Bryce Young 'Played His Tail Off' Against the Chiefs – Is That Cause for Concern?

Bryce Young had his best game of the season on Sunday as the Panthers lost to the Chiefs, drawing praise from Patrick Mahomes. Does KC have a bigger problem?

Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes the ball as Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill (23) defends in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

A season ago, the Kansas City Chiefs built an identity as one of the NFL's most dominant defensive teams. Thanks to an effective pass rush, impressive linebacker play and airtight coverage in the secondary, Steve Spagnuolo's unit suffocated opposing offenses en route to a Super Bowl victory.

Despite losing cornerback L'Jarius Sneed during the offseason, things got off to a good start early in the 2024-25 campaign. As time has passed, however, the Kansas City defense is looking less and less like a top-five or maybe even a top-10 group. Sunday's narrow road win over the Carolina Panthers served as yet another example of that.

Former No. 1 NFL Draft pick Bryce Young turned in his best performance of the year in Week 12, which wouldn't be a big deal in a vacuum. But considering the turns Young's career has taken, his rise to one-game stardom is something to note.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes claims to have seen greatness in Young for quite some time, and Carolina did too given its investment in him. Not much of that shined through, however, until as of late.

"I thought he played his tail off, man," Mahomes said. "He throws a really good football. You know, 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 was watching his highlight tapes then and knew he was going to be a great player. Obviously, he went to Alabama and was the first draft pick. It's been cool to see him bounce back these last few weeks and play some great football because I know he has it because I've seen it for a long time. He gave us a scare today, man, because he played his tail off."

The problem? Even in his three-game stretch of starts prior to Sunday, after coming off the bench, Young did nothing compared to what he achieved against the Chiefs' defense.

Bryce Young this season: -0.142 EPA/play (33rd)

Bryce Young Weeks 8-11: -0.029 EPA/play (31st)

Bryce Young Week 12: 0.23 EPA/play

Sunday's average would be 5th in the NFL over a full year.

— Jordan Foote (@footenoted) November 25, 2024

Young's box score stats – 21 completions on 35 attempts for 263 yards and a touchdown – are nothing to write home about. The advanced numbers, though, paint the picture of someone who nearly went toe-to-toe with Mahomes (0.28 EPA/play). Add in him going 11-for-14 against the blitz and pouring in 165 yards on throws of 10 or more yards down the field, and it's easy to see how effective his play was. That's without even mentioning a passing chart that covered more ground than Ed Reed in his prime.

This lack of snap-to-snap success on defense isn't a new issue, as two of Kansas City Chiefs On SI's finest recently pointed out. Zack Eisen notes that since Week 8, the Chiefs rank 28th in EPA/play allowed at 0.107. They're also 28th in dropback EPA over that span, which just so happens to coincide with the absence of cornerback Jaylen Watson. Aside from Josh Allen in Week 11, they haven't exactly faced a daunting list of quarterbacks, either. Gardner Minshew, Baker Mayfield, Bo Nix and Young typically won't combine to keep coordinators up at night.

Following the conclusion of Sunday's game, Joshua Brisco alluded to shortcomings of both the secondary and the pass rush. Week 12 isn't an isolated instance; Kansas City is struggling to get home to the quarterback and can't maintain blanketed coverage like it has in the past. That, paired with regression from linebacker Drue Tranquill and the baked-in limitations of Nick Bolton alongside him, makes for a razor-thin margin for error.

There's absolutely still time to turn things around. At the end of the day, it's better to string together wins amid rough patches, and securing the AFC's top playoff seed remains a big-time goal. Just a year ago, the Chiefs dropped four of six games and appeared destined for a premature postseason exit. The other side of the ball ended up rebounding in January.

With Joshua Uche finding his role and Charles Omenihu on his way back, is something similar on the horizon for the defense? Kansas City should certainly hope so, because Young's performance on Sunday is a vote of confidence for him but the exact opposite for the reigning champs.

Read More: Winners and Losers from the KC Chiefs' Week 12 Victory Over the Carolina Panthers