Grading Every Quarterback Performance From Week 14

Three quarters of the NFL season have concluded. As the playoff race heats up, signal callers either sink or swim under the pressure. This week consisted of both ends of the QB spectrum. Some of them made dazzling play after dazzling play, while others turned into turnover machines. It was another chaotic week of the NFL, so let’s grade those QBs and their performances as a whole.

Jared Goff: A

The Lions offense cruised to a crucial win on Thursday night with Goff leading the charge. Detroit’s signal caller was aggressive and effective, throwing for his third 300 yard passing game of the year. He worked within the pocket and made some clutch throws under pressure. Thanks to those nerves of steel, the offense felt in sync for the entire match. If the Lions wanna make the playoffs, Goff will need to keep up the good work.

Dak Prescott: A-

Those two picks on the stat-line shouldn’t fool you, Prescott was the main reason why his team had a shot. Javonte Williams and the run game faltered and his offensive line constantly got beat. He was under siege all night, getting pressured 20 times, hit 11 times, and sacked 5 times. In spite of that, he put up 376 off of 31 completions on 47 attempts. His two picks were the receiver’s fault, and his supporting cast did little to help him out.

Shedeur Sanders: B+

In the freezing temperature with snow falling down, Sanders had his best performance of his young career. Granted, it was against the Titans and their decimated defense, but he still made some great throws. Of course, it wasn’t all perfect, he held onto the ball for too long at points and did throw a back-breaking pick, but he did well nevertheless. He on the final two drives. He scored back to back touchdowns and put Cleveland in a position to win.

Cam Ward: B+

Everybody knows that Tennessee’s offense is on another level of dysfunctional. Thus, with the Browns and their ferocious defense up next on the schedule, coming out of it with Cam Ward still alive would be a win in of itself. Instead, Ward not only survived but also took a life when he stiff armed Grant Delpit to the ground on an incompletion. Besides that highlight reel play, Ward showed more flashes of his first overall talent. There were some misses here and there, but with everything stacked against him, Ward performed at a high level.

Kirk Cousins: D

Mike MacDonald and the Seahawks defense completely nullified Kirk Cousins. The veteran backup was already struggling to move the ball since he was anointed starter. However, it would only go down from there with Drake London being inactive. He completed just 50 percent of his 30 pass attempts, and clearly couldn’t get into a rythm.

Sam Darnold: A-

For the Seahawks offense so far this year, they start off hot before getting into a funk in the second half. Most of Darnold’s mistakes so far this year have been in high stakes situations late in the game, leading to some of Seattle’s losses. In this match, he flipped that narrative on his head. He got an interception out of the way in the beginning of the first half, but went on a tear in the next half. Darnold also silenced the narrative that he struggles when blitzed. According to Next Gen Stats, he was 6 of 8 for 75 yards and all three touchdowns and one interception against Atlanta’s blitzes.

Trevor Lawrence: A+

Marking a decade since the last time the Colts won in Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence was on a heater. The completion percentage doesn’t show it, but Lawrence was near perfect on his ball placement. Multiple deep shots which were right in his receiver’s bread baskets. The funny part is that it could have been better if some of his dropped passes were hauled in. Nevertheless, it was a great showing by Duval’s man under center.

Riley Leonard: C+

Sixth round pick Riley Leonard was thrown to the wolves after Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles tear. The rookie couldn’t do anything extraordinary, but he did alright considering the situation. There were flashes, especially when he ran with the rock in his hands for a score. Furthermore, his one interception was off of a debatable 50/50 ball that could have gone either way.

J.J. McCarthy: B

After being shutout the week prior, the Vikings flipped the switch and pitched a shutout of their own. While the zero on the scoreboard is thanks to the defense, McCarthy is a big part of the 31 points scored by the offense. He scored a career high three touchdowns, and posted his first career game without a turnover. It was a nice change of pace for the Vikings, as these showings are what you hope to see as a fan of Minnesota.

Jayden Daniels: D

The big story surrounding this match and the Commanders is the injury to Jayden Daniels. While it would be a huge blow to miss Daniels for another extended period, it might be for the best. More importantly, even if he were to be on the field, there’s no guarantee the product would be much better. Daniels looked off on Sunday, and the Vikings had him in a blender. 9 of 20 for 70 yards is not a stat-line that produces great results. Minnesota has a great defense, and it’s a possibility that Daniels wasn’t at a 100 percent, but there’s no denying this was a bad game on his end.

Josh Allen: A

Allen did benefit from back to back great plays by his defense. However, Buffalo would not win this game without their alien quarterback. It all started with his first touchdown pass. With the Bills down 14-3, Sean McDermott decided to be aggressive. He went for it on two fourth downs in the same drive, and Allen was able to deliver. On the second one in particular, he thread the needle to Khalil Shakir for an unbelievable touchdown. Afterwards, he made multiple clutch plays, including a 40 yard touchdown run, and excelled against Cincinnati.

Joe Burrow: B+

Two back to back interceptions by Burrow were what caused this game to get out of hand. Granted, one of them was a great play by Christian Benford, and the other was caused by a tip. Truth be told, Burrow did enough for the win. In the snowy Buffalo weather, Burrow led multiple key drives, including the final one where Tee Higgins made an unbelievable one hander.

Brady Cook: D

Another week, another struggling UDFA. Brady Cook entered the match following Tyrod Taylor’s groin injury at the start of the game. Unfortunately, the slow start for the Jets offense sealed their fate. The Dolphins put up point and were in the lead early, and New York wasn’t able to mount a comeback. You can’t blame the rookie for playing like he did given the circumstances. However, a bad game is a bad game nonetheless.

Tua Tagovailoa: B-

Tagovailoa extended his undefeated streak against the Jets on Sunday in the freezing cold. The offense was humming all day, and the rushing attack in particular carried the attack. Tagovailoa was able to sit tight and simply fulfill his role as a game manager. He didn’t put the ball in harm’s way, and made it easy to secure the win. A solid performance.

Tyler Shough: B

New Orleans’ second round pick is doing his best to change the narrative surrounding his draft status. The 26 year old had a solid outing through the air, but did most of his damage on the ground. He rushed for 55 yards, and scored two of the Saints’ three rush TDs. He was poised, and kept fighting through a torrential downpour to give his squad the win against their division rivals.

Baker Mayfield: C

Similar to Shough, Mayfield’s better plays were when scrambling. He made some key third down conversions, and kept running at the Saints D. However, other than the initial drive where Tampa Bay’s offense dominated, the passing attack stalled. He completed just six passes the rest of the day, and his team found themselves trailing following his interception.

Aaron Rodgers: A-

After weeks upon weeks of no passes being completed over 20 yards, the Steelers connected on those deep shots multiple times against Baltimore. Rodgers turned back the clock, and delivered through the air and on the ground. He had his o-line to thank for the great performance, as the Ravens rushers weren’t able to bring him down once. This was a crucial game for Pittsburgh in their playoff push, and if Rodgers keeps it up there’s no doubt they’ll make the dance.

Lamar Jackson: B-

Pittsburgh’s constant pressure continuously disrupted any rhythm that Jackson and the passing offense were trying to establish. In turn, Jackson’s day was another rough one among many this season. It was much better than last week against the Bengals, but it still wasn’t up to his high standards. There were some flashes, like on his rushing touchdown, but the rush by the Steelers proved to be too much.

Geno Smith: C+

Not a lot to say regarding Smith’s performance. Everyone knew that the red hot Broncos and their elite defense were likely going to handle the Raiders with relative ease. Smith faired well statistically, but just couldn’t do anything to put points on the board, or get the offense moving. It’s clear where his ceiling is at, and he has not shown anything that would provide a spark for Vegas’ attack.

Bo Nix: A-

The plan heading into this game was simple, run the ball and run the ball some more. Denver’s efficient ground game allowed Nix to relax in the pocket and manage the game. He didn’t score, but put up 212 yards on 31 pass attempts, and most importantly, didn’t turn the ball over. He also ran for a score, and kept the momentum going when necessary.

Jordan Love: A-

Another chapter in the storied Bears Packers rivalry concluded after a thriller on Sunday. Jordan Love did his part, and made some phenomenal throws. After throwing just his fourth pick of the year on the first drive, Love turned up the heat. He excelled against Chicago’s blitz heavy plan, and went 9 of 12 fir 171 and three TDs vs the blitz. Furthermore, he consistently came in clutch, and made some of his best throws on third down,

Caleb Williams: B

Following a tough tough first half, Williams looked poised to mount yet another comeback against Green Bay. He led his squad to three consecutive touchdown drives, and brought the match to a tie game. Unfortunately, when it looked like he’d take this game to OT, he threw a pick in the endzone which led to the Packers securing their win. It was almost a great comeback for Williams, but he’ll have to wait for another day to get another win against the Packers.

Matthew Stafford: A+

Aggressive, accurate, efficient, those are the three words that defined Stafford this match. Stafford went nuclear in the desert. According to Next Gen Stats, 16.1 percent of Stafford’s throws were into tight windows. Despite that, Stafford connected on more than 70 percent of his passes. He made multiple big time throws and completely decimated Arizona’s defense. It was yet another great performance for his MVP campaign.

Jacoby Brissett: C

Brissett had the offense rolling on the opening drive of the match. After another scoring drive capped off with three points, the Cardinals couldn’t keep up. Brissett’s stats look good thanks to garbage time, but his efforts didn’t amount to much.

Patrick Mahomes: D

Drops were abundant all throughout the game, but Mahomes did little to elevate his squad around him. He completed just 13 of his 33 attempts for 160 yards against Houston. Granted, a very big chunk of their offensive line was out, which adds salt to the wound of facing this Texans pass-rush. However, Mahomes was just off, and his struggles exemplify the team as a whole this year.

CJ Stroud: B-

It wasn’t the prettiest night for Stroud and the offense in terms of efficiency, but they did enough to ge the win. Stroud continued to find Nico Collins and fed him the ball, leading to the solid showing by his offense as a whole. The team played complimentary football with the defense leading the way, and Stroud was able to control the flow of the match.

Justin Herbert: B

One word, grit. Herbert can sometimes have a bad game or two, but his mental and physical fortitude should never be in doubt. Despite his offensive line continuing to let him down, Herbert just fights through. Of course, LA wouldn’t be celebrating a win without the high number of turnovers forced by their defense, but Herbert’s resilience was crucial for this game.

Jalen Hurts: D-

Calls of Kevin Patullo’s firing happen to distract from the fact that Jalen Hurts hasn’t been having a great year. That was highlighted especially on Monday night, where he turned the ball over five whole times. Additionally, he was the first player to have two turnovers on the same play since 1978. The Eagles want to avoid another situation like 2023, but their quarterback will have to do better in order for this free fall to stop.