Who were the top quarterbacks, for better or 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 we didn’t have as many really miserable performances, compared to other weeks, Only one passer recorded a total QBR of one digit.
We present –as always, with an alphabetical view– the quarterbacks that stood out most, positively or negatively, in the NFL on the last day:
Five quarterbacks on the raises
The Bills culminated the campaign with one of the strongest wins of the day, and Allen looked decisive, as a genuine Most Valuable Player candidate, in the stomach over Miami. Allen completed 18 of his 25 passing attempts for 224 yards with three touchdowns and an interception to place Buffalo as the deepest team facing the Wildcard Round. His Total QBR was 88.0, the third highest on the day.
It was very nice to see Herbert close out his season with such a positive note as the 22 complete 31 attempts for 302 yards with three touchdowns without interceptions at Arrowhead Stadium, even though the Chiefs did not deploy their full arsenal. Even though the Chargers were already eliminated, this kind of invaluable visiting experience for a young quarterback who needs as many replays as he can get in the year. His (6.1 was the fifth highest Total QBR of the week. As a point and aside, naming the new record for touchdown passes for a rookie in the NFL, at 31, is quite valuable.
For the second year in a row, Jackson managed to amass more than 1,000 ground yards in the campaign, becoming the only quarterback in league history to achieve the feat more than once. Although his numbers generally declined in the second year as a full-time starter, there is no doubt that he faced greater adversity in the campaign, and still has the Ravens in the postseason, again. Against Cincy, he completed 10 of 18 passes for 118 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, and involved the ovoid 11 times for 97 yards, to position himself as one of two quarterbacks who scored a total QBR over 90 on the last date. The real test comes against the Titans, a team against which he has accumulated two consecutive defeats, including playoffs.
If it’s true that Newton won’t be wearing the Patriots ’uniform again, at least he had to say goodbye to his best performance. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 242 yards with three touchdowns without 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 campaign, many of them fairly, but it is undeniable that he was at the forefront of one of the NFL’s most limited squads, too.
There was no better way to culminate a regular season that would probably lead Rodgers to his third most valuable player title, than with a full 19-run performance of 24 attempts for 240 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. On top of that, he went with the highest Total QBR of the day, a 92.2, which grounded him as the best in this category for the entire campaign, with an 84.4. No one threw more touchdown passes than Rodgers ’48, and in return for that, it’s equally amazing that he only threw 5:00 interceptions in the year.
Five quarterbacks down
One of the smallest Total QBRs of the entire season was the one Allen took in Week 17, a 3.1, the product of six full 21 attempts for 48 yards without touchdowns and with two interceptions against Baltimore. The 2.29 yards per pass attempt is the lowest number I can remember for a game in the year, too. The only thing to rescue here for Cincy is that Joe Burrow is expected to be completely healthy by the time the upcoming season begins.
If he played for a more media market, there would be a lot more talk of Bridgewater in negative terms, after he left with a 4-11 record as a starter in Carolina this year. In Week 17, he completed 13 of 23 passes for 176 yards without touchdowns against two interceptions, and suffered two loose balls. Apparently, he has the full support of head coach Matt Rhule, but there is no doubt that he has to raise his level.
Dalton completed just 29 of 47 passing attempts for 243 yards without touchdowns and with an interception, but was also caught on six occasions, leaving Dallas without a chance in a game he needed to win, yes or no. After what has been seen this year, it’s hard to think that Dalton will get a genuine opportunity to compete for a starting spot in another franchise.
The Darnold era may not be all over in New York, but the reality is that with the change of head coach, and a second overall selection in the draft, coupled with the talent available in the position, it seems the most probable. If so, Darnold leaves the Jets as a starter with 23 complete 34 attempts for 266 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and his second of three seasons in the league completing less than 60 percent of his submissions. Also, for the first time in his career, he threw fewer touchdowns (nine) than interceptions (11).
Despite leaving as a rookie with a 6-3 mark, there is no doubt that Tagovailoa’s worst exercise came this Week 17, when he completed just 35 passes of 58 attempts for 361 yards with a touchdown — three costly interceptions against the Bills that closed the playoff door on him in Miami. It was a tough lesson for the beginner, who will now have to learn a new offensive system in 2021 following the resignation of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.