Bryce Young returns to the Carolina Panthers lineup against a stingy Denver Broncos defense

Carolina (1-6) and Denver (4-3)

Sunday, 4:25 PM EDT, CBS

BettingMGM NFL Odds: Broncos at 9.

Series record: Broncos lead 6-2.

Against the spread: Panthers 1-6; Broncos 5-2.

Last meeting: Carolina defeated Denver 23-10 on Nov. 27, 2022 in Charlotte.

Last week: Panthers lost to Washington 40-7, Broncos defeated Saints 33-10.

Panthers offense: overall (29), rush (23), pass (28), score (28)

Panthers defense: overall (30), rush (32), pass (25), score (21)

Broncos offense: overall (27), rush (13), pass (29), score (21-LT)

Broncos defense: overall (3), rush (10), pass (5), score (3)

Turnover differential: Panthers minus-6, Broncos even.

Panthers player to watch

QB Bryce Young. All eyes will be on Young, who returns to the starting role after Andy Dalton sprained his right thumb in a car accident on Tuesday. Young was terrible in his first two games this season, throwing three interceptions and no touchdowns in a pair of losses. He has backed up Dalton for the past five games. The 2023 overall No. 1 pick is 2-16 overall as an NFL starter.

Broncos player to watch

THE Zach Allen. The sixth-year pro is having a breakout season with nine tackles for loss and four sacks in 2024. He needs just five more tackles behind the line of scrimmage to tie DE Elvis Dumervil (2009) for the most TFLs by a Denver defensive lineman in a single season . His four sacks are 1 1/2 shy of his career high.

Key match

Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard vs. Broncos run defense. Hubbard was one of the few bright spots for the Panthers. He rushed for 537 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry despite playing on a team that often played from behind. He will face a stingy Denver defense that is 11th in yards allowed per game (111.7) and fifth in yards allowed per carry (4.1).

Main injuries

Panthers: Aside from QB Andy Dalton (sprained right thumb), the Panthers are starting to get a little healthier and hope to get veteran WR Adam Thielen back from a hamstring injury. That would be a big boost for the Carolina offense. Thielen has missed the past four weeks on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He trained to a limited extent on Wednesday. OLB Jadeveon Clowney returned to training this week after missing two games due to a shoulder injury. Several other players who missed last week’s game, including OLB Josey Jewell, returned to practice this week. …Broncos: Denver is getting healthier. Star CB Patrick Surtain II practiced Wednesday for the first time since suffering a concussion after Denver’s first defensive play against the Chargers in Week 6. DT Malcolm Roach had a fever Wednesday and was ruled out of practice.

Series notes

These teams met in Super Bowl 50 and Denver’s 24-10 defensive victory allowed Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning to retire a champion, just as John Elway did after winning back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s. However, neither team has had much success since then, and Denver still hasn’t returned to the playoffs since celebrating its third Lombardi Trophy.

Statistics and all that

The Panthers have lost 12 of their past 13 road games dating back to last season.… Carolina has been outscored 152-64 in the first half of games this season. … Carolina ranks 30th in the league in third down conversions on offense at 30.9%. … There’s a chance Dalton could be Carolina’s No. 2 QB on Sunday, depending on his recovery from his sprained thumb. … Carolina is awaiting the debut of rookie second-round draft pick RB Jonathan Brooks, but he could still be a week away. He tore an ACL in Texas and just returned to training two weeks ago. … No Panthers tight end has caught a TD pass this season. … Carolina has just seven sacks in seven games, which ranks 31st in the league. … The Broncos are 4-0 at home against the Panthers. … Sean Payton last week became the eighth NFL head coach to beat every team in the league when the Broncos won in New Orleans. … While Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix has just five TD throws so far, he has thrown just five interceptions and has been sacked nine times. … WR Courtland Sutton’s two touchdown receptions make him the only Denver player with multiple TD catches so far. … RB Javonte Williams is coming off his first two-touchdown game of his career. … Denver’s 28 sacks rank second in the league behind the New York Giants’ 31. … Denver’s defense has allowed an average of 4.39 yards per play through seven games, which is the lowest mark of any NFL team this season. … The Broncos are No. 1 in the league in red zone defense (35.7%), having allowed just five touchdowns in 19 trips into their opponents’ red zone. … OLB Nik Bonitto has a sack in five straight games, a career-high and the longest streak by a Denver defenseman since Von Miller’s six-game streak in 2018.

Fantasy tip

The Panthers are on pace to become one of the worst defenses in NFL history, making every offensive starter in Denver – especially RB Javonte Williams – a solid option. Carolina has scored 243 points in seven games, the third most in the Super Bowl era.