Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson put on a show for us on Sunday night. But they were hardly the only quarterbacks who stood out, for better and for worse. Let’s dive into our weekly rankings.
But first, a note on how, exactly, I choose to rank these signal-callers.
QB Stock Market isn’t your typical QB rankings. I’m focused on monitoring the fluctuations of a QB’s performance throughout the season. No one — not even Patrick Mahomes — is safe at the top. No one — not even Spencer Rattler — is stuck at the bottom. There is room for quick ascent — and rapid decline.
One question holds the most important: What have you done for your team lately?
There’s no question about who was the best football player on the planet this week.
In Orchard Park on Sunday night, I watched Bills fans head for the exits in the fourth quarter. And I wondered — even with Allen down 15 points — what they were thinking. Apparently, Allen felt the same way. Because after the game, he told his fans: “Have a little faith.” Receiver Keon Coleman told me postgame that there’s no stopping Allen — not for all 60 minutes.
“Whether you get him in the first quarter or you get him for one drive, he’s going to figure you out. And when he does, good luck stopping him,” Coleman said.
Allen got some help from luck and from his defense. And he converted just enough opportunities to will his team to victory.
“Something special is happening here at One Bills Drive,” tackle Dion Dawkins told me. “You can tell. You can feel it, because stuff don’t happen like that — not like that.”
Lamar Jackson was nearly flawless in an instant classic versus the Bills. Josh Allen was just a bit better. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Throw the stats away for a second, because they won’t quite tell you what happened with Love on Sunday. He was fantastic. The Lions defense didn’t know what hit them.
If this is how Love is going to play all season long, watch out. Because he will quickly enter the MVP discussion.
The game was an impressive display of anticipation, touch and arm strength spread across a diverse set of challenging throws that demonstrated Love’s full arsenal. And what I liked most — and dragged him down all of last year — were the bad throws. The inaccuracy and inconsistency didn’t crop up. I’ll throw out one stat: his 72.7 completion percentage.
On his touchdown to Tucker Kraft, Love got the ball over the linebacker and into the hands of Kraft before the safety could get down. This was textbook touch, folks.
Love’s best throw might’ve been an incompletion to Jayden Reed. Despite getting hit while throwing, Love dropped the ball just out of reach of the defender, despite hip-to-hip coverage. But Reed couldn’t quite hold onto the ball with all the contact.
But, man, what a throw.
There was one throw that Love wanted back, where he zipped the ball directly into the hands of Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone. It was almost a no-look pass, where Love tried to get the ball to his checkdown while getting hit. And Love was lucky to see Anzalone drop the ball. We’ll allow the one mistake, given all the impressive plays he made Sunday.
In the fourth quarter, the Chargers led a drive that lasted seven minutes, 11 plays and 77 yards. It was the biggest reason why — even though L.A. and KC each got two possessions in the fourth quarter — the Chargers held the ball for nearly 10 minutes in the deciding frame.
During that long, fourth-quarter drive, the Chargers faced only two third downs. Herbert kept his team on task and on schedule. He was 8 of 8 for 65 yards and a touchdown.
This wasn’t robot-arm Herbert. PFF charted him with one big-time throw. But that’s on the generous side. And I don’t mean that as an insult. This was a fiercely controlling game manager, who took what the defense gave him (which was … a lot given all the busted coverages). But Herbert knew that patience and efficiency would beat the Chiefs. That’s what he achieved.
He closed out the game with an impressive, 16-yard scramble that I suspect might’ve been designed. Because he seemed to know he was running it from the snap.
This dude had answers. It was like that all day. Herbert was quick-thinking. He was one step ahead of Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo.
Geno Smith was making his Raiders debut, but he looked right at home in Chip Kelly’s offense. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
This offense collapsed in on itself, literally. Just look at Goff’s passing chart. Twenty-six of his 31 completions came within six yards of the line of scrimmage. The Lions barely pushed the ball into the intermediate areas, let alone downfield.
Goff played pretty well in spite of a general malaise that hung over Detroit. They missed their two elite coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. No one would say it. Everyone could see it. Goff’s first three throws went to running backs for a net of minus-4 yards. Two of the playcalls were clearly designed to go to the running backs.
This new offense just makes me sad — knowing what it once was.
Heck, this team just makes me sad — again, knowing what it once was.
There were plenty of impressive throws, including — I kid you not — one of Goff’s many checkdowns where he had to throw sidearm while getting knocked backward just to get the throw to his guy. He kept his offense on-schedule. He did the right things with his eyes, his feet, his arm. It looked like Packers safety Evan Williams outsmarted Goff for an interception in the red zone, which cost the Lions a shot at least three points (for the field-goal attempt). That, too, happened right near the line of scrimmage.
What I loved about Fields’ film with the Steelers was his ability to mitigate risk. It was the same thing when he played against the Steelers (for the Jets) in Week 1. Fields didn’t throw an interception and he didn’t fumble the football. He only had one turnover-worthy play, per PFF.
It’s clear new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand has helped Fields feel comfortable in this offense as a thrower, scrambler and runner. Engstrand is featuring running back Breece Hall and receiver Garrett Wilson in a way that highlights their strengths. We really haven’t seen that in quite some time in New York (with a lot of misuse of the team’s best offensive weapons). And by maximizing the young talent, the Jets’ offense is supporting Fields.
Fields’ career has been a game of Confidence Goldilocks. Too much! Not enough!
Will this serving be just right?
The Vikings were trailing in the third quarter and McCarthy ran into the huddle with one question: “Is there anywhere you’d rather be?” His teammates began to smile, including running back Aaron Jones and receiver Justin Jefferson. “That juiced us up,” Jefferson said.
He couldn’t get off his first read quick enough and pressure found him in the pocket. He couldn’t move his feet fast enough and pressure found him in the pocket. He didn’t recognize simple indicators downfield, and worst of all, the defense found the ball. That was probably the lowest moment for McCarthy: a pick-six in the third quarter.
“You never want to learn wisdom that way,” McCarthy said afterward.
The wisdom? The ball never should’ve come out of the QB’s hands.
“[Cornerback Nashon Wright] لم يتراجع أبدًا عن Backpededal ، لا يمكنك رميها إذا لم يتم الاحتفال بالركود ، “قال Peyton Manning في اللعبة على” Manningcast “من ESPN.
لكن المدرب كيفن أوكونيل عمل على إبطاء اللعبة مع مكارثي. بقي الفايكنج ملتزمًا بالركض ، حتى عند الفوز ، وهذا ساعد مكارثي على العمل على العمل. بدأ مكارثي في العثور على رميات سهلة بالقرب من خط المشاجرة ، حيث يتحرك لاعبون مثل جونز و TJ Hockenson بشكل جانبي لتوليد ساحات بعد الصيد.
هذا استقر عليه لزوج من رميات كبيرة أظهر لنا أي نوع من QB McCarthy قد ينمو فيه. كان هناك رمي شاق كأشخاص إلى جيفرسون بالقرب من الهامش الأيسر (حيث ألقى مكارثي اختياره الستة). قبل أن يحقق نجاحًا كبيرًا ، لم يلفت مكارثي واحدًا لتحقيق مكسب كبير. وبعد ذلك في اللعبة ، كان مكارثي يطلق النار على جونز لمسافة 27 ياردة. كان هذا هو اللعب المثالي ضد الدفاع الذي ركضه الدببة.
أنهى هبوط القراءة من McCarthy Rushing Touchdown اللعبة. أطلق عليه مكارثي “Playcall المثالي”. كان هناك الكثير من ذلك من O’Connell ، الذي مر بالرعاية المضنية في منع كارثة مكارثي.
ساعد مدرب Vikings في التأكد من أن السهم يشير إلى QB الصغير بعد الأسبوع الأول.
كان من المفترض أن يكون هذا الموسم مختلفًا ، لكن CJ Stroud و Texans Complete كانت تشبه بقوة الزي المحبط في العام الماضي في خسارة الأسبوع الأول أمام الكباش. (تصوير رونالد مارتينيز/غيتي إيمايز)
حصل وليامز على فلوريس.
كان منسق دفاع فايكنغز براين فلوريس خطوة واحدة أمام وليامز ومدرب بيرز بن جونسون. وهكذا دمر مينيسوتا التفاؤل المبكر من شيكاغو. أنهى ويليامز بنسبة إكمال أكثر من -13.2 ٪ ، لكل إحصائيات الجنرال التالية. كان QB الوحيد الذي نشر رقمًا أقل هو زاك ويلسون ، الذي كان لديه تسع تراجعات فقط للدلافين في وقت القمامة.
أخاف Flores تمامًا وليامز من رمي أسفل الملعب ، حيث يلجأ Bears QB إلى Checkdowns و Sramerms لتشغيل جريمة شيكاغو. وقد نجح ذلك إذا لم يفوت ويليامز الكثير من الرميات السهلة على طول الطريق. بحلول الشوط الثاني ، بدأ ويليامز في رش الكرة ، وفقدان مراقبيه عالياً و/أو واسع.
إنه شيء واحد لنصاحه ضد منسق دفاعي جيد. إنه شيء آخر أن تكافح ضد نفسك.
لا تخطئ ، كانت أبرز أبرز وليامز مميزة مثل أي شخص حول اتحاد كرة القدم الأميركي. لقد وصل إلى طريق التماس إلى كول كمتد كان رائعا – رمية محددة يمكن أن تخرج من يدي جو بورو. ضرب وليامز أيضًا روما أودونزي على تدريبات تدافع كانت رائعة حقًا-مماثلة لما أصبح رمي توقيع جوش ألين: المتداول يمينًا ، خارج المنصات ، وضع الكرة المثالي ، السرعة المثيرة للإعجاب ، النافذة الضيقة.
وليامز لم يفقد أدواته. إنه أحد الموهبة. لكنه ما زال هو وجونسون لم يكتشفوا بعد كيفية صقل هذه الأدوات في منتج ثابت يفوز بألعاب كرة القدم. لا يمكنني الحصول على عدد المرات لم يكن سبب أخطاء وليامز.
ربما لم تكن هناك نتيجة أكثر إثارة للدهشة في عطلة نهاية الأسبوع الافتتاحية من Dolphins و Tua Tagovailoa التي تفوقها المهورون. (تصوير أندي ليون/غيتي إيمايز)
قبل الانضمام إلى Fox Sports كمراسل وكاتب عمود في اتحاد كرة القدم الأميركي ، هنري ماكينا أمضى سبع سنوات في تغطية Patriots لمجموعة Media Sports Media Group و Boston Globe Media. اتبعه على Twitter على Henrycmckenna.
