NFL Week 15: Students of the game

We're talking quarterbacks this week (and most weeks).

A few topics of conversation dominate this time of the year in the NFL: Who will make the playoffs, who won’t make the playoffs (beside the Jets, that is), who will secure the top pick in the draft, and who will take home the NFL’s major awards. 

And quarterbacks, of course. Because we’re always talking about quarterbacks. 

One star quarterback who took a backseat this week was Josh Allen, who completed just seven passes for 94 yards while James Cook did most of the heavy lifting in a huge win over the Cowboys. Afterward, Allen admitted that he “felt like the kid that didn't do anything in the class project and got an A.”

That’s a great reaction from Allen (even if he is selling himself a little short), and it’s a line that stuck with me when I sat down to write this newsletter. I decided to focus on quarterbacks this week, though I once again have to quickly acknowledge the efforts of a few here — Baker Mayfield and his perfect passer rating at Lambeau, Joe Flacco bringing the Browns elite QB play, Matthew Stafford quietly killing it — and move on. 

I used Allen’s quote as inspiration for the quarterbacks I did choose to single out in Week 15, for both good and bad reasons.

The straight-A students

If there’s any season that a non-QB has a realistic chance to win MVP honors, this would be the year. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up. In that case, the Christmas night showdown between the 49ers and Ravens could more or less decide the MVP winner. If not then, maybe the New Year’s Eve clash between the Dolphins and Ravens will factor into the race.

First, though, let’s take a look at how those three teams’ quarterbacks performed this week. 

Brock Purdy: To me, Purdy is like a smart student who is taking blow-off classes and trying to coast to valedictorian status. Sure, he’s earning A’s, but does he really deserve the highest recognition when nothing that he’s doing is all that challenging?

Purdy himself said that teammate Christian McCaffrey — who, on Sunday, totaled 100+ rushing yards for the sixth time this season and 130+ scrimmage yards for the eighth time — should be league MVP. If only voters realized that there are other positions on a football field besides quarterback! 

Anyway, McCaffrey is one of the many weapons that Purdy has at his disposal. In Arizona, he found McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel twice for touchdowns — and they were wiiiiide open for three of those. In fact, Purdy is now the first player in two years to throw 2+ touchdowns to receivers who had 10 or more yards of separation.

Clearly, Purdy has a lot of help. Coming into the week, he had the lowest percentage of dropped passes than any other qualified starter in the NFL (2%). The QBs at the top of that list were Patrick Mahomes (7.1%), Matthew Stafford (6.8%), and Dak Prescott (6.5%). 

In fairness, Purdy has to execute Kyle Shanahan’s offense, and he does that more smoothly than anyone since 2016 Matt Ryan. Purdy also leads the NFL in several important stats, and the 49ers became the first team to clinch their division this season.  

Yet, ask yourself this: When you watch Purdy, are you truly amazed by what he does? Do you think opposing defenses design their game plan around stopping him? Are you watching a unique talent?

Personally, I would say no to all three, but that’s not true for a certain former MVP who is looking to add to his trophy case.

Lamar Jackson: If Purdy is the guy taking easy-A courses, then Jackson is the one who loaded up on AP classes. 

On the Sunday Night Football broadcast, Cris Collinsworth was making the case for Jackson to win his second MVP Award. To paraphrase what Collinsworth said, stats aren’t everything. Who comes up clutch in the game’s biggest moments? Who is the player that the other team has no answers for?

That was certainly Jackson against the Jaguars. His numbers won’t blow you over: 14 of 24 for 171 yards, one touchdown, and one interception (though he did also rush for 97 yards). But they also don’t adequately represent everything that Jackson brings to table. Near the end of the third quarter, when the Ravens were up 10-7, Jackson threw a block that freed Keaton Mitchell for at least 15 more yards than he would have gotten if, say, George Pickens had been on his team.

Two plays later, he ducked out of a sack, kept his balance, scampered around, and then threw the ball in Isaiah Likely’s direction and let the tight end make an amazing grab in traffic. (Jackson, who has been let down by his receivers before, was owed that one after Odell Beckham Jr. couldn’t haul in one of his terrific throws earlier in the game.)

Two plays after that, the Ravens took a 17-7 lead and, with their eventual 23-7 win, became the first AFC team to secure a playoff berth. And once again, Jackson is on pace to do something that no other player in NFL history has done before. Now that Baltimore lost another running back for the season, the Ravens will need to continue to lean on Jackson if they want to lock down the No. 1 seed. What else is new?

Tua Tagovailoa: To keep this analogy going, Tua is the student whose grades never reflected his intelligence until he got a tutor (read: head coach) who was able to unlock his specialness. 

The Dolphins needed a bounce-back win after their collapse against the Titans last Monday night, but they were also going to be without No. 1 receiver Tyreek Hill, who has earned his own MVP buzz after nearing a potential 2,000-yard season. Hill’s absence during a big chunk of that MNF game was a reason that Miami lost in the first place.

Tua has put up consistently great numbers all season, but he threw two picks and lost a fumble the last time he faced the Jets a few weeks ago. He would also be working behind the 10th different starting offensive line this year due to injuries. So there was real concern about how he would perform without Hill in a rematch with the Jets. 

As it turned out, there was no need to worry. Tua led three touchdown drives in the first half while barely breaking a sweat. His one touchdown pass was a 60-yard bomb to Jaylen Waddle, who exploded for 142 yards on eight catches without Hill. With the Dolphins comfortably ahead 30-0 in the fourth quarter, Tua was able to call it an early day, finishing with an 87.5 percent completion rate (21 of 24) and 224 passing yards.

Similar to Purdy, Tua benefits from having speedy playmakers and a Shanahan-esque offense. Unlike Purdy, though, Tua has the expectations that come with being a first-round pick and because he struggled earlier in his career, he’s not always given the credit he deserves. And unlike Purdy, Tua has now shown he can still guide the best version of his offense, even without his most dynamic receiver and even when missing a couple linemen. 

The guys who can’t do *everything* themselves

There were a couple of quarterbacks who found themselves in a completely different boat than Josh Allen in Week 15. They did their share of the work, but their grade was weighed down by the slackers in their group project. 

Patrick Mahomes: Unfortunately for the two-time MVP, his receivers have failed him on a recurring basis this season. Fortunately for Mahomes, he was facing the Patriots this week, so at least this time, those blunders didn’t cost the Chiefs a win. 

Mahomes’ final line was a Mahomes-esque 27 of 37 for 305 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two picks, neither of which was his fault. The first came in the second quarter when the game was knotted at 7-all. With a defender bearing down on him, Mahomes targeted tight end Blake Bell, who let Marte Mapu rip the ball for him and return it inside the red zone. Soon, the Patriots were up 10-7. 

Midway through the fourth quarter, KC was trying to put the game away when Mahomes was intercepted a second time. Kadarius Toney struck again when he bobbled a perfect strike from Mahomes, which allowed Jahlani Tavai to pick it off. New England scored a touchdown two less than a minute later. 

Understandably, Mahomes was visibly frustrated. Though a couple of his teammates did step up — Rashee Rice led all receivers with nine catches for 91 yards, while Clyde Edwards-Helaire made a nice grab in the end zone on a floating pass — it probably felt again like Mahomes wasn’t getting enough contributions from his supporting cast. Even Travis Kelce’s most memorable moments were a drop and a flop!

The Chiefs were able to avoid their first-ever three-game slide with Mahomes as their starter, but if the offense doesn’t get more consistent in a hurry, then this could be their shortest playoff run since those pre-Mahomes days.

Justin Fields: Like Mahomes, Fields was picked off twice on Sunday and wasn’t to blame for either one. In Fields’ case, both interceptions came on Hail Mary attempts, one at the end of the first half and one at the end of the second half. The latter could have, and should have, won the Bears the game, but if a single play defined the Bears, it would probably be Darnell Mooney butterfingering the ball from Fields, then kicking it into the defender’s hands.

At least it gave us the quote of the day, courtesy of David Njoku. 

Fields’ stats weren’t very impressive — 19 of 40 for 166 yards and a touchdown, as well as seven carries for 30 yards — but once again, they don’t tell the whole story. Fields was under pressure all day. Though he was sacked three times, he managed to avoid getting sacked a whole lot more, most notably when he spun out of Myles Garrett’s arms, bought time with his legs, and threw a dart to Cole Kmet for a touchdown. Even after the lost yardage with the sacks, the Bears’ 148 net passing yards was way higher than the 81.6 yards the Browns were allowing at home. 

Besides the Mooney miscue in the end zone, he also didn’t hold a block on fourth down that could have given Fields the first down. And earlier, a wide-open Robert Tonyan dropped a Fields pass that was right on the money and could have easily been another touchdown. 

Then, for the third time this year, the Bears blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead. There are plenty of reasons for that: much-too-safe playcalling, a lack of execution (which, to be fair, Fields has a role in), and, well, the fact that they were going up against the best defense in the NFL. The Chicago defense, which had been making plays all afternoon, couldn’t sustain its pace either and surrendered 212 passing yards to Joe Flacco in the fourth quarter alone. 

I don’t know what this means for Fields’ future in Chicago. Last year when the Bears had the No. 1 pick, I thought their choice was clear: trade down, which they did (thankfully, because no one would have wanted to see Bryce Young in this offense either). This year when they will probably have the No. 1 pick again, this time from the Panthers, I don’t know what they will or should do. I think the idea of giving Fields, for instance, Marvin Harrison Jr. would do wonders for the offense. And to echo DJ Moore, I’m not so sure that this year’s QB prospects are better than Fields. 

But I also wouldn’t mind seeing Fields start over somewhere else away from this sorry franchise.

The ones who totally misunderstood the assignment

Sometimes, a studious type might turn in an uncharacteristically poor assignment. But they might have a patient enough teacher who lets them make it up without a penalty. Two playoff-experienced QBs, in particular, could use a redo from their Sunday outing. 

Dak Prescott: The good news for the Cowboys is they officially punched their ticket to the postseason. The bad news is that they fell flat on their faces against the Bills, one week after a defining win over the Eagles. And, in the process, Prescott lost his status as MVP favorite. 

Maybe it was a classic letdown game. Or maybe the Bills have finally found their groove after two straight big-time wins. Or maybe the stomach bug going around the Dallas locker room really did a number on the team. Or maybe the Cowboys really are just that awful on the road. 

Whatever the excuse, the Cowboys simply didn’t have their mojo in rainy Buffalo. Prescott totaled a season-low 134 yards on a season-low 3.9 yards per throw and didn’t lead a touchdown drive until the final minutes of the game (why he was still playing late in a blowout is a question for Mike McCarthy). 

The loss knocked Dallas out of first place in the NFC East, and unless the Eagles falter, the Cowboys could be staring down another road postseason matchup in the Wild Card Round. Before that can possibly happen, they have a chance to make up for their Week 15 (and season-long) woes away from home. Next week, they will visit the AFC East-leading Dolphins for a playoff-like contest. If the Cowboys can win, and Prescott outduels Tua, then the egg they laid against the Bills could be quickly forgotten.

Trevor Lawrence: For the past couple of weeks, Lawrence’s play has been up and down and understandably so. Not only did he sprain his ankle, but he’s also been missing his favorite target, Christian Kirk. Last week, Lawrence had three touchdowns against the Browns … and also three interceptions. This week, he threw the longest touchdown pass of his career … and also completely biffed the Jaguars’ last sequence before the half and lost two fumbles.

Baltimore’s defense makes things tough for most quarterbacks, and Lawrence didn’t have a ton of help from his receivers or his running game (Lawrence was the Jags’ leading rusher for the night). Nevertheless, Lawrence couldn’t make enough plays and Jacksonville dropped its third game in a row. Now, the Jaguars are tied atop the AFC South with the Texans and Colts. 

Their schedule, which has been admittedly difficult over the last few weeks, gets more manageable, though. According to FPI, they have the third-easiest schedule remaining in the NFL. They also currently hold the tiebreaker over their competition with a 4-1 record against division foes.

Lawrence’s night somehow got worse after the final whistle when he was put in concussion protocol — he played the entire game, which is not great!  A date with the surging Bucs awaits, and that would be more daunting without Lawrence. He’s never missed a start due to injury, but if he has to sit out next week, that could hurt the Jags’ chances at winning their AFC South division title in a row. It’s likely that Lawrence will be back at some point, however, and he’ll have another opportunity to come through for his team during the final stretch of the season.