ATLANTA— There was a shot, way back in another life, otherwise known as Week 2 of the 2024 season, of Bryce Young walking off the field against the Chargers after yet another three-and-out, dejected, resigned, and frankly utterly defeated.

Less than 24 hours later, he would be benched, the former No. 1 overall pick relegated to the sideline with the metaphorical clipboard as Andy Dalton started the next five weeks.

Fast forward 16 weeks to Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. There was a shot of Bryce Young turning away from a play while the ball was still in the air, so sure and confident that tight end Tommy Tremble was going to catch the pass he perfectly placed (and to be fair, Tremble was wide-open) that he didn't even need to watch.

Young put the ball in the air, his back to the end zone, and signaled touchdown. By the time Tremble hauled in the ball, and the official mimicked the quarterback, Young was nodding and smirking, his eyes cutting up to the massive circular video board in the Atlanta Falcons stadium, where the touchdown played out larger than life.

"He's a baller, man," Tremble responded, watching the clip for the first time in the celebratory locker room an hour after the Panthers pulled off the 44-38 overtime win against the Falcons in the season finale. "I mean, that's what ballers do. When you're a playmaker, man, you can throw stuff like that, and he freaking just went off today, man. I'm so proud of him."

The play was classic Dave Canales, taking advantage of a soft spot in the defense and putting playmakers in space. The Panthers ran it on Friday as their last play of practice, in a time reserved for what Canales called fourth-and-1 "fun" moments. When it worked, it made its way into the game plan.

"Tommy kind of made the adjustment the same way (Friday), and you know it was (rookie safety) Demani Richardson, came up, and he was like, 'That was the Friday play!' He knew right away.

"So it's great when I think, for me, when our guys know what to expect from each other when they can see the things happen and they feel that, and we're connected that way that's where we wanna be, and that's where we want to grow to."

While the Steph Curry-like celebration was immediately iconic, flooding social media and dominating conversation in the locker room, it was but one play on a day when Young couldn't miss. He finished with career highs in passer rating (123.5), rushing touchdowns (two) and total touchdowns (five). He became only the third Panthers quarterback with five combined touchdowns (Cam Newton, Steve Beuerlein) in a game. Overall, he went 25-of-34 for 251 yards and three touchdowns through the air, adding two more on the ground with five rushes for 24 yards.

It was the sort of performance that meant once the Panthers won the coin toss to get the ball first in overtime, they seemed destined to win.

"Being able to call whatever I wanted to call on the call sheet knowing that he was going to find a positive outcome, he was going to find a throwaway, a big play, a scramble for a touchdown, just the different things," Canales began, bragging on Young's day, "and how freeing that is, just to be able to call whatever fits that area, not have to second guess the calls and he gave us that ability to do that."

Young's growth in the playbook and this offense has allowed him, at times, even to know what needs to be done better than the called play itself.

Tied at 24-all late in the third quarter, facing a third-and-8 from the Falcons 16-yard line, the Atlanta defense appeared slightly out of place and pace, trying to match late into the shot clock. Young saw the confusion and saw the hole it left open. He raised his hands for an audible, triggering David Moore and Jalen Coker to switch their routes.

It meant Moore took an angle upfield on an inside crosser. Young put the ball in front of him in stride, and Moore had a clear path to the end zone.

"I'm pretty sure he's like a point guard," Moore laughed of Young.

Added offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu, "You see that confidence growing more and more, so it's definitely fun being a part of that, seeing a player really start getting back to himself, really start feeling comfortable and showing people, showing the haters, showing the doubters like why we got the (expletive) in the room. It's so good being able to put that on display."

Young deflected as he is apt to, giving every bit of possible praise to anyone who wasn't named Bryce Young.

"Just leaning on my teammates; God gets all the glory and leaning on my guys, all of us," Young said. "We're playing off each other. I'm super grateful for the stat line and all that, but in reality, it's a team thing that makes that happen.

"The line did a great job, pass game, run game, the backs—great job running the ball, protecting, receivers doing a great job of getting open, making contested catches, and great scheme on top of that. So, it's definitely not just a me thing; it's all of us, so I'm super grateful for that."

Perhaps one other person, though, could get a little credit: Rod Wave.

"We're still on this, guys? We're still on this," asked a laughing Young, who still didn't give up what the rapper told him when they talked on the phone back mid-season. Young's numbers and play have taken a noticeable upward trajectory since.

Maybe it was Rod Wave. Maybe it was time in the playbook and with Canales. Maybe it was the long breath he took after that Week 2 benching, watching the veteran Dalton execute within the system and realizing he could do that too. Maybe it was Bryce Young remembering he is a former Heisman winner and No. 1 overall pick.

Maybe it was any number of things. But the result was a career day, an iconic moment, and an assertion heading into the offseason that the Panthers have their guy.

"I think it speaks for itself, just how he's been playing, how he's handling himself, how he's showing up on and off the field every day, and I think that shows what type of guy he is, shows his character, shows his personality, and I love the guy," said tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders.

"I want him to be my quarterback. I wouldn't want nobody else."