Panthers PFF grades: Bryce Young, Jadeveon Clowney post top marks in Week 12

Carolina's two former number one overall draft picks came through and led the Panthers' grades this week.

Tim Weaver | 3 Hours Ago

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 24: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Bank of America Stadium on November 24, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

If Bryce Young passed your eyeball test with flying colors yesterday you hit the bullseye. While the Carolina Panthers eventually lost to the Kansas City Chiefs courtesy of a last-second field goal, the team finally got a breakout game from their young franchise quarterback - and to call him anything else after that game is to be willfully disingenuous.

Young wasn't perfect of course, he took a bad sack and fumbled at one point and he had issues converting in the red zone, but Young also made several very impressive throws in high-leverage situations. He was aggressive downfield throughout the game and was particularly effective against the blitz. For his efforts, Young earned his highest PFF grade of the season and the best mark on the team this week.

Bryce Young leads Panthers offense

Young's traditional numbers were nothing special, as he posted a line of 21/35 for 263 yards and one touchdown. However, they also lie - as Young was exceptionally accurate all game, especially on deep throws. He was robbed of a massive gain on another agonizing drop by Xavier Legette and could have had at least one more touchdown pass if Jalen Coker had been in the lineup to help out in the red zone. Young finished with an 83.9 overall grade, the best of any player with 13 or more snaps.

Wide receiver David Moore was Young's top target, and he came through with the best game of his career since he burned Donte Jackson and the Panthers for 103 yards back in 2018 when he was still with the Seattle Seahawks. Moore posted a team-high six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. He earned an 82.4 overall grade for his trouble, the second-highest mark on offense.

Robert Hunt on the bottom again?

PFF doesn't seem to have liked what they saw from star right guard Robert Hunt, who posted the team's lowest grade on offense this week. His 46.7 overall grade was dragged down by an atrocious 13.3 mark in pass blocking. In his defense he had a very tough matchup against Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who's one of the best interior pass rushers in the sport.

Jadeveon Clowney, DJ Wonnum top defense

On the other side of the ball it was the second-straight strong game from Carolina's edge rotation, which is a dramatic reversal compared to how they've performed most of the season. The addition of DJ Wonnum to the lineup seems to have woken up Jadeveon Clowney, who posted the highest grade on defense this week at 81.3 overall, with a 71.7 in pass rushing. Wonnum came in second with a 75.6 overall grade. Together they helped generate enough pressure on Patrick Mahomes to almost pull off an upset as the pass rush collectively caught fire in the fourth quarter.

Jaycee Horn bottoms out

The most unpleasant surprise in Sunday's game was how poorly star cornerback Jaycee Horn performed as he covered DeAndre Hopkins. Unable to keep up without grabbing hold of his jersey, Horn got flagged several times as he was matched up against Hopkins. His 28.9 overall grade was the lowest for Carolina's defense this week, wtih a 27.7 coverage grade. Fellow cornerback Dane Jackson was next up from the bottom at 32.9 overall.