Bryce Young earns a national honor, gives Carolina Panthers special recognition
Bryce Young has been rewarded for his signature performance against the Atlanta Falcons this past weekend.
And in turn, the Carolina Panthers earned special recognition, too.
The NFL announced Wednesday that Young, the Panthers’ third-year quarterback, had been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Carolina’s NFC South rival. He finished the contest 31 of 45 for 448 yards and three touchdowns. That was enough for a quarterback rating of 123.2 — and a franchise record in passing yards, surpassing a Cam Newton performance in 2011.
There were other elements that made Young’s accomplishment extra special. It yielded a win — a 30-27 overtime victory thanks to a game-winning field goal kicked by rookie Ryan Fitzgerald. Young also made it all happen on an injured ankle, which he hurt early on in the game but valiantly played through.
Young’s accomplishment also impacts the rest of the team. The Panthers (6-5) now boast the most amount of conference players of the week this year across the NFL — with five. Those previous winners: running back Rico Dowdle earned the distinction Week 5; Fitzgerald did so Week 6; punter Sam Martin did so Week 7; and safety Tre’Von Moehrig did so Week 9.
The last time the Panthers had five different players of the week in a season? 2017. Those winners were Cam Newton, Julius Peppers, Luke Kuechly, Jonathan Stewart and Damiere Byrd.
Young’s performance made him the first quarterback this season to throw for over 400 yards and not throw an interception, according to a team release. His game-winning drive marked the 10th of his career as well — the most among all QBs since 2023, when Young arrived in the NFL.
“It’s just my expectation for Bryce to take every game plan and every opportunity and attack it, and he’s been doing that,” head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Sunday, after Young’s marvelous day. “Today was a day about the whole group. It was about all the guys, the time on task, the side conversations in practices, working together in between drives and really just making it come alive, and finding the completions where they were and extending the play when he needed to.
“I’m just proud of the way that he just pushed through for his teammates. It just speaks volumes to the type of leader that he’s continuing to grow into, and to be able to be available for his guys and find a bunch of different guys in different situations.”
The Panthers next face the San Francisco 49ers (7-4) on Monday night.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 12:56 PM.
