Week 17 Quarterback Grades

The playoff picture is nearly clear, seeding is almost determined, and just one game is left in NFL regular season. Quarterbacks this week spread both Christmas cheer and festive melancholy, with a few surprises sprinkled within. They’ll be the driving force for their team’s success, so let’s grade these QBs and see whether or not they were able to live up to expectations.

Dak Prescott: A

The Cowboys offense sputtered initially, with Prescott’s first four pass attempts ending up as incompletions. It didn’t take long for him to get hot though, and Dallas thoroughly handled their division rivals. He simultaneously connected on explosive plays while also managing long extended drives that took up the clock . Additionally, he was perfect on fourth down, which led to those longer drives. This performance marked the sixth game of the year where he surpassed 300 yards passing, and gave a nice glimpse of what next year can be.

Josh Johnson: C

A team’s ceiling is very limited when their third-string QB takes the field. The 2009 draftee had little to no expectations, and ultimately played second fiddle to the ground game. He put up decent numbers, though it was clear that Washington’s chances of victory were slim with Johnson at the helm.

Jared Goff: D+

It was the nightmare on Christmas for Jared Goff and the Lions. Detroit’s otherwise dependable line was outclassed and outgunned throughout the game. Brian Flores’ blitz-happy scheme put the home team on a razor edge, and it lead to the repeatedly compressed pocket Goff had to play within. He lost hold of the rock three times in the match, and the Vikings D pounced on every single one of those fumbles. Additionally, he threw two picks, and had a key miss to Amon-Ra St. Brown at a crucial point late in the game.

Max Brosmer: D

The Vikings offense ended the affair with three net passing yards. No, that is not an exaggeration, that is a real stat. Any potential yardage that was gained through the air was nullified due to the sacks, largely thanks to offensive line continually getting beat. It is a miracle that Max Brosmer didn’t turn over the ball once, and that single stat was just enough for the Vikings to kick their rivals out of playoff contention.

Chris Oladokun: C-

On a short week against one of the game’s top defenses, it was the making of a disaster for Oladokun. It was at least better than what most people expected, but that’s not saying much. Oladokun completed zero passes longer than 10 yards, and any good play he made was futile. When looking at the time of possession battle especially, he didn’t have much of a chance anyways.

Bo Nix: B-

Nix’s passing output was hampered by a conservative offensive gameplan. Out of his 38 attempts, just nine of them were longer than 10 yards. He was tasked with being a calming presence and commanding the offense at a slow and steady pace. Furthermore, the one interception he logged can be attributed to being a great play by Nick Bolton. Ultimately, Nix’s adequate play led him to the win, and made him the first Broncos QB to win in Arrowhead since Peyton Manning in 2015.

Justin Herbert: A

This match was a perfect encapsulation of Herbert’s career so far. Broken down line, inept run-game and receiver errors haunted LA’s offense. Despite all that, Herbert dragged the team to a close score. The former sixth overall pick was the sole reason his squad had a chance. He put the team on his back, and was fearless in face of Houston’s ruthless pass rush. Although, due to a myriad of mistakes made by the rest of the team, it was all for naught.

CJ Stroud: C+

Stroud and his offense hit the ground running. He connected on two deep shots in the first two opening drives of the game, completing four passes combined for 142 yards. Afterwards, the offense fell flat the rest of the match. Stroud struggled mightily, finding it difficult to get into any rhythm. He saw two of his passes picked, and found it difficult to manage the offense when pressured.

Malik Willis: A+

Against the Ravens on a cold Saturday night, Malik Willis revitalized his shot at being a starting QB. With his defense failing to stop the run, he had to go blow for blow with Baltimore’s attack. Whether it was on the run, through the air, short or deep, Willis was on-point. Only three of his 21 pass attempts hit the ground, and he tallied 60 yards rushing along with the 288 he had when throwing.

Tyler Huntley: B

With the vintage performance Derrick Henry displayed in the ground game, Huntley simply needed to keep the offense on schedule and minimize turnovers. In his backseat role, he almost exclusively threw in the short area of the field. Add on eight rushes for 60 yards, his efforts maintained Baltimore’s momentum.

Baker Mayfield: B-

Key turnovers in the game by Mayfield ultimately doomed the Bucs. His two interceptions and lost fumble directly led to the loss, but he was effective otherwise. With Tampa Bay trailing, his workload increased, leading to his second-highest amount of pass-attempts in a game this season. He was delivering, leading multiple promising drives, but simply didn’t finish. The downward spiral is nearing its end for the Bucs, but a question arises, will they climb the steps, or hit rock bottom?

Quinn Ewers: B

Ewers earned his first win of the year by operating the Dolphins offense and being a good complement to the run. He mostly stuck as a game manager, and other than connecting with a wide open man he didn’t do anything extravagant. The seventh rounder showed flashes, made key throws and had zero turnovers, leading to the upset.

Brady Cook: C-

The UDFA had no shot this game, and the Patriots gave him and the Jets offense zero hope. There were short drives, turnovers, and all around bad football. Cook tried his best, but nothing ever seemed to click for New York. Most of his yardage came by the time the win was out of reach, and the offense as a whole bombed.

Drake Maye: A+

There is only one QB in NFL history to complete 90 percent of his passes, have 250+ passing yards and 5 TDs in single game, his name is Drake Maye. The Patriots and their signal-caller displayed their dominance over New York, utterly dismantling them. The defense in particular had no answer for Maye, who simply kept on scoring. It was one of the best performances of the year, even if it was against the Jets.

Shedeur Sanders: D+

The stats don’t give the full picture, as Sanders failed to seize the opportunity against a downtrodden Steelers defense. His initial two drives showed poise and efficiency. The touchdown pass he threw to Harold Fannin was misplaced more-so due to him getting hit prior to the throw. However, he faltered the rest of the match. He held on to the ball for two long, threw unreasonable checkdowns in long yardage situations, and was simply not a threat for the Steelers.

Aaron Rodgers: D

Pittsburgh’s offense and Rodgers felt more concerned with not being Myles Garret’s record-breaking victim than winning the game. Rodgers especially showed his age and was making terrible decisions left and right. There were the fifty/fifty balls to Scottie Miller, the passes behind the line of scrimmage and the plain ineptitude. He lost his team a chance at locking up the division, and will now face Baltimore for the division.

Philip Rivers: C+

Age reared its ugly head this match. Despite his best efforts, Rivers’ limitations showed, and the difficulty to throw downfield bit the Colts. After the run-game was held in check during the second half, he mostly couldn’t get the ball moving consistently. With Riley Leonard set to start next week, it’s a shame that Rivers couldn’t get one more win.

Trevor Lawrence: B+

Drops and penalties stymied the Jaguars offense once more. Add that on with a bad interception by Lawrence to end the half, a trap game was very much in fruition. Lawrence and the Liam Coen didn’t let that happen though. He continued making great throws, although not in as much of a high volume, and his legs kept the chains moving. Add that on with the fact he played well despite the constant pressure, he continues to impress during this back-half of the season.

Cam Ward: A

For Tennessee, this match had one of the best outcomes. Their rookie signal-caller showed flashes and made several eye-popping plays. Concurrently, they failed to secure the win, maintaining their high draft pick. Ward had his third game in a row without an interception, and his fifth game of the season with 250+ yards. His fumble in the first half was the only negative of the day, though it was costly.

Tyler Shough: A+

Since Drew Brees, Tyler Shough became the first Saints QB to lock up a four game win streak. He was nearly perfect against the Titans, and continues to prove himself worthy as New Orleans’ franchise guy. Chris Olave has been revitalized, and the offense is running at an efficient rate.

Bryce Young: C-

Bryce Young was added to the list of QBs who were thwarted by Seattle’s defense. The Seahawks took away anything deep, and the offense was conservative to a detrimental level. Young tried his best to keep plays alive, but ultimately failed to get over the hump. Just a bad day at the office, one that hopefully doesn’t get replicated next week.

Sam Darnold: B-

Offense was mostly a non-factor for the Seahawks during this affair. Darnold saw a bunch of his passes batted down as his attack struggled to get humming. He was three yards short of 147, and it was a strange day all around. He luckily did enough to secure the victory, but there is no doubt that the defense was the star this time around.

Joe Burrow: A

It was time for Burrow and the offense to feast. After decimating the Dolphins, Burrow kept the ball rolling and had himself another 300-yard aerial game. He spread the ball around, stayed efficient and led his squad to a 37-7 lead. It’s a lost season, so Burrow is hoping to finish strong, and his stats are indicative of that endeavor.

Jacoby Brissett: D

Set to face off against a bottom three NFL defense, Brissett failed to do anything of significance. Similar to the rest of his performances during his tenure as Arizona’s starter, most of his output came in garbage time. His only highlight is perhaps helping Trey McBride surpass the single-season record for most TE receptions. Other than that, it felt like Brissett and Arizona were just trying their best to skip towards the end of the year.

Geno Smith: C-

It didn’t take that long for Smith to reclaim his crown as this season’s leader in interceptions thrown. He completed passes and seemed to get the ball moving, but his picks just killed any momentum. It was another display of an inept Raiders offense which was lifeless for all four quarters. The only difference this time was that fans in Vegas were cheering for a loss, as the first overall pick is nearly in their grasp.

Jaxson Dart: A-

Following a putrid display the past week, Dart had a bounce-back in Allegiant stadium. He hit his receivers on long passes, made good throws and didn’t turn the ball over. Additionally, he returned to what brought him success earlier in the year, his legs. He ran with the ball nine times for 48 yards and two scores.

Josh Allen: A-

Philadelphia’s stout defense kept Allen contained for most of the match. Allen was consistently trying to find himself time, bailing the collapsing pocket and running around like he was playing backyard football. He put the team on his back later in the contest, scoring on two key drives to give the Bills a chance. Victory was so near he could taste it, but his miss to a wide open Khalil Shakir shut the door on Buffalo’s shot at the division.

Jalen Hurts: C

What initially looked like a decent day for the Eagles offense eventually pivoted to the disappearance of the passing in the second half. Jalen Hurts recorded not a single completion throughout the last two quarters. He didn’t do anything to put his team in a vulnerable position, but also did nothing to elevate them. Of course, Kevin Patullo’s lousy playcalling continued to hinder the talent on Philly’s roster. Regardless, that doesn’t excuse the fact that Hurts was a non-factor in the second half.

Brock Purdy: A+

Purdy shook off a tipped pass in the first quarter that went for six and crushed Chicago’s defense. He produced at an extremely high rate, and was near unstoppable for San Francisco. After his interception, Purdy commanded the team to six touchdown drives to win the game. He’s been on a heater, and has now given his team a shot at the NFC’s first seed.

Caleb Willams: A

Though not as potent as the man-under-center he was up against, Williams was pulling his weight in this Sunday night shootout. He had his first 300 yard game in 16 starts, and was willing his team to scoring drives. The sophomore QB ran out of gas on the final drive though, and was just barely off-target in the face of pressure on the game-losing play.

Kirk Cousins: B

In what was perhaps one of the biggest upsets of the season, Cousins took a backseat and allowed Bijan Robinson to dominate. The veteran did his job at being a game-manager, and played mistake free football. He did step up when necessary though, like when he connected with Kyle Pitts for 11 yards on what eventually became Atlanta’s game-winning drive.

Matthew Stafford: C+

For the first time this year, Stafford was the reason why LA ended up on the loss column. What was set to be a breeze of a game eventually became a worst-case scenario for Stafford. He saw three of his balls picked off, and was saved from having his fourth by an irrelevant penalty. The fact that he nearly came back is an impressive display of resilience. Nevertheless, this’ll likely go down as his worst performance of his MVP caliber season.