ATLANTA – Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young fought off the outside criticism that followed his modest 124 passing yards in an ugly loss to the New Orleans Saints last week.
Young also fought through first-quarter pain in his right ankle Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which led to him being medically checked in the visitors’ locker room and appeared to threaten his ability to return to a key NFC South Division matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
The result of Young’s resilience was the most passing yards in a game in franchise history — and, more importantly, a much-needed bounce-back win for himself and this season’s team.
Young threw for 448 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and Ryan Fitzgerald kicked a 28-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Panthers to a 30-27 win over the Falcons.
Young’s 54-yard pass to Tommy Tremble set up the winning kick for Carolina (6-5), which swept its regular-season series with Interstate 85 rival Atlanta (3-7). The Panthers, who beat the Falcons 30-0 on Sept. 21 in Charlotte, North Carolina, swept the Falcons for the first time since the 2013 season.