Week 10 Highs and Lows

WEEK 10 TOP FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
TITANS	J. Locker	Dolphins	WIN	8.160
TeXANS	M. SCHAUB	BEARS	WIN	6.735
SEAHAWKS	R. WIlson	Jets	WIN	6.545
COLTS	A. luck	jaguars	WIN	5.905

In weeks 1 through 9, no one did a worse job of supporting their QBs than the Saints and the Titans, but Jake Locker’s return in week 10 also coincided with a rejuvenated effort from the entire Tennessee team. They held the Dolphins to 3 points, added a defensive TD, rushed for 144 yards, and gave Locker the ball deep into Dolphins territory 3 times. Locker’s 9/21 and 122 yards passing stat line was hardly impressive, but even that was much more than the Titans needed as they demolished the Dolphins 37-3.

Matt Schaub has had some of the highest QB Support levels this year, and that trend continued in week 10. Schaub turned the ball over twice, giving the Bears the ball around midfield on one occasion and deeper into Texans territory another time. Still, the Texans held the Bears offense to 6 points. Schaub was also aided by having 14 possessions, good field position, and 129 rushing yards from his teammates.

Russell Wilson is another QB who has been lucky to have strong support most of this season and also in week 10. The Seahawks defense did not allow a single point against the Jets. The only points the Jets scored came directly off Wilson’s own mistake (a fumble the Jets D returned for a TD). Wilson was also helped by his teammates’ 141 rushing yards and a 23 yard TD thrown by Golden Tate.

Before week 9, Andrew Luck had not played in a single game with a support level above 3.5. If the Colts were going to win, it was likely going to be on the back of their rookie QB. That was not the case in week 10 though. The Colts dominated the Jaguars and Luck simply had to manage the game and cruise to victory. The Colts D scored a TD themselves while holding the Jaguars to only 10 points. Meanwhile, Luck started one drive inside the 20 yard line, had 127 rushing yards to help him, and cruised to his easiest victory as a pro.  

WEEK 10 HIGHEST SUPPORT LOSER

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
CHIEFS	M. Cassell	STEELERS	LOSS	4.750

Matt Cassell was the worst QB by our value added metric in the mid-season review. Well, he didn’t look much better in week 10. The Chiefs held the Steelers to only 16 points (after overtime I might add), and Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis combined for 130 yards on the ground. Cassell also had some great field position, including a drive that started at Pittsburgh’s 10 yard line. If that wasn’t enough, the Steelers only got their game clinching points when Cassell threw an interception in overtime, putting the Steelers at the Chiefs 5 yard line. The Chiefs keep losing, and it does seem that the below average play at QB is a big part of that.

WEEK 10 BOTTOM FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
bills	R. Fitzpatrick	patriots	loss	0.700
falcons	m. ryan	Saints	LOSS	0.660
raiders	c. palmer	ravens	loss	0.280
lions	m. stafford	Vikings	LOSS	0.205

Ryan Fitzpatrick had to overcome 37 points against the Patriots, and he only had ten possession to do it. Although his RBs helped with 150 yards on the ground, it wasn’t that helpful when Fred Jackson fumbled the ball right at the goal line after Fitzpatrick and the Bills had driven the length of the field with hopes of drawing closer. Fitzpatrick turned the ball over himself, one time giving the Patriots the ball inside the Bills 20 yard line, and  his QB Support levels were adjusted accordingly, but it still didn’t make them very high.

At the close of week 9, no one had a higher “value added” metric than Matt Ryan. Ryan also added a lot for the Falcons in Week 10 (52 attempts, 411 yards, 3 TDs, and one INT). It wasn’t enough for a win though, as the Falcons allowed 31 points and generated only 34 yards on the ground to help Ryan overcome those points. A win here for Ryan and the Falcons would  have been second least supported win of the year.

Another week, another loss for the Raiders, and another appearance for Carson Palmer on the least supported QB list. The Raiders allowed 55 points and rushed for only 72 yards. There were other issues, but do we really need to go on? Palmer stood no chance in this game.

It’s tough to overcome 34 points. It’s tougher still to do it when your team can only generate 34 rushing yards. When your field position for the game is nothing special as well, it gets even harder. Matt Stafford and the Lions pass attack was fairly effective. Stafford put 329 yards, completed 66 percent of his passes, and threw for 3 TDs and only one pick. And yet, his team lost by ten points.

WEEK 10 LOWEST SUPPORT WINNER

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
Patriots	T. Brady	Bills	win	2.670

Tom Brady had very high support for most of his 2012 wins in the first half of the 2012 season. Things were  a little bit different in week 10. While the Bills were putting up 31 points, Brady led the Patriots offense to keep New England one step ahead. A QB Support level of 2.67 isn’t extremely low, but it does require good QB play, and Brady’s 38 passes without a single turnover and 237 passing yards were just barely good enough. This game came down to the wire and without Brady’s mistake free football, the Patriots probably could have counted this one in their loss column.