One week ago, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was squarely on the hot seat.

After amassing all of 124 passing yards in a disappointing 17-7 loss at home to the one-win New Orleans Saints, the third-year passer faced serious questions about his future in the league.

Is he capable of continuing as a starter? Should Carolina consider finding a replacement this offseason? And is he one of the biggest draft busts after all?

For a moment, it felt like the current era of Panthers football under Young was heading towards its end.

That was, however, until Week 11.

On Sunday, Young shined in what was a career day—completing 31 of his 45 throws for a franchise-record 448 passing yards and three touchdowns. He battled through an early deficit and an injured ankle to lead the team to a walk-off 30-27 victory and the first sweep of their I-85 rivals since 2013.

So, how did he do it?

Heading in, Young was in critical need of a rebound outing. What helped was head coach Dave Canales letting Young “rip it,” shooting for more aggression downfield.

Young is at his best when playing point guard, using movements in and out of the pocket to draw defenders and then stopping on a dime with twitchy start-stop ability to set his base and find free outlets in the green.

This is a great example of Young using his eyes to create space. On wideout Jalen Coker’s 15-yard reception early in the first quarter, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders goes on an exit motion to show movement from the C-gap mugger, Falcons safety Xavier Watts, into the flat.

Young is going to use his eyes to draw safety Jessie Bates from the middle of the field to the close-side slant-out pattern, which frees up space for Coker on the dig for a nice gain and great snag on third-and-2 . . .

The Panthers were an efficient three-of-five on fourth-down attempts against the Falcons. Their first try resulted in a big play of 22 yards from receiver Xavier Legette.

Coker motions across the formation to indicate man coverage from the Atlanta defense. At the snap, Young fakes the give at the mesh point to work a play-action slide to the left, and it generates chaos, allowing Legette to break into space for the gain.

Watch Young’s throw here, as he stops on a dime to fire an accurate pass to allow for Legette to generate yards after the catch:

Sideline and EZ angle of Bryce Young’s 22-yard completion to Xavier Legette on 4th & 2 early in the game.

Quickness to set and the release to generate enough RPMs moving to his left. #Panthers pic.twitter.com/Up3kvVTfFP

— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) November 17, 2025

Now, let’s look at Young’s 39-yard completion to rookie Tetairoa McMillan.

He is going to motion across the formation to get a one-on-one with cornerback A.J. Terrell against the Falcons’ single-high man robber coverage.

The Panthers are running a play-action fake to draw the second level for space with McMillan on the 10-yard dig. Right guard Chandler Zavala whiffs his block on the pull and forces Young to make a quality throw against pressure to an open McMillan—who picks up a huge first down . . .

Bryce Young to Tetairoa McMillan for a 39-yard gain (sideline + EZ).

Poise against pressure. Match coverage allows space post-10-yard dig break inside. YAC for T-Mac.

Zavala on the pull…not ideal! #Panthers pic.twitter.com/JMqEXZCBXJ

— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) November 17, 2025

Onto the second half, where Young came out swinging with two chunk plays.

Wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. motions right to left to display an indication of man coverage from Atlanta, and the result is another man concept with Bates as the single-high roamer. Running back Rico Dowdle doesn’t get the initial win at the point of attack off play action, forcing Young to climb the pocket.

But he still lays a beautiful throw to Coker for 21 yards on the deep crossing pattern . . .

Young came out swinging in the second half. Here’s the first of two back-to-back chunk plays.

Great pocket navigation to step up and layer this pass to Jalen Coker on the deep crosser. Sound execution all-around from both players.

Dowdle’s pass pro has to be better. #Panthers pic.twitter.com/d3dxkppaff

— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) November 17, 2025

On the very next play, out of 12 personnel with a split backfield out of the shotgun, Sanders motions left to right to create a two-by-one look. The split backfield has both players working to the flats—McMillan running a stop-and-go and Sanders spotting to the middle of the field.

The key matchup here is Legette on cornerback Natrone Brooks, with the former eating cushion to execute a nice nod inside to freeze the corner and gain ample vertical separation. Young fires a beautiful ball downfield into the arms of Legette for six points to narrow Atlanta’s lead to five points.

Bryce Young put the “can’t throw deep” narratives to rest.

Great route and vertical separation from Legette. Perfect ball into the outstretched arms of 17.

*chef’s kiss* pic.twitter.com/aVwin9dSAN

— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) November 17, 2025

This is one of the many examples of Young being a deceptive point guard at quarterback, showing one thing before doing something completely different—which adds to the value of his presence in the offense.

Coverage is tight initially. Zavala allows pressure, forcing Young to step up and scramble to the line of scrimmage and putting nickel defender Billy Bowman Jr. in conflict. This lets Young pause Bowman’s feet and allow Legette to get free into space to create after the catch—showcasing the signal-caller’s playmaking ability in and out of the pocket . . .

We’ve discussed plenty over how Bryce Young is at his best playing as a pure PG at QB.

This scramble to the LOS to pause 33’s feet allowed XL to gain access to open turf, resulting in a 20-yard gain.

Limitations will always be there, but this can work. #Panthers pic.twitter.com/qNS45EYXh3

— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) November 17, 2025

Arguably the biggest play of the game—the Panthers go empty on third-and-goal from the 12-yard line. The Falcons only rush three as Young works through his entire progression, and with no one open initially, he scrambles out of the pocket—aligning himself with McMillan.

Young threw the pass to McMillan for the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter to complete a 14-point comeback. This is such a well-layered pass from Young, especially over the linebacker Kaden Eliss . . .

Bryce Young in Week 11 vs. ATL, per Next Gen Stats:

+11.9 EPA (1st)
+.024 EPA/DB (6th)
2.64 Time To Throw (7th)
123.2 passer rating (2nd)
10.0 YPA (3rd)

Plus, the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter to McMillan. #Panthers pic.twitter.com/9v3LXHmQ7e

— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) November 17, 2025

This game exemplified Young’s up-and-down NFL career, and demonstrated what he is capable of.

We have to acknowledge his limitations as a passer. He will never consistently rip off 20-yard completions from the far hash. He is, of course, small in stature. And he does not have the elite arm strength to stretch the field like a Patrick Mahomes or a Josh Allen.

This, however, does not mean that Young isn’t capable of being one of the better quarterbacks in the game. He may never reach the top of the mountain at the position, and that’s still fine.

If the expectation from Carolina is that Young can eventually lead them to a Lombardi Trophy, then Sunday showed some promising flashes. But they must also acknowledge that he can’t always make every single throw, and that he’s more of a master facilitator than he is a rising tide that lifts all boats.

Going forward, Young should continue to play with more aggression as a passer. While we shouldn’t expect a 400-plus yard game each week, Canales and the Panthers should allow Young to keep letting it rip.

And their next opportunity to do so will come on an island, with the San Francisco 49ers waiting for them on Monday night in Week 12.

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