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

NFL analyst 'overwhelmingly impressed' by Panthers QB Bryce Young

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Nov 21, 2025 9:40 AM ET

It's hard to understate just how good Bryce Young was last week for the Carolina Panthers. The third-year quarterback had easily his best game yet against a very stout passing defense (top-10 in EPA per dropback). The Panthers also got a much-needed victory.

If the box score (31/45 for 448 yards and three touchdowns) isn't pretty enough, you can look at Young's meteoric rise in the weekly QB rankings. Sure, it's a "what have you done lately" sort of list, but it's almost unprecedented to go from 31 to 15 like Young did, with the analyst behind it writing glowingly about Young.

Bryce Young has one NFL analyst thoroughly impressed

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Last week, Bryce Young's complete dud against the New Orleans Saints dropped him to 31 in Nick Shook's weekly QB power rankings. It's not a huge exaggeration to say it was almost rock bottom for Young.

But now, he's 15th, ahead of several good QBs:

Jalen Hurts
Bo Nix
Trevor Lawrence
Aaron Rodgers

"Climb that ladder, Bryce Young! I was overwhelmingly impressed by how Young understood the assignment against the Falcons. He carried an offense that lacked a running threat to a win, powering a wild comeback with some beautiful passes and crucial plays in the clutch," Shook wrote.

Young's back was against the wall, and a loss would've likely tanked Carolina's slim playoff chances, but the quarterback stepped up like never before. He has often played well when games don't matter or in garbage time, like the last few games last season or against the Cardinals in the second half earlier this season.

But this time, Young came through in a big game on the road, and he delivered a career outing. It remains to be seen what comes next and if Young can continue building on this, but at least for a moment, he is (relatively) on top of the world.

The performance netted him NFC Offensive Player of the Week, and it broke Cam Newton's single-game passing record, two things that we would've thought to be impossible going into the matchup.

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

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