2 quarterbacks, 1 historic Sunday

Sunday’s Best is a weekly column highlighting the NFL’s top five performers. Each week, the players who are spotlighted not only put up big numbers but also set the tone for their teams and shape the storylines of Sunday.

Some Sundays are measured in numbers; others are measured in grit. This week, Bryce Young and Josh Allen reminded us why both matter.

Here are Sunday’s Best.

Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

After throwing just 124 passing yards in last week’s ugly loss to the New Orleans Saints, Bryce Young came into Sunday carrying every bit of the criticism thrown his way.

The same player many were ready to write off turned around and wrote a record of his own: throwing for 448 yards and setting a record for the most in Carolina Panthers history.

Young’s poise under pressure didn’t only show up in the stats; it also showed in his spirit. His 54-yard strike to tight end Tommy Tremble set up Ryan Fitzgerald’s game-winning field goal in overtime, sealing a 30-27 comeback win over Atlanta.

It cemented Carolina’s sweep over the Falcons this season and was a statement from a 6–5 team clawing its way back into the NFC South title race.

For a quarterback who’s been doubted since draft night, Sunday was a reminder that leadership isn’t about size. Young completed 31-of-45 passes with three touchdowns — two of which were to Tetairoa McMillan — and zero interceptions.

Even when Atlanta tied the game on a last-second field goal, Carolina never blinked. Records aside, Young’s performance may not have only shifted a season, but possibly the Panthers’ entire narrative.

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

In a back-and-forth shootout at Highmark Stadium, Allen powered Buffalo to a 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, becoming just the third player in NFL history to throw for three touchdowns and rush for three more in a game.

The other two names in that club? Otto Graham in 1954 and, well, Allen himself in last season’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

It was not a pretty start for Allen as he threw two first-half interceptions, but he balanced out the miscues with a rushing score and two passing touchdowns to keep Buffalo within striking distance.

After halftime, he flipped the switch. Allen finished 19-30 for 317 yards with three passing and three rushing touchdowns.

Allen also tied Cam Newton’s record for the most regular-season rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, 75.

If Buffalo can patch up its run defense — which surrendered more than 200 rushing yards to Tampa Bay — Allen may have finally given his team the momentum they’ve been searching for all season.

Some Sundays are about stats, while some are about spirit. And some Sundays leave you thinking about what comes next: the records that could fall, the narratives that shift and the players who rise when least expected.