Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) runs for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Late surge from Bryce Young was biggest leap any NFL QB has taken in 25 years

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 2:00 PM ET

There’s a sense of excitement surrounding a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs not posted a winning season since 2017. The Carolina Panthers, led by quarterback Bryce Young, won four of their final nine games—rebounding from a 1-7 start. Dave Canales’s squad looked like a different team the second half of 2024, and their young signal-caller was a major reason why.

Douglas Clawson of CBS Sports spoke about Young’s play in the team’s final three outings. “There have been 820 qualified quarterback seasons since 2000. None of them saw a bigger performance leap (as measured by EPA per play) between the final three games and the rest of the season than Bryce Young in 2024. In other words, we’ve never seen a quarterback go from so cold to so hot to finish a season.

“Young finished last season with a bang,” added Clawson, “totaling 10 touchdowns and no turnovers in the final three weeks of the season, good for the fourth-highest EPA per play mark (0.34) in the NFL. He ranked 30th in that category over the Carolina Panthers’ first 14 games of the season (-0.16).”

Young, benched after a miserable 0-2 start, returned to the starting lineup in Week 8 and held onto the job for the final 15 games. He did turn over the ball eight times—all in the first seven games of that stretch. However, those final 10 outings added up to 15 touchdown passes and five rushing TDs.

“Young built momentum from the near upset of the Chiefs (Week 12) until breaking through at the end, becoming the first quarterback since Drew Brees in 2019 with at least 10 total touchdowns and no turnovers in the final three games of the season. Kirk Cousins (2015) and Peyton Manning (2006) are the only other quarterbacks to pull that off since 2000. He capped it off by tying a franchise-record with five total touchdowns (3 rushing, 2 passing) in an overtime win in Atlanta in the final week of the regular season.

“The most encouraging part of Young’s performance was what we see under the hood,” explained Clawson. “He wasn’t dinking and dunking his way down the field. He had the fourth-longest average throw length (9.5 yards downfield) in the final three weeks, coupled with the sixth-lowest off-target rate (8.0 percent). Only 30 percent of his passing yards came from YAC in this stretch, the lowest rate in the NFL among quarterbacks to start the final three games. So don’t confuse the zero turnovers for not taking risks.”

Combine Young’s play down the stretch with new wide receiver additions such as rookie Tetairoa McMillan and veteran Hunter Renfrow and there could be some more highlights ahead for the Panthers’ quarterback.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: