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Analyst labels Bryce Young NFL’s most unpredictable quarterback, and he's not wrong

Carolina's starting quarterback has taken fans on a rollercoaster ride this season.
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) prepares to enter the field before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) prepares to enter the field before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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A one-time Alabama football star famously said that life is like a box of chocolates, and you never know what you're going to get. Carolina's own ex-Alabama star seems to be determined to make that come true every single time he takes the field.

It's difficult to put into words how Bryce Young has performed this year for the Carolina Panthers, because we simply don't have any definitive evidence that he is one version of himself or another.

One analyst at NFL.com has even labeled Young the league's most unpredictable quarterback.

NFL.com on Bryce Young

"Bryce Young continues to be the most unpredictable quarterback in the NFL. In Week 12, he looked like a rookie making perhaps his third or fourth career start in an uncompetitive road loss. Then he morphed back into a confident, clutch passer, tossing two touchdown passes of 30-plus yards -- on fourth down -- in Week 13. If he can consistently play to the level he displayed against the Rams,he'll live in the upper half of these rankings for quite some time. But that's a big if."

Bryce Young
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws the ball in the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

A look at Bryce Young's stats from week to week this season illustrate that Adam Rank has it exactly right. See how Young's QBR has fluctuated from game to game.

Bryce Young QBR by game

- Week 1 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 20.5

- Week 2 vs. Arizona Cardinals: 40.1

- Week 3 vs. Atlanta Falcons: 70.0

- Week 4 vs. New England Patriots: 43.1

- Week 5 vs. Miami Dolphins: 40.9

- Week 6 vs. Dallas Cowboys: 54.9

- Week 7 vs. New York Jets: 60.6

- Week 9 vs. Green Bay Packers: 43.5

- Week 10 vs. New Orleans Saints: 14.3

- Week 11 vs. Atlanta Falcons: 73.7

- Week 12 vs. San Francisco 49ers: 13.9

- Week 13 vs. Los Angeles Rams: 85.7

These last four games in particular illustrate the wild ride that Young is on. On the bright side, Young's offensive outbursts over the last month have come against high-quality defenses.

Atlanta came into Week 11 allowing the fewest passing yards per game in the NFL, and he roasted them for 448. The Rams came into last week with the No. 1 scoring defense in the league, and he dropped 31 points.

It also makes it all the more confusing why Young bombed against a Saints defense that's just 22nd in scoring.

The jury's still out on what Young is an can be at this level. The Panthers are probably right to pick up his fifth-year option, but he's going to have to be much more consistent in the 2026 season to justify a long-term contract extension.

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Published
Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.