Week 8 Highs and Lows

WEEK 8 TOP FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
DOLPHINS	M. MOORE	jets	WIN	6.065
raiders	c. palmer	chiefs	WIN	5.840
browns	b. wheeden	chargers	WIN	5.685
bears	J. cutler	panthers	WIN	5.125

Matt Moore took over for an injured Ryan Tannenhill this week for the Dolphins. It’s hard to think that it really mattered who was playing QB though. The ‘Fins allowed only 9 points AND scored a TD off a blocked punt, giving the offense the not-so-daunting task of coming up with more than 2 points. The offense then had 14 tries to put up more than two points, with three possessions starting around midfield and one inside the Jets 40 yard line. Add a decent effort on the ground (around 100 yards), and the Dolphins needed very little from the QB position. Moore’s 131 yards on only 19 attempts were more than adequate.

Carson Palmer was outed in week 6 as the “Highest Support Loser.” In Week 8, his team gave him even higher levels of support, and this time it was enough for the W. The Raider defense held the Chiefs to 16 points and, with their turnovers, Palmer and the Raider offense got to start drives inside the Chiefs 20 on two occasions. Add three more drives that the Raiders started between the 40 yard lines and over 130 yards on the ground, and Palmer was set up very well for victory.

Brandon Wheeden did not exactly bring down the house against the Chargers (11/27 for 127 yards). Still it was enough for the win. When the defense allows only six points, the ground game chews up over 130 yards, and the offense enjoys fairly decent field position, well, you apparently don’t need that much from your QB.

Although he got a lot of credit (and probably deserves some) for coming through in the clutch against the Panthers, Jay Cutler is not the one who deserves the bulk of credit for this last Bears win. The Panthers put up 22 points, but yet AGAIN, the Bears defense added their own TD. The defensive TD gave the Bears only 6 points as they went for two and failed, meaning Cutler needed to put up more than 16 points over the course of the game. That 16 points, however, has to be put in context. Cutler’s two turnovers put the Panthers inside the Bears 40 one time and inside the Bears 20 yard line another time. In that light, it’s clear that the defense had a quite a strong showing. Add to that, the defense and special teams helped Cutler enjoy good field position, with five drives starting at or around midfield and one drive inside Carolina’s 40 yard line. This was Cutler’s game to lose. He didn’t, and he deserves credit for that, but this game was won on another strong Bears defensive effort.

WEEK 8 HIGHEST SUPPORT LOSER

Chargers

P. Rivers

Browns

LOSS

4.640

Do you remember when people talked about Philip Rivers being elite? Well, he wasn’t elite in week 8. Tasked with scoring more than 7 points against the Browns with a decent rushing game to help (117 yards), Rivers couldn’t do it. He didn’t turn the ball over, but he averaged less than 5 yards per attempt and just couldn’t seem to put a drive together. IN FAIRNESS to Rivers, one thing QB Support does not track is WR quality and things like drops. If Robert Meachem did not drop what should have been a sure TD in the third quarter, this might have been a different game. Nevertheless, Rivers did not look strong against the Browns and his inability to lead his team to more than 7 points is certainly less than impressive, drops or no drops.

WEEK 8 BOTTOM FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
eagles	m. vick	Falcons	loss	0.350
saints	d. brees	broncos	LOSS	0.235
cardinals	j. skelton	49ers	loss	-0.060
rams	s. bradford	patriots	LOSS	-0.915

Michael Vick once again finds himself on this list, suggesting the problem in Philadelphia might run a little deeper than who’s starting under center. The defense allowed 30 points, the ground game (minus Vick’s contributions) totaled a paltry 50 yards, and Vick’s field position was not exactly exceptional either. Vick didn’t turn the ball over once, and contributed 240 yards of offense, and the Eagles still lost by 13.

Drew Brees received praise in this blog for his week 7 performance, carrying the Saints to victory despite a support level of 1.300. It was more of the same from the Saints in week 8, except this time there was no stellar effort from Brees to pull out the win. The defense surrendered 34 points, the ground game contributed a paltry 49 yards, and the Saints were blown out in Denver.  

 John Skelton had no chance against the 49ers defense. Tasked with scoring more than 24 points, Skelton and the Cardinals couldn’t do better than 3 points. Skelton never started with the ball past his 40 yard line, and the Cardinals ground game only offered 6 yards (and no, that’s not a typo, six, as in the six fingered man who killed that guy’s father). Skelton’s play might not have been exactly inspiring, but it wasn’t his efforts alone that caused this loss.

Sam Bradford isn’t the first QB to get blown out by the Patriots. And like other QBs before him, this one wasn’t exactly his fault. Rams fans might have been a little more encouraged if Bradford and the Rams could have put up more points, but the Patriots were not giving anything away. Bradford had to overcome 45 points on 10 possessions. With average rush support and no good field position to speak of, the Rams offense only offered 7.

WEEK 8 LOWEST SUPPORT WINNER

LIONS

M. Stafford

seahawks

win

1.030

Matthew Stafford was listed among the least supported QBs last week, and he barely missed the list this week. The Lions are not doing a lot to support Stafford, but Stafford didn’t need much help in week 8. The Lions surrendered 24 points to the Seahawks and managed only 72 yards on the ground. The ground game wasn’t moving the ball much, and, without great field position, the ball needed to be moved. The Lions TDs were the result of 80, 82, 56, and 80 yard drives.  In leading a come from behind victory, Stafford threw for 352 yards and 3 TDs while adding 12 yards and a TD on the ground as well. He, more than any other QB this week, deserves a bulk of the credit for his team’s win.

Week 8 QB Support Levels

TEAM	QB	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
DOLPHINS	M. Moore	WIN	6.065
RAIDERS	C. Palmer	WIN	5.840
BROWNS	B. Wheeden	WIN	5.685
BEARS	J. Cutler	WIN	5.125
PATRIOTS	T. Brady	WIN	5.085
BRONCOS	P. Manning	WIN	5.065
49ERS	A. Smith	WIN	4.955
BUCCANEERS	J. Freeman	WIN	4.900
GIANTS	E. Manning	WIN	4.770
PACKERS	A. Rodgers	WIN	4.330
CHARGERS	P. Rivers	LOSS	4.105
STEELERS	B. Roethlisberger	WIN	3.860
PANTHERS	C. Newton	LOSS	3.730
FALCONS	M. Ryan	WIN	3.620
CHIEFS	M. Cassell	LOSS	3.385
COLTS	A. Luck	WIN	3.345
COWBOYS	T. Romo	LOSS	2.385
JETS	M. Sanchez	LOSS	2.135
SEAHAWKS	R. Wilson	LOSS	1.975
TITANS	M. Hasselback	LOSS	1.730
REDSKINS	R. Griffin III	LOSS	1.570
JAGUARS	B. Gabbert	LOSS	1.180
LIONS	M. Stafford	WIN	1.030
VIKINGS	C. Ponder	LOSS	0.970
EAGLES	M. Vick	LOSS	0.350
SAINTS	D. Brees	LOSS	0.235
CARDINALS	J. Skelton	LOSS	-0.060
RAMS	S. Bradford	LOSS	-0.915

Week 7 Highs and Lows

WEEK 7 TOP FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
TEXANS	M. SCHAUB	ravens	WIN	6.745
49ers	a. Smith	Seahawks	WIN	6.560
vikings	c. ponder	cardinals	WIN	6.460
bears	J. cutler	lions	WIN	5.855

Week 7 was not the first time that Matt Schaub was able to ride his team to victory, and it probably won’t be the last. The Ravens put up 13 points against the Texans defense, but after a safety and a TD from the Texans defense, Schaub only had to account for 4 points. Getting the ball between the 40 yard lines four times and having the benefit of 183 yards on the ground made this an easy one for Schaub. His solid play helped keep the Texans rolling, but it’s hard to imagine this one ever being close.

Another QB I expect to see in this section again is Alex Smith. Against the Seahawks, that stout 49ers defense allowed only 6 points, and the rushing attack helped Smith out with over 160 yards. Smith was also the beneficiary of some decent field position a number of times in the game. His 14/23 for 140 yards with an interception was not exactly stellar, but the 49ers didn’t need stellar. This is most definitely a win where the credit goes not to the QB, but the rest of the team.

Christian Ponder also found himself in that 5.5+ level of QB support where even poor QB play is enough for a win. And lucky for him too as he needed just about every bit of that support. The Vikings defense held the Cardinals to 14 points, added a defensive TD of their own, and the running game provided over 160 yards. All of this helped Ponder and the Vikings escape with a 7 point win despite the QB completing only 8 of his 17 passes for a measly 58 yards while also throwing an interception. 

Like Schaub and Smith, Jay Cutler continued to see high levels of support in week 7. His defense held the Lions to 7 points. In the same game, Cutler had 14 possessions to put up more points than 7, and with solid defense and special teams play, four of those possessions started around midfield, and one started inside the Lions 40 yard line. All of that, coupled with 137 yards on the ground from his teammates helped carry Cutler (150 yards passing and 34 yards rushing) to victory.

WEEK 7 HIGHEST SUPPORT LOSER

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
Cardinals	J. Skelton	Vikings	LOSS	4.640

John Skelton’s defense allowed only 14 points against the Vikings. Considering that Skelton started drives with the ball around midfield twice, inside the Vikings 40 yard line once, and inside the Vikings 20 yard line once, one would think that 126 yards on the ground would be enough to put up more than 14 points. Skelton, however, made things harder on himself when his pick 6 increased the Vikings points to 21. Another fumble from Skelton also hurt the Cardinals chances. He did put 262 yards, but it wasn’t enough to consistently move his team downfield and put points on the board. His QB Support was adjusted down for Jay Feely’s missed FG from 47 yards out. Regardless, this was a game where the Cardinals could have won, but they needed better play from their QB.

WEEK 7 BOTTOM FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
lions	m. stafford	bears	loss	1.49
rams	s. bradford	packers	LOSS	1.32
saints	d. brees	buccaneers	win	1.300
ravens	J. Flacco	texans	LOSS	0.970

It’s hard to imagine that a QB who’s defense allowed only 13 points would be listed among those were LEAST supported in a given week, but that’s exactly where we find Matthew Stafford. The defense may have played well, but the rushing game hurt Stafford significantly. First, the 76 yards on the ground did little to help Stafford consistently move the ball down the field. More than that, however, Stafford DID move the ball down the field on two occasions only to have a RB fumble the ball away inside the Bears 20 yard line, taking away even a chance for a field goal. With minimal help on the ground or in terms of field position, those fumbles made it even more difficult for Stafford to match any point total.

Sam Bradford played decent in a loss, keeping his team at least somewhat in the game against the packers. His defense allowed 30 points and, as both teams ground the clock to some extent, Bradford had only 9 possessions to match those 30 points. With mediocre field position and an only decent run game (108 yards), Bradford’s average performance was not enough to even keep it a one score game.

Joe Flacco, meanwhile, struggled just as much as his team did against the Texans. Even taking away Flacco’s pick six and the safety where he was sacked in the endzone, the Texans put 34 points. Asking Flacco to match that with only 48 rushing yards is asking a lot. Of course, Flacco might have been able to make the game closer without his mistakes or if he simply would have averaged more than four yards per pass attempt.

And the least supported QB to win this week was Drew Brees. Brees has suffered low support levels all year and, if the Saints are going to win, it seems it will have to be on the back on Brees. Week 7 was no different, and Brees delivered in a big way. Brees was tasked with overcoming 28 points. Now, his QB Support gets adjusted to some extent because an early Brees interception put the Bucs on the Saints 13 yard line. Still, Brees had only 82 yards rushing to help him out and did not begin a single drive past his own 40 yard line. The offense scored 35 points, and those points were scored primarily because of the efforts of Brees and his 377 passing yards. The Saints are not putting Brees in a good position to win games this year. In week 7 though, that didn’t matter. 

2012 Week 7 QB Support Levels

TEAM	QB	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
TEXANS	M. Schaub	WIN	6.745
49ERS	A. Smith	WIN	6.560
VIKINGS	C. Ponder	WIN	6.460
BEARS	J. Cutler	WIN	5.855
STEELERS	B. Roethlisberger	WIN	5.170
CARDINALS	J. Skelton	LOSS	4.640
JAGUARS	Gabbert/Henne	LOSS	4.500
BUCCANEERS	J. Freeman	WIN	4.050
RAIDERS	C. Palmer	WIN	3.775
SEAHAWKS	R. Wilson	LOSS	3.490
COLTS	A. Luck	WIN	3.490
TITANS	M. Hasselback	WIN	3.335
REDSKINS	R. Griffin III	LOSS	3.235
PATRIOTS	T. Brady	WIN	3.065
PACKERS	A. Rodgers	WIN	2.850
JETS	M. Sanchez	LOSS	2.840
BENGALS	A. Dalton	LOSS	2.615
COWBOYS	T. Romo	WIN	2.610
BILLS	R. Fitzpatrick	LOSS	2.495
GIANTS	E. Manning	WIN	2.150
PANTHERS	C. Newton	LOSS	1.970
BROWNS	B. Wheeden	LOSS	1.730
LIONS	M. Stafford	LOSS	1.490
RAMS	S. Bradford	LOSS	1.320
SAINTS	D. Brees	WIN	1.300
RAVENS	J. Flacco	LOSS	0.970