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Bryce Young earns high praise from PFF after outstanding outing

It has been an up and down year for QB Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers. One NFL analyst was extremely impressed by Young’s performance on Sunday.
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) hands the ball off in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) hands the ball off in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Dave Canales’s 6-5 team has already totaled more victories this season than it did a year ago. The Carolina Panthers completed a sweep of the Falcons on Sunday with a 30-27 overtime win at Atlanta.

Nick Akridge of Pro Football Focus took an in-depth look at the Panthers’ third-year signal-caller’s performance this past weekend. “Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers capped Week 11 with a dramatic overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, continuing their surge with a fifth victory in their last seven games. Young delivered one of the best outings of his young career, putting up career-best numbers through the air.”

“The former No. 1 overall pick earned a season-high 87.2 PFF overall grade on Sunday,” explained Akridge, “steadying the ship after a few concerning performances and throwing for 448 yards—more than his output from the previous three weeks combined.”

Against the Falcons, Young connected on 68.9 percent of his throws (31-of-45), striking for three touchdowns (2 to rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan). In his previous three outings, he totaled 364 yards through the air, one score and a pair of interceptions.

“Young had every answer for the Falcons’ defense.” added Akridge. “He was the only quarterback in Week 11 to finish with a top-five PFF grade both when kept clean and when pressured.”

Bryce Youn
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) runs off the field in the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Young was actually sacked a season-high five times on Sunday. It was actually the third time in 2025 that he threw three TD passes in a game. Only this time, he did it without serving up an interception.

“Now in his third season, Young is starting to look like a passer who understands how to stay a step ahead of defenses, processing concepts quickly and punishing mistakes.”

Now it’s just a matter of consistency for the Panthers’ quarterback. He and the team will certainly be tested on Monday night as they visit San Francisco to face old friend Christian McCaffrey for the first time.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.