2023-12-28 03:52:00
Dec 27, 2023, 10:52 PM ET
Five quarterbacks up and five down following the sixteenth day of the 2023 regular season
As high contrast, we would define the NFL Week 16 in terms of quarterback performances, with four passers achieving a Total QBR of at least 90 units, but three others remaining in single digits.
As has become a trend in recent days, a good number of the names that appear on the wrong side of our list are usually substitutes, underscoring the importance of health at the most important position on the gridiron.
Josh Allen has rebounded at the end of the season, while the Commanders are already making the change at the most important position in the game. ESPN
FIVE ON THE RISE
The Bills quarterback completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 237 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception, but two rushing touchdowns among his five carries on the day, posting the second-highest Total QBR on the day, at 90.7 . His 71.4 percent completion rate was the fifth-highest rate in the league, and he ranked 10th best in completion rate over expectation, at 4.2 percent. His 11.3 yards per pass attempt were the second-most of the week, still keeping Buffalo in contention for a division title.
The new leader in MVP betting lines, according to ESPN BET, had a fantastic night at the 49ers’ home, going 23 of 35 for 252 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and 14 first downs through the air, leaving him tied for ninth place. Also, he led the Ravens in rushing with seven carries for 45 yards, with his only sin being that he was unable to shake off an official’s trip while falling, causing him to stumble for a safety in his own end zone. . A Total QBR of 86.3 placed him sixth on the day.
The quarterback has the Rams on fire, and Week 16 was no exception with the best Total QBR in the league, a 91.5, derived in part from his 24 of 34 attempts for 328 yards with two touchdowns without interceptions and the most for first aerial attempts in the league, 18th, tying him with Joe Flacco. Stafford also ranked sixth in completion rate at 70.6 percent, third in completions over expectation metric at 9.7 percent, fourth in passing yardage production and fourth in average yards per pass attempt. , with 9.6.
The league’s best inaccuracy rate belonged to Mayfield, at 2.9 percent, as part of an outing in which he put the ball in the air 35 times, connecting on 26 of those instances, for 283 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. . His 74.3 percent mark was third-highest in the NFL, and he ranked ninth in completion rate at 6.5 percent. Additionally, he was tenth in passing yards production, and eighth in yards per attempt average, with an 8.1, while his first 17 passing attempts were the second most. Mayfield is making Bucs management think seriously regarding a future with him
The Packers once once more encountered the efficient version of Love, following seeing him connect on 17 of 28 pass attempts for 219 yards with two touchdowns without interceptions and a rushing score. That helped give him a Total QBR of 90.1 that was fourth highest in the entire league.
FIVE DOWN
It is very difficult to remember such a bad game for a winning quarterback in the NFL, but much less once morest Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs, in Arrowhead. O’Connell delighted us with 9 of 21 pass attempts for 62 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions, achieving just three first downs through the air in the entire game. His 42.9 percent completion rate was the second-lowest rate of the day, and with a minus-16.1 percent completion rate over expectation, he was second-to-last. He occupied the same place among starting quarterbacks in yards per pass, and was second to last in the rate of inaccurate passes, with a gigantic 31.6 percent, and second to last in average yards per pass attempt, with 3.0. All of that led to a Total QBR of 12.1, the fourth lowest in Week 16.
It’s funny how easily some teams can get thrown out of position thanks to an injury at the quarterback position. After some very positive weeks for Joshua Dobbs at the controls, following the injury to Kirk Cousins, where Minny actually returned to the postseason race, the Vikes join the list of clubs that are basically trying any thing week by week, as long as we don’t make a mistake and lose, if you can call it that, in a dignified way. That didn’t happen this week, with Mullens tying for the day’s lead in interceptions thrown with four, essentially giving the game to the Packers. He completed 22 of 36 passes for 411 yards with two touchdowns, and had the eighth-highest inaccuracy rate in the league at 23.5 percent. The 42.0 Total QBR he compiled isn’t really as low as others on this list, but there’s no doubt that he was the biggest reason for Minnesota’s loss on a day where he also fumbled twice and was sacked four times, the third largest amount to date.
The Texans’ backup quarterback failed to keep the ship afloat in the absence of CJ Stroud, going 11 of 17 for 62 yards with two interceptions without a touchdown, for a ridiculous Total QBR of 6.6, the second lowest in the entire league. Keenum, who was eventually replaced by Davis Mills, completed the fourth-fewest passing yards among starters, a fact that blows our minds, and was also the fourth-worst with an average of 3.6 yards per pass attempt. He barely managed two first downs through the air before being removed from the game.
Going into their “Monday Night Football” matchup, Purdy had the best odds according to betting lines ESPN BET to win the Most Valuable Player award. Four interceptions later, there’s another one in that spot. Purdy completed 18 of 32 passes for 255 yards with no touchdowns, and his 56.3 percent completion rate was the ninth-lowest rate in the league. However, in completion rate over expectation, he posted a minus-10.8 which was the fourth-worst mark among qualified passers. To make matters worse, his replacement in the game, Sam Darnold, quickly threw an interception as well in the beating the Niners suffered at home once morest the Ravens.
When we see performances like Howell’s last Sunday, we wonder what the real reasons might be behind having a quarterback play at that level in an NFL game. Fortunately for Washington fans, they won’t have to suffer it in Week 17, at least initially. Howell completed six of 22 passes — yes, six — for 56 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He completed just 27.3 percent of his passes, a ridiculous percentage in a league where he is expected to operate consistently above 60 percent with all the rules of the game focused on offense. His completion rate over expectation was negative -27.5 percent, which invites us to look back over the past few days to see if there was any worse number this year. His passing production was the second-worst on the date among starters — yes, Tommy DeVito, who very easily might have opened a sixth spot for this side of the roster this week, threw for 1 fewer yards with the New York Giants, if he can believe it–, and he only managed to average 2.5 yards per pass attempt, one of the lowest numbers we remember for that statistic. He barely managed two first downs through the air before being replaced by Jacoby Brissett, but not before posting a 1.7 Total QBR that must compete for the lowest since the ESPN Stats & Information metric exists.
Statistics and metrics from ESPN Stats & Information and TruMedia
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