NFL Week 18 Recap: Carolina Panthers 44, Atlanta Falcons 38

The Carolina Panthers ended their regular season with a 44-38 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.  

Both young quarterbacks were outstanding in this high-scoring affair. Bryce Young ended his roller coaster on a high note, finishing 25 of 34 for 251 passing yards and three touchdowns to go with five carries for 24 rushing yards and two more touchdowns. Michael Penix Jr. was excellent as well, going 21 of 38 for 312 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception in addition to a five-yard rushing touchdown. 

Each quarterback's performance should give their respective fanbases optimism entering the offseason about each franchise's future. 

PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at noon ET.

In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field. Sign up for PFF+ for in-depth analysis, PFF grades, Premium Stats, fantasy football tools, betting dashboards and much more!

HIGHEST-GRADED PLAYERS

• QB Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons (93.9)
• G Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons (91.9)
• G Matthew Bergeron, Atlanta Falcons (91.5)

Note: Follow along with PFF's in-game grading as our analysts evaluate every player on every play in real time! Grades will then be relocked 90 minutes after the final whistle as our first-run analysis is reviewed.

Click here to see PFF's initial grades from this game!

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Even in the loss,  Michael Penix Jr was outstanding in his last start of his rookie season. In addition to Penix's impressive stat line (mentioned above), he also accumulated an outstanding five big-time throws while dealing with four dropped passes and finishing with an 11.9-yard average depth of target. 

Penix was particularly lethal when targeting Drake London, as the two connected on 10 of their 18 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. This performance indicates that Penix and London may be one of the most promising young quarterback-receiver combinations in the NFL. 

ADVANCED BOX SCORE