Quarterback Bryce Young and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan of the Carolina Panthers have been named the FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week following their performances in a 30-27 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons.
Young completed 31 of 45 passes for 448 yards, setting a new franchise record for passing yards in a single game. He threw three touchdowns without any interceptions, surpassing Cam Newton’s previous record of 432 yards. Earlier in the day, Young was also named NFC offensive player of the week.
“You didn’t want me to say it first, but I’m still going to repeat it, individual awards, that’s not what I’m after,” Young said Sunday after the game when asked about breaking Newton’s record. “It doesn’t mean anything. I’m grateful that we won; we had the most important stat today, and it was a win. That’s all that matters.
“But again, being able to be mentioned with Cam, with a player of that caliber who I have so much respect for, it’s definitely an honor.”
McMillan recorded eight receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns during the game. He now ranks sixth in receiving yards across the NFL this season with 748 yards on 54 catches and has scored four touchdowns. His performance against Atlanta moved him into first place among rookie receivers in yardage and he led all Panthers receivers in Sunday’s contest.
“Shoot, honestly, I think we were executing all cylinders, every receiver was going off, just kind of expanding the offense and opening up holes for us. And so I wouldn’t be able to do it by myself at all,” McMillan said. “I mean, that’s big, our guys, the tight end room, the running backs, and especially our receivers coming in and making plays, you know, that’s huge just to fly around and execute on all cylinders.
“It only makes my job easier, makes Bryce’s job easier, and makes the play caller’s job easier just so that they can rely on any player on the offense.”
The FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week award is determined by fan voting and recognizes outstanding performances by quarterbacks as well as other skill position players such as running backs and wide receivers. This marks both Young’s and McMillan’s first time winning this award during this season.
The Panthers are also notable as they are the first team this season to have two players receive these honors in one week; previously this occurred in Week 17 last year with Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins.
As part of their recognition as Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week, FedEx will make a $2,000 donation in Bryce Young’s and Tetairoa McMillan’s names to Feeding America for a local food bank serving communities in the Carolinas.
