Per his usual routine, Ray Flowers takes a look at all the data before rednering his calls on the best, and worst, starts at the quarterback position. Here are the Week 14 results.
RANK | Player Name | Team | Opponent | G | Snaps | Comp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | PA% | YPC | Rating | RuAtt | RuYd | RuTD |
1 | Tom Brady | NE | BAL | 7 | 472 | 208 | 302 | 2470 | 19 | 1 | 64% | 11.9 | 113.1 | 25 | 60 | 0 |
2 | Russell Wilson | SEA | GB@ | 12 | 685 | 238 | 368 | 2865 | 11 | 4 | 53.7% | 12 | 93.9 | 47 | 159 | 1 |
3 | Andrew Luck | IND | HOU | 11 | 625 | 258 | 403 | 3105 | 23 | 8 | 64.5% | 12 | 98.3 | 54 | 272 | 1 |
4 | Matt Ryan | ATL | LA@ | 12 | 715 | 284 | 414 | 3813 | 27 | 7 | 57.9% | 13.4 | 112.3 | 30 | 107 | 0 |
5 | Matthew Stafford | DET | CHI | 12 | 700 | 291 | 433 | 3224 | 21 | 5 | 61.9% | 11.1 | 100.5 | 30 | 178 | 0 |
6 | Derek Carr | OAK | KC@ | 12 | 774 | 300 | 458 | 3375 | 24 | 5 | 59.2% | 11.3 | 100.3 | 31 | 54 | 0 |
7 | Drew Brees | NO | TB@ | 12 | 795 | 357 | 500 | 3913 | 30 | 11 | 62.9% | 11 | 105 | 16 | 19 | 2 |
8 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | SEA | 12 | 766 | 309 | 479 | 3283 | 29 | 7 | 62.5% | 10.6 | 98.5 | 49 | 301 | 3 |
9 | Andy Dalton | CIN | CLE@ | 12 | 761 | 282 | 439 | 3375 | 14 | 6 | 57.7% | 12 | 92.6 | 39 | 162 | 3 |
10 | Cam Newton | CAR | SD | 10 | 686 | 189 | 339 | 2432 | 13 | 8 | 49.4% | 12.9 | 81.4 | 65 | 274 | 5 |
11 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | BUF@ | 10 | 641 | 266 | 409 | 3034 | 25 | 8 | 63.8% | 11.4 | 99.4 | 8 | 22 | 1 |
12 | Philip Rivers | SD | CAR@ | 12 | 751 | 266 | 425 | 3353 | 25 | 14 | 56.6% | 12.6 | 93 | 12 | 34 | 0 |
13 | Tyrod Taylor | BUF | PIT | 12 | 694 | 211 | 348 | 2292 | 11 | 5 | 50.1% | 10.9 | 84.6 | 73 | 469 | 6 |
14 | Eli Manning | NYG | DAL | 12 | 710 | 285 | 452 | 3097 | 22 | 12 | 63.7% | 10.9 | 88.3 | 19 | -7 | 0 |
15 | Marcus Mariota | TEN | DEN | 12 | 790 | 243 | 378 | 2998 | 25 | 8 | 47.8% | 12.3 | 101.9 | 49 | 310 | 2 |
16 | Kirk Cousins | WAS | PHI@ | 12 | 766 | 320 | 474 | 3811 | 21 | 8 | 61.9% | 11.9 | 99.6 | 23 | 53 | 2 |
17 | Jameis Winston | TB | NO | 12 | 804 | 269 | 436 | 3180 | 23 | 12 | 54.2% | 11.8 | 90 | 41 | 111 | 1 |
18 | Dak Prescott | DAL | NYG@ | 12 | 747 | 243 | 358 | 2974 | 19 | 2 | 47.9% | 12.2 | 108.6 | 47 | 217 | 5 |
19 | Colin Kaepernick | SF | NYJ | 8 | 395 | 116 | 213 | 1444 | 10 | 3 | 53.9% | 12.4 | 85.5 | 52 | 393 | 1 |
20 | Carson Palmer | ARI | MIA@ | 11 | 716 | 282 | 460 | 3231 | 18 | 11 | 64.2% | 11.5 | 85.5 | 10 | 34 | 0 |
21 | Alex Smith | KC | OAK | 11 | 620 | 250 | 371 | 2567 | 11 | 4 | 59.8% | 10.3 | 92.5 | 30 | 53 | 2 |
22 | Joe Flacco | BAL | NE@ | 12 | 778 | 321 | 497 | 3258 | 15 | 11 | 63.9% | 10.1 | 84.1 | 19 | 58 | 2 |
23 | Trevor Siemian | DEN | TEN@ | 10 | 635 | 195 | 325 | 2396 | 15 | 7 | 51.2% | 12.3 | 89.2 | 25 | 58 | 0 |
24 | Blake Bortles | JAC | MIN | 12 | 763 | 282 | 483 | 2930 | 20 | 15 | 63.3% | 10.4 | 76.9 | 47 | 323 | 2 |
25 | Brock Osweiler | HOU | IND@ | 12 | 761 | 259 | 436 | 2520 | 14 | 13 | 57.3% | 9.7 | 73.9 | 27 | 132 | 1 |
26 | Sam Bradford | MIN | JAC@ | 11 | 650 | 280 | 393 | 2662 | 13 | 3 | 60.5% | 9.5 | 97.5 | 13 | 7 | 0 |
27 | Carson Wentz | PHI | WAS | 12 | 754 | 285 | 452 | 2901 | 12 | 11 | 59.9% | 10.2 | 80.1 | 35 | 97 | 1 |
28 | Ryan Tannehill | MIA | ARI | 12 | 649 | 246 | 369 | 2800 | 16 | 11 | 56.9% | 11.4 | 91.3 | 34 | 144 | 1 |
29 | Matt Barkley | CHI | DET@ | 3 | 108 | 45 | 87 | 589 | 3 | 4 | 80.6% | 13.1 | 65.7 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
30 | Jared Goff | LA | ATL | 3 | 115 | 51 | 95 | 509 | 4 | 3 | 82.6% | 10 | 70 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
31 | Robert Griffin III | CLE | CIN | 1 | 45 | 12 | 26 | 190 | 0 | 1 | 15.8 | 55 | 5 | 37 | 0 | |
32 | Bryce Petty | NYJ | SF@ | 3 | 64 | 32 | 59 | 317 | 2 | 3 | 92.2% | 9.9 | 59.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* PA% - Percentage of plays run that were passes.
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RANK | Player Name | Team | Opponent | Pts Allowed | Opp Pass Rk | Opp Rk | DVOA | Opp Pass Yds/G | Pace | O/U | $Line | $FD | $DK | $FA |
1 | Tom Brady | NE | BAL | 15.8 | 5 | 2 | -0.184 | 242.5 | 28.06 | 45.5 | -311 | $8600 | $7100 | $7200 |
2 | Russell Wilson | SEA | GB@ | 18.5 | 22 | 18 | 0.0150 | 277.4 | 28.18 | 46.5 | 125 | $7900 | $6600 | $6750 |
3 | Andrew Luck | IND | HOU | 13.6 | 14 | 13 | -0.022 | 227.4 | 27.27 | 0 | $8200 | $6900 | $6900 | |
4 | Matt Ryan | ATL | LA@ | 17.3 | 16 | 15 | -0.019 | 252 | 27.72 | 45 | 220 | $8300 | $6500 | $7150 |
5 | Matt Stafford | DET | CHI | 16.6 | 15 | 16 | -0.005 | 240.4 | 28.79 | 43.5 | -365 | $8500 | $6800 | $6950 |
6 | Derek Carr | OAK | KC@ | 19.4 | 12 | 11 | -0.03 | 286.9 | 28.12 | 47 | -181 | $8000 | $6500 | $6550 |
7 | Drew Brees | NO | TB@ | 18.3 | 9 | 12 | -0.024 | 272.6 | 26.05 | 51 | -142 | $8700 | $7400 | $7450 |
8 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | SEA | 15.1 | 6 | 5 | -0.144 | 252 | 28.07 | 46.5 | 125 | $8000 | $6400 | $7200 |
9 | Andy Dalton | CIN | CLE@ | 20.2 | 31 | 32 | 0.1730 | 259.4 | 27.15 | 43.5 | 220 | $7700 | $6100 | $6700 |
10 | Cam Newton | CAR | SD | 18.2 | 8 | 9 | -0.051 | 295.6 | 26.61 | 0 | $7800 | $7200 | $6950 | |
11 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | BUF@ | 16.5 | 21 | 21 | 0.0510 | 251.4 | 27.35 | 47 | 108 | $8100 | $7000 | $7300 |
12 | Philip Rivers | SD | CAR@ | 19 | 18 | 14 | -0.022 | 301.9 | 27.9 | 0 | $8000 | $6600 | $6550 | |
13 | Tyrod Taylor | BUF | PIT | 15.7 | 11 | 8 | -0.059 | 279.6 | 26.98 | 47 | 108 | $7600 | $5400 | $6200 |
14 | Eli Manning | NYG | DAL | 16.5 | 27 | 26 | 0.0840 | 301.4 | 24.77 | 47.5 | 150 | $7700 | $5500 | $6300 |
15 | Marcus Mariota | TEN | DEN | 13.6 | 1 | 1 | -0.185 | 210.2 | 29.06 | 43.5 | -120 | $7900 | $6200 | $6200 |
16 | Kirk Cousins | WAS | PHI@ | 16.2 | 4 | 4 | -0.146 | 266.7 | 27.92 | 46.5 | -110 | $7600 | $6300 | $6600 |
17 | Jameis Winston | TB | NO | 18.6 | 26 | 25 | 0.0820 | 302 | 26.24 | 51 | -142 | $8200 | $6700 | $6800 |
18 | Dak Prescott | DAL | NYG@ | 13.4 | 7 | 7 | -0.096 | 289.5 | 28.84 | 47.5 | 150 | $8000 | $5900 | $6500 |
19 | Colin Kaepernick | SF | NYJ | 17.6 | 32 | 27 | 0.0930 | 288.5 | 23.95 | 0 | $7300 | $5800 | $6200 | |
20 | Carson Palmer | ARI | MIA@ | 18.9 | 13 | 17 | 0.0000 | 264.8 | 27.51 | 43.5 | -125 | $7400 | $5700 | $6550 |
21 | Alex Smith | KC | OAK | 19 | 19 | 22 | 0.0620 | 288.9 | 27.9 | 47 | -181 | $7000 | $5400 | $6200 |
22 | Joe Flacco | BAL | NE@ | 18 | 25 | 19 | 0.0180 | 265.1 | 26.2 | 45.5 | -311 | $7500 | $5600 | $5900 |
23 | Trevor Siemian | DEN | TEN@ | 19.3 | 24 | 24 | 0.0790 | 270.3 | 26.72 | 43.5 | -120 | $7000 | $5100 | $5800 |
24 | Blake Bortles | JAC | MIN | 13.3 | 2 | 6 | -0.142 | 218.1 | 25.08 | 39.5 | 160 | $6900 | $5000 | $5650 |
25 | Brock Osweiler | HOU | IND@ | 18.1 | 29 | 30 | 0.1490 | 298.2 | 26.82 | 0 | $6500 | $5300 | $5600 | |
26 | Sam Bradford | MIN | JAC@ | 14.8 | 10 | 10 | -0.035 | 213.5 | 28.6 | 39.5 | 160 | $6900 | $5100 | $5400 |
27 | Carson Wentz | PHI | WAS | 18.5 | 20 | 23 | 0.0740 | 278.5 | 30.24 | 46.5 | -110 | $6500 | $5100 | $5900 |
28 | Ryan Tannehill | MIA | ARI | 15.3 | 3 | 3 | -0.148 | 217.5 | 28.81 | 43.5 | -125 | $7100 | $5200 | $6000 |
29 | Matt Barkley | CHI | DET@ | 17.4 | 30 | 31 | 0.1610 | 279.9 | 27.25 | 43.5 | -365 | $6200 | $5000 | $5000 |
30 | Jared Goff | LA | ATL | 21 | 23 | 28 | 0.1080 | 306.4 | 28.85 | 45 | 220 | $6700 | $5000 | $5100 |
31 | Robert Griffin III | CLE | CIN | 19.8 | 28 | 29 | 0.1250 | 269.4 | 28.75 | 0 | $6100 | $5000 | $5000 | |
32 | Bryce Petty | NYJ | SF@ | 19.2 | 17 | 20 | 0.0200 | 273.8 | 26.25 | 43.5 | 220 | $6,200 | $5,000 | $4,900 |
Spread = Point spreads
Vegas O/U = Over/Under
* Pts allowed on Fanduel
** Opp Pass Rank is pass defense
*** Opp Rank is Oppositions overall defensive rank
**** DVOA – Football Outsiders Defense adjusted Value Over Average
*****Pace - Seconds per play, the lower the number, the more plays run.
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RANK | Player Name | Team | Opponent | P>20 | P>40 | RZ Pass Att | RZ Pass <15 | RZ Pass <10 | RZ Pass <5 | RZ Rush Att | RZ Rush <15 | RZ Rush <10 | RZ Rush <5 | $FD | $DK | $FA |
1 | Tom Brady | NE | BAL | 28 | 5 | 38 | 26 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | $8600 | $7100 | $7200 |
2 | Russell Wilson | SEA | GB@ | 33 | 6 | 42 | 26 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | $7900 | $6600 | $6750 |
3 | Andrew Luck | IND | HOU | 42 | 7 | 49 | 37 | 29 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | $8200 | $6900 | $6900 |
4 | Matt Ryan | ATL | LA@ | 50 | 14 | 59 | 48 | 30 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $8300 | $6500 | $7150 |
5 | Matthew Stafford | DET | CHI | 35 | 7 | 48 | 35 | 26 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | $8500 | $6800 | $6950 |
6 | Derek Carr | OAK | KC@ | 39 | 7 | 70 | 58 | 41 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $8000 | $6500 | $6550 |
7 | Drew Brees | NO | TB@ | 48 | 6 | 75 | 62 | 49 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | $8700 | $7400 | $7450 |
8 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | SEA | 38 | 7 | 90 | 67 | 42 | 25 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 2 | $8000 | $6400 | $7200 |
9 | Andy Dalton | CIN | CLE@ | 42 | 9 | 51 | 36 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | $7700 | $6100 | $6700 |
10 | Cam Newton | CAR | SD | 28 | 8 | 34 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 9 | $7800 | $7200 | $6950 |
11 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | BUF@ | 40 | 7 | 49 | 41 | 29 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $8100 | $7000 | $7300 |
12 | Philip Rivers | SD | CAR@ | 38 | 12 | 79 | 54 | 32 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $8000 | $6600 | $6550 |
13 | Tyrod Taylor | BUF | PIT | 23 | 4 | 41 | 28 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | $7600 | $5400 | $6200 |
14 | Eli Manning | NYG | DAL | 31 | 8 | 39 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | $7700 | $5500 | $6300 |
15 | Marcus Mariota | TEN | DEN | 47 | 6 | 56 | 36 | 29 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | $7900 | $6200 | $6200 |
16 | Kirk Cousins | WAS | PHI@ | 46 | 8 | 59 | 44 | 31 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | $7600 | $6300 | $6600 |
17 | Jameis Winston | TB | NO | 30 | 3 | 54 | 30 | 24 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | $8200 | $6700 | $6800 |
18 | Dak Prescott | DAL | NYG@ | 29 | 6 | 54 | 41 | 28 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 3 | $8000 | $5900 | $6500 |
19 | Colin Kaepernick | SF | NYJ | 16 | 4 | 20 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | $7300 | $5800 | $6200 |
20 | Carson Palmer | ARI | MIA@ | 31 | 3 | 58 | 46 | 30 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $7400 | $5700 | $6550 |
21 | Alex Smith | KC | OAK | 22 | 5 | 54 | 34 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | $7000 | $5400 | $6200 |
22 | Joe Flacco | BAL | NE@ | 29 | 6 | 42 | 32 | 19 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | $7500 | $5600 | $5900 |
23 | Trevor Siemian | DEN | TEN@ | 26 | 7 | 46 | 38 | 28 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | $7000 | $5100 | $5800 |
24 | Blake Bortles | JAC | MIN | 34 | 3 | 61 | 47 | 26 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | $6900 | $5000 | $5650 |
25 | Brock Osweiler | HOU | IND@ | 22 | 2 | 47 | 32 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | $6500 | $5300 | $5600 |
26 | Sam Bradford | MIN | JAC@ | 30 | 4 | 41 | 27 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $6900 | $5100 | $5400 |
27 | Carson Wentz | PHI | WAS | 31 | 4 | 61 | 33 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | $6500 | $5100 | $5900 |
28 | Ryan Tannehill | MIA | ARI | 32 | 10 | 43 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | $7100 | $5200 | $6000 |
29 | Matt Barkley | CHI | DET@ | 3 | 0 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $6200 | $5000 | $5000 |
30 | Jared Goff | LA | ATL | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $6700 | $5000 | $5100 |
31 | Robert Griffin III | CLE | CIN | $6,200 | $5,000 | $4,900 | ||||||||||
32 | Bryce Petty | NYJ | SF@ | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $6100 | $5000 | $5000 |
- RZ Patt Red Zone Passing Attempts (inside the 20 yard line)
- RZ P<15 Red Zone Passing Attempts (inside the 15 yard line)
- RZ P<10 Red Zone Passing Attempts (inside the 10 yard line)
- RZ P<5 Red Zone Passing Attempts (inside the 5 yard line)
- RZ Ru Red Zone Rushing Attempts (inside the 20 yard line)
- RZ Ru<15 Red Zone Rushing Attempts (inside the 15 yard line)
- RZ Ru<10 Red Zone Rushing Attempts (inside the 10 yard line)
- RZ Ru<5 Red Zone Rushing Attempts (inside the 5 yard line)
- RZ Tar Red Zone Targets (inside the 20 yard line)
- RZ Tar<15 Red Zone Targets (inside the 15 yard line)
- RZ Tar<10 Red Zone Targets (inside the 10 yard line)
- RZ Tar<5 Red Zone Targets (inside the 5 yard line)
- RZ Rec Red Zone Receptions (inside the 20 yard line)
- RZ Rec<15 Red Zone Receptions (inside the 15 yard line)
- RZ Rec<10 Red Zone Receptions (inside the 10 yard line)
- RZ Rec<5 Red Zone Receptions (inside the 5 yard line)
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*NOTE: Note all quarterbacks have a writeup below. That doesn't mean that only the below options fit in each category. Check the graph below to see where the others rank.
ELITE OPTIONS
Russell Wilson is still dealing with a couple of struggling tackles. That said, he has looked better and better each week as his body heals from the lower body struggles he has been dealing with. The Packers are allowing two passing scores a game and have picked off just eight passes this season.
Matt Ryan threw a pick and tossed another on the two-point conversion that wasn’t technically an interception, last week (the Rams have picked just six passes). He also hit just 6-of-12 passes thrown between 10 and 19 yards last week. Regardless, he threw for 297 and a score and his only real concern is if Julio Jones is forced to miss the game with his toe issue.
Matthew Stafford has five picks all year, has one in eight games, and none his last three. He did throw two earlier this season against the Bears, but the Bears rank 22nd in pass coverage and 20th in pass rush according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), hardly a scary matchup.
SOLID PLAYS
Derek Carr led another comeback win last week as he was pressured on just five of 35 dropbacks as the o-line excelled against the Bills. Carr hit just 225 and one in the first matchup, but he’s been at 260/2 in three straight and 4/5 games.
Drew Brees hit 31-of-39 aimed passes last week for 326 yards. He didn’t look overly sharp though, didn’t toss a score, and generally failed to inspire the troops. Still, the guy has thrown for 285/2 in 4/5 games and the Buc rank as the 27th overall defense according to PFF.
Andy Dalton is coming off his best game of the season as he threw for 332 yards and two scores. He went 308/2 in the matchup earlier this season and the Browns have allowed a league worst 28 passing scores this season. Still, that’s 4/5 games with one touchdown pass.
Cam Newton had a 39.6 QB Rating on 13 pass attempts under pressure last week in yet another in a growing list of lackluster performances. Moreover, he’s completed exactly 14 passes in 3-straight games and he’s hit exactly 14 passes in 5-of-8 games. That’s terrible for 2016. Newton also has an Adjusted Completion rate (((Completions + Drops) / (Attempts - Throw Aways - Spikes - Batted Passes - Hit As Thrown))) of 67.3 percent. Only two quarterbacks are worse (Colin Kaepernick and Josh McCown).
Philip Rivers threw for 225 and two with two picks last week. One of the picks bounced into the arms of Lavonte David on a pick. Another was a potential touchdown that went right through Travis Benjamin’s hands. The third was a great pick by Keith Tandy. A different result on those three passes would have drastically changed the outlook of Rivers from last game.
Tyrod Taylor has no one to really throw to, but this is getting bad. He holds on to the ball longer than anyone else trying to make something happen. It’s not happening. When the pocket breaks down he also struggles leaving him in a catch-22 situation. The Steelers rank 16th in pass rush according to PFF.
Eli Manning seems to only enjoy throwing to ODB anymore. Manning struggled last week against the Cover-2 scheme of the Steelers, even when given time. However, he threw for three scores against Dallas in Week 1 and has tossed at least two scores in 5-straight games overall.
Marcus Mariota has at least two touchdowns in 8-straight. In those eight an average effort has been: 2.63 touchdowns, 0.38 picks, 259 passing yards. That’s a full season pace of 4,146 yards and 42 touchdown passes. Denver is tops in yards allowed as well.
Kirk Cousins posted a 56.7 QB Rating last week when blitzed. He needs to handle the blitz better to take the next step. Might not happen this week as the Eagles have the 2nd best pass rush in football according to PFF. He went 263/2/1 in the first matchup in October.
Jameis Winston threw for 280 yards and a score last week as seemingly every wideout other than Mike Evans went down with an injury. He hit 9-of-11 passes when blitzed, for 136 yards in a composed outing. He takes on a Saints team that has allowed 77 points the last two games (LA, DET).
RISKY PLAYS
Dak Prescott had a down game against the Vikes. He hit 10 passes within 10-yards of the line of scrimmage, but those 10 completions led to just 56 yards. Prescott has just two scores as a passer in two games while throwing for 195 and 139 yards. The Giants held him to 227 yards and no scores in Week 1 and they have allowed just 12 passing scores all season long.
Colin Kaepernick will start for the Niners. He isn’t very good, never has been, and he was historically bad last week. Luckily for him he has a chance to redeem himself against the Jets who have allowed 22 passing scores, picked only six passes, and who have to sacks, the second lowest mark in football.
Carson Palmer has started to throw more passes underneath, and the results have been positive. He threw 25 passes to Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson last week, another big key to success (he completed 20 of them). Palmer has thrown for 289 in 5/6 games and has two passing scores in 4/5.
Alex Smith hit 21-of-25 throws with one of the incompletions being a drop. On the six blitzes last week he completed a pass throwing for 95 yards and a score. He threw for 224.0 in the first matchup and has tossed just four scores in his last five outings.
Joe Flacco threw for 318 yards and three scores with a clean pocket last week. That’s the key for him because this season, when under pressure, his completion percentage is a mere 48 percent. He’s also thrown for more than one passing scores in just 2-of-10 games. The Pats allow 243 yards a game through the air and just 17 passing scores in 12 games. They are also rank as the third best defense overall by PFF.
QUARTERBACKS TO AVOID
Blake Bortles was run down by the Broncos last week and predictably performed poorly and this weeks he faces another tough matchup with the Vikings. In each of the last two games he’s failed to throw for 190-yards and he’s up to 19 turnovers in 12 games (15 picks, four fumbles).
Sam Bradford he completed 25-of-31 passes on aimed throws last time out. However, he was just 7-for-14 on passes when he was pressured. The offensive line simply isn’t working. The Jags are holding teams to 196 yards a game in the air, second best in football and the last three games have held the Lions (202 net passing yards) Bills (118) and Jags (179) to previous little in the air.
Ryan Tannehill has four picks in two games and he looked t e r r i b l e last week. His reward is a matchup with the Cardinals who are third in yards allowed through the air (199.3) while they have allowed 10 passing scores, tied for the best in the league. They are also fourth in sacks.
Jared Goff suffered four dropped passes last week but he was simply completely overmatched against the Patriots who confounded him at every turn exemplified by his work when under pressure (4-for-17 for 16 yards).