Immediately after each of the Panthers’ previous three games, Carolina coach Dave Canales had said the coaching staff would use the week to determine who would be the starting quarterback for the NFL team’s next contest.

Canales didn’t continue that after Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

As might be expected by the teams’ records, the Chiefs defeated the Panthers on Sunday. But Kansas City needed a field goal on the final snap of the game to improve to 10-1 with a 30-27 over Carolina, which dropped to 3-8.

Two of the Panthers’ victories came in the previous two games, and after Bryce Young led the down-to-the-wire battle against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion on Sunday, Canales said the former Alabama All-American “absolutely” would be Carolina’s starting quarterback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in one week.

“He’s making a statement to all of us,” Canales said, “and showing us that he can make plays in critical areas and really play within what we’re asking him to do – and to extend. He did a great job of extending plays today, which is a huge part of our offense. …

“I don’t have to make any statements. He’s making it for himself. He’s continued to show the progress we’re looking for bringing our skill players to life.”

The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young started 16 games last season and the first two of the 2024 campaign for the Panthers. Benched at that point, Young served as the backup for veteran Andy Dalton for five games.

When Dalton sustained a thumb injury in a traffic accident on Oct. 22, Young started a 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos on Oct. 27, beginning Canales’ weekly delayed decision on the starting quarterback.

“I’m leaning on my teammates,” Young said of his growth over the past four games. “It’s not just me at all. I think we’ve all kind of come into our own within the system. And, obviously, having more time and just forming our identity. Didn’t do enough to get it done today, so still have a long way to go, a lot of things to clean up, a lot of things to get better at, but I think just all of us playing for each other, leaning on each other and having that time to come together to form our identity, we’re going to keep continue working for that.”

Carolina trailed by two touchdowns in the second quarter and by 11 points entering the fourth quarter.

The Panthers started their final possession with 3:21 remaining but were on the Kansas City 49-yard line after a punt, a 10-yard return and a Chiefs penalty. After a couple of completions by Young, including a fourth-and-3 connection with wide receiver Adam Thielen for a 13-yard gain, a long throw into the end zone for Thielen drew a 28-yard defensive pass interference penalty that gave Carolina the football at the Kansas City 1.

Running back Chuba Hubbard scored from there with 1:46 remaining. Young’s pass for the 2-point conversion to tie the score was incomplete, but another interference penalty by the Chiefs put the football at the 1 again, and Hubbard plowed in from there to make it 27-27.

“Obviously, it felt good,” Young said. “We knew what we had to do down eight. Great job by our defense to get us the ball back. Good field position, too, especially for a drive like that. It felt good, obviously, to finish offensively like that. That’s a really good team on the other side.”

A 33-yard scramble by Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the big play on the Chiefs’ final possession, a 57-yard drive that ended with Shane Shrader’s 31-yard field goal.

Young completed 21-of-30 passes for 263 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran three times for 20 yards against the Chiefs.

Young’s passing yardage is the second-highest total of his career, behind 312 yards in a 33-30 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 24, 2023.

Carolina’s other touchdown also came from 1 yard out, with Young passing to David Moore with 6:26 left in the third quarter as the Panthers cut Kansas City’s lead to 20-16. That capped a 15-play, 70-yard drive to open the second half.

Carolina also reached at least the Chiefs 15-yard line on four other possessions but got a field goal from Eddy Pineiro on each.

“The story of the day: just missed opportunities,” Canales said. “A bunch of red-zone opportunities in the first half, we come away with field goals. Credit to their defense for stopping us, but we had some near-misses and some opportunities down there you wonder what happens if you can get those points. Kind of change the game a little bit that way.”

The Panthers play the Buccaneers at 3:05 p.m. CST Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.