Bryce Young — Week 3: Three Fourth Downs, One Interception
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 28
Young completed 26 of 48 passes for 291 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and was sacked three times. His 8-yard touchdown to John Metchie put Carolina ahead 18–13 with 4:29 left; after Cleveland went back in front, his fourth-and-16 throw came up 8 yards short and his third-and-10 throw from the Carolina 42 with 16 seconds left was intercepted. All three of Carolina's fourth-down pass plays failed, in a 21–18 loss to the Browns.
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21 to 18, Browns, 16 seconds left, third and 10 at the Carolina 42, no timeouts. Bryce Young threw short left for Darren Waller, 12 yards in the air, and Ronnie Hickman intercepted at the Cleveland 46. The drive had started at the Carolina 17 with a minute one left, after Carolina's defense stopped Quinshon Judkins on fourth and one, and completions of 11 to Waller and 20 to Brycen Tremayne had reached the 42. −10.7 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. The possession before that had started at the Carolina 22 with a minute 44 left: an incompletion, a catch by Chuba Hubbard for nothing, a sack for six, and on fourth and 16 from the 16, eight yards to Waller, eight short. −2.9 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and −11.6 points of win probability.
The line: 26 completions on 48 attempts, one of them a spike, 291 yards, one touchdown, one interception, three sacks, −5.9 expected points on 51 pass plays. The touchdown was first and eight at the Cleveland eight with four 29 left, down 13 to 12, short left to Metchie, and it made it 18 to 13. The largest win-probability gain on any Carolina offensive play came with 13 seconds left in the third: third and four at the Carolina 34, down 10 to nine, 31 yards deep left to Tremayne, +3.0 expected points and 13.6 points of win probability, on the drive that ended in the field goal that gave Carolina its first lead, 12 to 10. On third down: 12 pass plays, 10 throws, five completions, three conversions. Seven throws traveled 20 or more yards in the air and two were caught, for 51 yards, a week after five of six.
Carolina threw on fourth down three times and got nothing each time. Fourth and three at the Cleveland 43 with eight 38 left in the half, no score: sacked for 10, and Cleveland started at the Carolina 47 and kicked a field goal. Fourth and one at the Carolina 40 with three 40 left in the half, down three: short left for Tommy Tremble, incomplete, and Cleveland scored a touchdown seven plays later. And the fourth and 16 in the last two minutes. 10 of Cleveland's 21 points came off the first two.
Back in June the preview's read on Young was a season that finished nineteenth among quarterbacks across 16 games, with a floor built on durability, about 90 percent availability, rather than on efficiency or touchdown volume. Week 1 and Week 2 were six touchdown passes, one interception, and +10.4 and +11.1 expected points through the air; Sunday was −5.9 on more pass plays than either, with the fewest yards per attempt of the three. Three games: seven touchdown passes, two interceptions. The efficiency the first two weeks showed now has one game against it, and three games settle little. Carolina is home to the Lions on Sunday night the fourth.
_Data via nflverse._
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