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Bryce Young has had a a fantastic second half of the season. The Carolina Panthers quarterback reestablished himself as the team’s franchise quarterback and lifted the fanbase out of a collective state that could easily be described as hopelessness.
On Sunday, he and his Carolina teammates beat the Atlanta Falcons, 44-38, in overtime. During the game, Bryce Young broke out the best celebration of his NFL career during arguably the best game he’s played in his NFL career.
Young was benched after just two starts at the beginning of the season by first-year head coach Dave Canales after he appeared to have regressed from a medicore rookie year. But, due to an Andy Dalton injury, he got the starting job back at the end of October, and hasn’t looked back. The 2023 NFL Draft first-overall pick showed serious progress as a starter in the back-half of the season.
Sunday’s game against the Falcons was his last chance to show off that progress before next season, and that’s what he did. Playing against an Atlanta team that was playing for a playoff spot up until the very end of the game, Young was 25/34 for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, and added 24 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.. ESPN’s QBR Metric graded Young out at a whopping 94.3 out of 100.
The biggest highlight for Bryce Young on Sunday came after he threw the ball. Take a look.
Bryce Young’s never been more back pic.twitter.com/awX0QinzYw
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) January 5, 2025
Yeah, it’s safe to say that Bryce Young has his groove back. When you’re imitating Steph Curry, you know you’re feeling it.
Brighter days are ahead for the Panthers, who finished 4-5 down the stretch with some close losses mixed in there to finish the year at 5-12.