Bryce Young hasn't been completely revitalized since getting the Panthers' starting quarterback gig again, but there've been considerably more positives than negatives.
While it hasn't shown in the stats, Young is taking much better care of the football, throwing with more accuracy, and seemingly processing coverages much faster than he ever did as a rookie or in the early stages of his second NFL season. Week 10 featured another solid albeit unspectacular performance, which represents a step in the right direction for the former No. 1 overall pick.
As for C.J. Stroud, he left a lot to be desired in the home loss to the Lions, his third straight disappointing effort. Bo Nix held his own inside Arrowhead Stadium, and Caleb Williams took far too many hits in the defeat at the hands of the Patriots.
There were seven quarterbacks selected in the past two NFL Draft classes who saw considerable playing time in Week 10. Let's dive deep into the individual efforts of each quarterback and assign a grade on a per-snap basis, taking every individual aspect of their performance into account.
(At least 10 attempts were needed to qualify for this piece, which comes out weekly on Tuesdays.)
Who's the betting favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after 10 weeks? Check out the latest odds over at FanDuel.
Week 10 stats
- 17 of 304 for 202 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- Daniels floated a ball over the shoulder of Terry McLaurin and just beyond the reach of the cornerback near the sideline for 28 yards late in the third quarter. Supreme ball placement.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- In the second, Daniels threw behind an in-breaking route over the middle that fell incomplete.
- Midway through the third, he missed a wide-open deep over that could've been a huge play. The ball was too far out in front of its intended target.
- He missed another wide open receiver on a deep over in the fourth from his own end zone that could've been a gigantic play, potentially a 97-yard touchdown.
- On his final drive of the game, Daniels underthrew a hole shot down the right sideline that was broken up.
Summary: This was Daniels showing the NFL he is in fact mortal. Whether it was the Steelers pass rush getting into his head or simply an off-game for the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite, Daniels wasn't nearly as accurate on some open throws as normal. And the spectacular plays didn't materialize.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: B
Week 10 stats
- 22 of 30 for 223 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- In the second quarter, Nix threw with ideal trajectory and placement on a 34-yard touchdown to Courtland Sutton.
- Not the most challenging throw in the NFL in Week 10, but Nix did connect with Sutton on a comeback route on the final drive of the game against air-tight coverage. The pass was made with plenty of anticipation.
- His last throw of the game featured him gliding into the pocket and ripping a strike to Sutton while on the move across the middle.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- In the first quarter, Nix retreated and took an ugly 17-yard sack.
- He missed badly on a vertical route at the intermediate level near the end of the second quarter.
- Late in the third, he threw wide of a slant.
Summary: Nix did a marvelous job keeping the ball out of precarious situations inside Arrowhead Stadium. There were a few impressive throws in critical moments, too. There were misses, yet Nix mostly operated Sean Payton's quick-strike passing offense with reasonable efficiency, as has mostly been the case to date this season. There's just not much on his plate.
Grade: C+
Season Grade: C
Week 10 stats
- 16 of 30 for 120 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- Williams' third throw of the game was squeezed between defenders for 9 yards.
- There was a nifty scramble that featured a juke of a defender in space on a play that went for 11 yards.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- In the second, he missed low and outside on a throw to D.J. Moore near the sideline.
- Near the end of the first half, Williams missed on another sideline throw to an open receiver.
- Williams took a brutal sack with under two minutes to go in game. There really wasn't much pressure, but he held the football too long.
Summary: Williams' slump continues. While this wasn't a dreadful outing, the sacks remain concerning, as it looked like Williams had check-down options before getting hit on a few of those occasions. Most of this game featured underneath throws toward the sideline. Not too many brutal misses. Barely any impressive throws from the No. 1 overall pick in a dreadful loss at home. Plenty of hesitancy.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: C+
Week 10 stats
- 15 of 25 for 184 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- With essentially nowhere to place the football, Maye ripped a surgically accurate ball to Austin Hooper on a deep flag on his third drop back of the game.
- Late in the first half, Maye demonstrated the power of his arm on a deep dig strike to Kayshon Boutte for 24 yards through a closing window.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- His first-quarter interception was a prime example of what can happen when a quarterback doesn't notice an underneath linebacker sitting beneath a throw.
- Late in the third, Maye floated a deep ball to Boutte that stayed in the air forever and was nearly intercepted.
- In the fourth, Maye threw behind Hunter Henry in the end zone and was nearly intercepted.
Summary: Maye wasn't as volatile in this game as he was a week ago. And there were a few more instances in which he appeared overwhelmed by pressure. And the Patriots' offensive front was shaky most of the afternoon in Chicago. But there were also demonstrations of his supreme throwing and above-average rushing talent in what ultimately amounted to a quality road win.
Grade: C
Season Grade: B-
Week 10 stats
- 19 of 33 for 232 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- Stroud's first throw of the game was an anticipatory strike on a dig to Tank Dell for 13 yards.
- There was a brilliant strike on a deep corner in the second quarter against tight coverage.
- The late first-half touchdown to John Metchie was an aggressive dime down the middle of the field between two defenders.
- With a defender in his face, Stroud found his tight end over the middle early in the fourth.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- In space, Stroud took a bad sack in the red zone in the first quarter.
- Stroud had an overthrow into the red zone near the end of the first half.
- To begin the third quarter, Stroud was way late on a sideline throw that was intercepted.
- While rolling right, Stroud floated a deep ball to Dell that was easily intercepted by Brian Branch.
Summary: We saw the high-level Stroud flashes in this game -- which have become normal -- yet they were outweighed by some bad second-half decisions that helped the Lions sneak back into this game in which Detroit ultimately won. Third-straight subpar performance overall from Stroud.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: C+
Week 10 stats
- 15 of 25 for 126 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- Without much room to step into the throw from a crumbling pocket, Young threw with perfect accuracy on a deep over to Jalen Coker that was dropped.
- While there was a huge hole up the middle, Young demonstrated his speed on a 24-yard scramble in the third quarter.
- On the next dropback, Young fired a strike against air-tight coverage on an in-breaker at the intermediate level that went for a 13-yard gain.
- On a 3rd-and-8 in the fourth quarter, Young demonstrated his anticipatory abilities on an ideally placed ball on a deep corner against tight coverage for 11 yards. The throw came from the far hash.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- Not an egregious miss, but Young had an open Coker in the third and overthrew him.
Summary: I can't write this was a clear step forward for Young, who came into this game with back-to-back quality performances, but it absolutely was not a regression. In another reasonably low-volume effort, he kept the ball out of harm's way, showcased the functionality of his athleticism on a few occasions, and made some impressive throws before the receivers were actual open.
Grade: B-
Season Grade: C
Week 10 stats
- 15 of 25 for 126 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- In the second quarter, Levis threw a strike through layers of coverage and a closing window for 13 yards.
- In the third, he ran through a tackle attempt on a 7-yard scramble.
- Levis ripped a fastball past an underneath linebacker on a slant for 11 yards in the third quarter while under pressure.
- His garbage-time touchdown to Calvin Ridley was a perfect ball over the shoulder in the end zone.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- There was a bad sack-fumble when he held the ball far too long stepping into the pocket in the fourth quarter.
Summary: Levis was not bad in this game. There seemed to be a few miscommunications that led to incompletions early, but I felt like his positive plays far outnumbered his negative ones, although he is still taking too many hits in the pocket. Yet that is a classic problem for young, inexperienced quarterbacks.
Grade: B-
Season Grade: C-