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.