Who were the top quarterbacks, for better or for worse, in Week 17?
On the final day of the regular season, we had some very high-level performances among the quarterbacks, and in return for that we didn’t have as many really miserable performances, compared to other weeks. Only one quarterback posted a single-digit QBR Total.
We present – as always, in alphabetical order – the quarterbacks who stood out the most, positively or negatively, in the NFL in the last day:
Cinco quarterbacks al raises
The Bills ended the season with one of the most resounding victories of the day, and Allen was decisive, as a genuine MVP candidate, in the thrashing over Miami. Allen completed 18 of his 25 pass attempts for 224 yards with three touchdowns and one interception to make Buffalo the hottest team heading into the Wild Card Round. His Total QBR was 88.0, the third highest on the day.
It was very nice to see Herbert close out his season on such a positive note as 22 complete of 31 attempts for 302 yards with three touchdowns without interceptions at Arrowhead Stadium, even though the Chiefs did not deploy their full arsenal. Although the Chargers were already out, these kinds of road experiences are invaluable for a young quarterback who needs as many reps as he can get in the year. His (6.1 was the fifth-highest QBR Total of the week. As a whole point, naming the new NFL rookie touchdown pass record, at 31, is quite valuable.
For the second year in a row, Jackson managed to accumulate more than 1,000 rushing yards this season, becoming the only quarterback in league history to accomplish the feat more than once. Although his overall numbers declined in his second year as a full-time starter, there’s no question that he faced more adversity this season, and yet he still has the Ravens in the postseason, again. Against Cincy, he completed 10 of 18 passes for 118 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, and carried the ball 11 times for 97 yards, to rank as one of two quarterbacks who scored a Total QBR greater than 90 on the last date. The real test comes against the Titans, a team against which they accumulate two consecutive defeats, including playoffs.
If it is true that Newton will not wear the Patriots uniform again, at least he had to say goodbye with his best performance. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 242 yards with three touchdowns with no interceptions, ran 11 times for 79 yards, and caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in the final game. Newton has been the target of multiple criticisms throughout the season, much of it fairly, but it is undeniable that he ran one of the most limited rosters in the NFL, too.
There was no better way to cap off a regular season likely to lead Rodgers to his third MVP title than with a 19-for-24 performance for 240 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. On top of that, he left with the highest Total QBR of the day, a 92.2, which cemented him as the best in this area for the entire campaign, with an 84.4. No one threw more touchdown passes than Rodgers’ 48, and for that, it’s just as amazing that he threw only five interceptions this year.
Five quarterbacks down
One of the smallest Total QBRs all season was Allen in Week 17, 3.1, the product of six completions of 21 attempts for 48 yards with no touchdowns and with two interceptions against Baltimore. The 2.29 yards per pass attempt is the lowest number I remember for a game this year, too. The only thing to rescue here for Cincy is that it is expected that Joe Burrow be completely healthy by the time the next season begins.
If he were playing for a more media market, there would be much more talk of Bridgewater in negative terms, after he went 4-11 as a starter in Carolina this year. In Week 17, he completed 13 of 23 passes for 176 yards with no touchdowns against two interceptions, and suffered two fumbles. He apparently has the full support of head coach Matt Rhule, but he definitely needs to raise his bar.
Dalton completed just 29 of 47 pass attempts for 243 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, but he was also sacked six times, knocking out Dallas in a game that needed to win, yes or yes. After what we’ve seen this year, it’s hard to think that Dalton will receive a genuine opportunity to compete for a starting position in another franchise.
The Darnold era may not be entirely over in New York, but the reality is that with the head coach change, and a second overall pick in the draft, coupled with available talent at the position, it seems more likely. If so, Darnold leaves as a starter for the Jets with 23 completions of 34 attempts for 266 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, and his second of three league seasons completing less than 60 percent of his shipments. Also, for the first time in his career, he threw fewer touchdowns (nine) than interceptions (11).
Despite going 6-3 as a rookie, there is no doubt that Tagovailoa’s worst performance came this Week 17, when he completed just 35 of 58 passes for 361 yards with a touchdown and three expensive interceptions against the Bills who closed the playoff door to Miami. It was a tough lesson for the rookie, who must now learn a new offensive system in 2021 following the resignation of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.
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