• A big bounce-back week for Bryce Young: The former No. 1 overall pick earned a season-high 87.2 PFF overall grade in Week 11, steadying the ship after a few concerning performances and throwing for 448 yards — more than his output from the previous three weeks combined.

• Young had every answer for the Falcons defense: The Panthers quarterback was the only quarterback in Week 11 to finish with a top-five PFF grade both when kept clean and when pressured.

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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, steadying the ship after a few concerning performances and throwing for 448 yards — more than his output from the previous three weeks combined.

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

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.

On the play above, a third-and-2, the Falcons showed a heavy-pressure look pre-snap. In situations like this, quarterbacks must understand where their protection is vulnerable and be prepared to react immediately.

When defenses bluff pressure and drop out, many quarterbacks slow their process and assume they have more time than they do. Young does the opposite — he stays decisive, diagnoses the coverage and gets to the backside of his read.

Atlanta drops out of the blitz and rotates into an inverted Tampa-2. Instead of two deep safeties, the outside corners bail to deep halves while the safety steps down into the “Tampa” role in the middle of the field. Young sees that safety rolling down right away and knows the backside dig will come open. The throw sails a bit high because he’s anticipating the receiver continuing across the field instead of settling, but Jalen Coker makes a strong catch to secure a huge conversion.

Coming into Week 11, Young had struggled against the blitz, earning a 54.3 overall PFF grade that ranked 35th in the league. On Sunday, though, he made defenses pay by staying poised in the pocket, finishing with a 73.1 overall PFF grade when blitzed.

On the play above, the pre-snap motion gives Young an early indicator that the Falcons may be in man coverage, and Carolina has the perfect concept dialed up to attack it. The design features two deep crossers, allowing the receivers to win with speed across the field. However, it also requires time to develop, something that can vanish quickly against a blitz-heavy look.

Young quarterbacks often drop their eyes when they see this kind of pressure, but Young trusts his protection. Rico Dowdle does an excellent job picking up the blitzing corner, and Young pairs that with the footwork required to stay balanced, navigate the pocket and remain ready to throw. His base stays clean, and the ball comes out on time and on target.

He followed that terrific play with another high-level throw, too.

On the very next snap, the Falcons show a two-high shell pre-snap and stay in it. With the safeties failing to gain any real depth, Young recognizes quarters coverage, which can be attacked vertically because the outside corners have no deep help.

Wide receiver Xavier Legette is isolated one-on-one on the perimeter, and Young trusts him to win. He drops a perfectly placed ball that allows Legette to run through it without breaking stride for a huge touchdown.

This is the kind of play Young was making late in the 2024 season, and while it took him some time to return to that form in 2025, the Panthers continued to find ways to win. Now, with Young trending upward again, Carolina should feel confident about chasing a playoff berth as they sit just one game back in the NFC South.