Carolina Panthers sophomore quarterback Bryce Young played the best game of his career in Sunday's 30-27 hard-fought defeat to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The former Alabama standout completed 21 of 35 passing attempts for 263 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. Sitting on the bench earlier this season helped Young find his game.
It's been a tumultuous sophomore season for Young. After struggling mightily in Weeks 1 and 2 (and all of his rookie campaign), the Panthers made the surprising decision to bench their young quarterback in favor of veteran journeyman Andy Dalton.
Young only reentered the lineup initially after Dalton was in a car accident. Young led the Panthers to consecutive wins in Weeks 9 and 10 before pushing the Chiefs to the brink on Sunday. His recent form is proof that allowing young quarterbacks to grow and develop before ultimately casting judgment is crucial to the process.
Young was significantly better than the raw numbers indicate. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo blitzed Young early and often. Handling pressure is something the young quarterback has typically struggled with. Against the blitz, he went 11-of-14 for 123 yards and his TD, per NFL Pro.
Not only the best game of Bryce Young's career, but one of the best QB performances of this season pic.twitter.com/8AUFWkhaFc
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) November 25, 2024
Young was also incredibly accurate on downfield throwing attempts. On balls that traveled 10-plus air yards, he completed 9-of-16 for 165 yards. Young concluded Sunday's challenge with a 73rd percentile Expected Points Added (EPA) per play, according to Sumer Sports.
Young flashed the capability to target both boundary sidelines and the middle of the field with regularity. Offensive-minded head coach Dave Canales called a quality game, placing the Chiefs' secondary in difficult situations. Canales is also showing increased trust in Young's ability to target the entire field.
dave canales called a hell of a game today
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) November 24, 2024
and bryce young hit every blade of grass pic.twitter.com/pVC8qh0LLa
Young routinely diagnosed Spagnuolo's defense and made good, quick decisions. The former No. 1 overall selection averaged a time-to-throw of 2.66 seconds on Sunday, per Next Gen Stats. Young was sacked just twice by a Chiefs defensive line that failed to apply pressure without blitzing.
Young also ranks sixth among Week 12 quarterbacks in average completed air yards (CAY) at 7.4. Carolina's average intended air yards was 9.7, proving that Young was throwing the ball downfield aggressively all afternoon. That's in line with Young's average depth of target (aDoT) of 8.8 yards.
Next Gen Stats tracks aggressiveness by measuring the number of passing attempts a quarterback attempts into tight coverage (a defender within one yard or less of the intended target). Young currently leads all Week 12 quarterbacks with an aggression percentage of 34.3%. Young's throws traveled an average of 1.2 yards beyond the first-down marker.
Young's completion percentage of 60% was 5.7 points above his expected percentage (xCOMP%) of 54.3%, giving him an extremely positive Completion Percentage Above Expectation (CPOE). His EPA per play finished at 0.23 with a total of EPA 10, per RBSDM. Those are elite metrics.
Young is currently enjoying the most impressive stretch of his professional career. It's becoming increasingly likely that the Panthers will pass on any opportunities to select a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. It's been a startling reminder that quarterbacks of Young's caliber deserve appropriate development.
