterback position, but that no longer seems to be the case. When Mayfield returns from injury, the Buccaneers need him to start living up to his $165 million contract and perform like a franchise quarterback.

Young is the youngest quarterback in the NFC South at 25 years old, and he’s playing at the highest level right now. If he’s truly developed into a consistently elite quarterback, surrounded by the rest of Carolina’s talented young core, the Panthers will be the team to beat in the NFC South for years to come.

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