Carolina
Panthers
2-11
21
FINAL
14
Pittsburgh
Steelers
4-9
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Carolina Panthers secured a vital 21-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16 of the 2026 season, keeping their playoff hopes alive. With the stakes high, both teams battled fiercely, but the Panthers emerged triumphant, showcasing their offensive prowess and defensive resilience.
Bryce Young led the Panthers' charge, throwing for 277 yards and three touchdowns, demonstrating his command of the offense. He found Chris Brazzell II frequently, who racked up 174 receiving yards and was a constant threat downfield. The Panthers' ability to capitalize on their offensive opportunities was key to their success.
Defensively, the Panthers were equally impressive, with Nick Scott leading the charge with seven total tackles and an interception. Derrick Brown's two sacks were pivotal, putting pressure on the Steelers' offense and disrupting their rhythm. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Scott's interception halted a potential game-tying drive, allowing the Panthers to hold off the Steelers and secure the win.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Young | QB | 21 | 11 | 52% | 277 | 3 | 0 | 137.4 |
| Justin Fields | QB | 41 | 22 | 54% | 263 | 1 | 1 | 71.4 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 21 | 104 | 5.0 | 32 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 18 | 42 | 2.3 | โ | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 9 | 30 | 3.3 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| Justin Fields | QB | 3 | 13 | 4.3 | โ | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | โ | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | โ | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 4 | 174 | 43.5 | 139 | 2 | 80 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 5 | 88 | 17.6 | 52 | 1 | 47 | 0 |
| Sincere Brown | WR | 7 | 79 | 11.3 | 13 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 1 | 63 | 63.0 | 55 | 1 | 63 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 4 | 49 | 12.3 | 21 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Robert Tonyan | TE | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Jalen Coker | WR | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Mitchell Evans | TE | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | โ | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | โ | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Scott | SS | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | LEDG | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Lloyd | WILL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Jackson | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jack Sawyer | LEDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daylen Everette | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Spears-Jennings | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keeanu Benton | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Bishop | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominique Hampton | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nic Scourton | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jackson Kuwatch | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Princely Umanmielen | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sean Murphy-Bunting | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tyrel Dodson | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tershawn Wharton | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Brown III | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Lee III | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Boswell | K | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |

