Panthers QB Bryce Young looked like a superstar against the Falcons.
Panthers QB Bryce Young had the game of his NFL life on Sunday against the Falcons in Atlanta.
The No. 1 overall pick went 31-45 for 448 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Panthers beat the Falcons by a final score of 30-27 in overtime.
NFL analyst Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report has been very critical of Young this season, but even he couldn't deny what he saw on Sunday, giving Young the following grade for his performance: A+.
"Bryce Young finally looked like a No. 1 overall draft pick during Sunday's performance against the rival Atlanta Falcons. Young provided a career-high 448 passing yards. In doing so, he set the Carolina Panthers' single-game record surpassing Cam Newton.
"According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Young completed 15 of 20 in-rhythm pass attempts for 302 yards and a touchdown. The figure is the second-most by a quarterback this season. Of note, the third-year quarterback posted a career-high 212 yards on passes of 10 or more air yards.With under three minutes to play in the fourth quarter and into overtime, Young finished six of nine passing, led two scoring touchdowns and connected with tight end Tommy Tremble on a 54-yard pass that led to the game-winning field goal."
Young's 448 yards passing yards breaks Cam Newton's record of 432 passing yards. Young and the Panthers are in the playoff hunt, as the team is 6-5 after starting the season 0-2.
"Definitely honored,'' Young said of breaking Newton's record. "I have so much respect for Cam, all that he's accomplished. Hearing that is definitely an honor. Individual awards, that's not what I'm after. They don't mean anything. I'm grateful that we won. We had the most important stat, that we won."
Young has 1,962 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns on the season. He looked like one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL on Sunday, and if he keeps this up, Young may have a future in Carolina after all.
What's impressive about what Young did against the Falcons is that he played like a star despite hurting his ankle again.
"He's a warrior, man,'' Panthers TE Tommy Tremble said about Young. "People don't understand how hard that is, with him and his ankle getting mess up like that. It was tough for him to come back and play for us and still go down again and come back again. That's the reason we were able to win.''