Bryce Young shines again: How the former No. 1 pick went from the bench to leading the NFL in passing yards

On Sunday night, “MVP” chants rained down on Bryce Young as he led the Panthers to a 32-26 victory over the Lions, earning his first prime time win. It was both fitting — Young threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns — and a reminder of how far he’s come. Just two years ago, he wasn’t even playing in games. He was the backup to Andy Dalton, whose chance to become an NFL starter seemed in the balance.

How quickly things can change.

Young currently leads the NFL in passing yards and first downs. He ranks third in passing touchdowns and seventh in yards per attempt. For a quarterback without a rocket arm, he certainly makes the most of it: He leads the NFL in completions of 10+ yards (55) and is second in completions of 20+ yards (17).

And it does everything in a far from ideal situation. The Panthers were without their No. 2 (Jalen Coker) and No. 3 (Xavier Legette) wide receivers on Sunday. Rookie quarterback Chris Brazzell suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. Also, the injury-plagued offensive line is giving up 46.3% of the pressure — only Justin Herbert has a higher pressure rate.

So what’s working for Young? And more importantly, is the 2-2 Panthers sustainable as they look to make back-to-back playoff trips for the first time in more than a decade?

The Brad Idzik Effect: More passes, deeper shots, more play action

This offseason, Dave Canales turned over the play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik. Idzik and Canales return for 2019, both with Seattle, but this is Idzik’s first time calling the plays. Still, one would assume he would resemble Canales.

It may be wrong to assume here. The Panthers currently lead the NFL in expected passing percentage and are fifth in passing percentage. And not only do they pass a lot, but they’re aggressive when they do it: Young is 12th in deep pass rush, ninth in yards per attempt and sixth in explosiveness. It’s a wild departure from Young’s previous career, even excluding his disastrous rookie season.

Additionally, Young uses play action on his career-high 31.5% of his rebounds. He is averaging 8.1 yards per game on those passes, also a career high. Here’s one of his best shots from Sunday night:

Not only does Young make a great shot, but he does it right in front of a defender. Taking us…

The game slows down and Young processes it better

Young’s superpower — what made him a Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama, what made him the No. 1 overall pick despite his overwhelming physical profile — is his ability to make the right read and get the ball there in time. But the leap from being great in college to being great in the NFL is huge. Young makes this leap.

Young is currently third in the EPA in quick game throws (thrown 2.5 seconds or faster). This is an absurd leap.

Here’s a shot from Sunday night: Young initially gets a Cover-2 look, but it’s just a disguise and the Lions play Cover 3 with a deep safety. Young immediately breaks it up with a dart to John Metchie III.

In addition, Idzik uses many different methods of attack. On Sunday, for example, Young threw three run/pass picks, which resulted in three completions for 35 yards. It was Young’s most RPO throws in a game since his rookie year. He has only started three games all season. Three is not a big number, but adding wrinkles every week is very important. Idzik clearly saw the area he wanted to attack and exploited it.

The “slow down” game is a cliché, but it might be true. Young has just two interceptions and his 1.2% turnover rate is sixth lowest in the NFL. He just doesn’t neutralize the ball as much. He’s the first to read with confidence, and when things get messy, he’s more reserved.

This is not the only negative game reduction. How about this from last night, the biggest moments?

(By the way, Tetairoa McMillan rocks.)

Simply put, Young plays on time. It’s not the disaster it used to be when it’s not on time. The greatest strengths of his game shine through, while his weaknesses either fade or fade into insignificance.

Can Bryce Young keep it up?

As fun as this great start is, it’s a very small sample size against less inspiring opponents. You can only play what’s on your schedule, yes, but when it comes to pass defense, the Bears, Falcons, Browns and Lions starters are hardly on the Killer Row.

The Browns were the best of the bunch and Young struggled in that loss. He was inaccurate, took three sacks and failed to make explosive plays against a press-heavy Cleveland defense. Young was under pressure all afternoon and that will be a problem. Offensive linemen Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton and guards Brady Christensen and Damien Lewis are no problem. First-round pick Monroe Freeling left Sunday night’s game and did not return.

Carolina is currently 26th in PFF’s pass blocking rating, and Young has faced 49 rushing pressures this season, six more than anyone else.

It makes sense for Young to make strides against pressure, but it seems unlikely to make such a giant leap for the entire season — especially since he faces better relievers, starting with the Eagles in Week 6 after the bye. Can the Panthers keep it clean (enough)? Can he continue to play? this under good pressure? Will a season’s wear and tear begin to take its toll?

This remains to be determined. Still, Young showed great progress. He may not play as a top-five or even top-10 player for the rest of the season like he is now, but it tends to be a very important step for both himself and the organization. Young did not sign an extension this offseason, and the fifth year of his rookie contract will enter an option year. If he continues to play well — even at a slightly lower clip than he’s doing now — Carolina will be even more confident that they’ve found their long-term answer at quarterback after nearly a decade of searching.