Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young got strong praise from FOX Sports.
How good has Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young been through the first two weeks of the season?
FOX Sports' Henry McKenna ranked Young No. 5 in his Week 3 QB rankings.
Young trails only Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes (4), Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow (3), San Francisco 49ers starter Brock Purdy (2) and Buffalo Bills superstar Josh Allen (1) on McKenna's list.
"He has been downright surgical," McKenna said about Young.
After throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, Young followed that amazing performance up with 287 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in Week 2 against the Falcons in Atlanta.
The Panthers, who lost to the Bears at home in Week 1, beat the Falcons for their first win of the season.
Young has 648 passing yards and six touchdown passes through two games. He joins Jake Delhomme, who led Carolina to a Super Bowl appearance, as the only quarterback in team history with three touchdown passes in each of the team's first two games of a season.
Not even former MVP Cam Newton did that.
It's early, but Young is setting himself up for a huge payday next offseason. Young is set to make $12.1 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal. His fifth-year option is worth a guaranteed $25.9 million. It was picked up by Carolina in the offseason.
The Panthers didn't sign Young to an extension, so the QB has to play well again this season to get paid next offseason, and so far, he's doing just that.
Young is second in the NFL in passing yards and first in passing touchdowns. He has completed 63% of his passes and his EPA per dropback is .24, seventh in the NFL.
Young led the Panthers to the playoffs last season, where Carolina lost to the Los Angeles Rams at home in the wild-card round. It's been remarkable to watch Young's turnaround in Carolina. Remember, Young was benched for Andy Dalton in 2024. When that happened, many people thought Young's days in Carolina were over.
However, the Alabama product kept his head down and worked. And now he's playing like a superstar QB.
The Panthers face the 1-1 Cleveland Browns in Week 3. Carolina will be favored to win that game in Cleveland.
Young enters the Panthers-Browns game with 8,939 passing yards, 55 passing touchdowns, 734 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in 48 NFL games. He's 15-31-0 as a starter.
