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

Week 6 Highs and Lows

WEEK 6 TOP FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
JETS	M. Sanchez	COLTS	WIN	7.195
GIANTS	E. Manning	49ers	WIN	7.015
BUCCANEERS	J. Freeman	Chiefs	WIN	6.35
BILLS	R. Fitzpatrick	Cardinals	WIN	4.95

QB Support was high for New York QBs in week 6. Both Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez were put in positions where it was almost impossible to lose. Manning had to overcome only 3 points, and his team helped him out with over 150 yards rushing. If that wasn’t enough, he also had two possessions that started inside the 49ers’ 20 yard line and one inside their 40. The Giants didn’t need a lot of help from their Pro Bowl QB, which is why 15/28 and 193 yards from Eli was enough for a 23 point win.

Things were not any harder for Sanchez in week 6. Sanchez had to overcome 9 points, but he had 263 rushing yards to help him do that. Additionally, he had drives that began on the Indianapolis 35 and 14 yard lines after his defense forced turnovers. Anyone that doubts that Sanchez had an easy path to victory should be easily persuaded when they look at the final score (35-9 Jets) and Sanchez’ total contributions to the offense (82 yards passing, -1 rushing).

Josh Freeman contributed a lot more for his teams winning effort (333 yards of total offense), but it was mostly unnecessary as his Buccaneer teammates rolled past the Chiefs. The Chiefs put up 10 points, but a fumble recovery that the Bucs defense ran in for score made things even easier for the offense. Freeman needed to only put up more than 3 points on offense. Blessed with 140 rushing yards from his teammates and strong field position, Freeman didn’t need to put in a strong showing. The fact that he did might be why the Bucs didn’t just win, but won by 28 points.

Ryan Fitzpatrick had a much tougher time getting the win, but not for lack of help from his team. After Buffalo’s defense helped by securing a safety, Fitz and his offense were tasked with putting up more than 14 points. His teammates helped with 160 yards rushing, and he had some decent field position a couple of times. Still, the game went to overtime. There, the Bills escaped with a win, but not necessarily because of any great plays from their QB. The defense picked off John Skelton and brought the ball to the Cardinal 6 yard line. A 25 yard field goal two plays later sealed the game.

WEEK 6 HIGHEST SUPPORT LOSER

TEAM

QB

OPPONENT

RESULT

QB SUPPORT

RAIDERS

C. Palmer

FALCONS

LOSS

4.735

Since the top four supported QBs in week 6 all won, I want take just a moment to give a shout-out (or call-out as it may be) to Carson Palmer. His team did just about everything you could ask of them, and he still failed to help them win. The defense picked off Matt Ryan three times, giving Palmer good field position more than once. The Oakland held the Falcons to only 16 points despite a Palmer fumble giving the Falcons the ball on the Oakland 2 yard line. However, a Palmer interception run back for a TD gave the Falcons 7 more points and Palmer couldn’t turn the field position (and the 149 yards on the ground) into more than 20 points.

WEEK 6 BOTTOM FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	OPPONENT	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
SEAHAWKS	R. WILSON	PATRIOTS	WIN	1.520
CHIEFS	B. QUINN	BUCCANEERS	LOSS	1.285
EAGLES	M. Vick	LIONS	LOSS	1.030
COLTS	A. Luck	JETS	LOSS	0.630

Russell Wilson was previously featured in this blog for the high support he received during both wins and losses. The implication was that he, personally, wasn’t doing much to help his team win. That certainly wasn’t the case in week 6. The Seahawks defense may have caused some opportune turnovers, but the end result was that Wilson and the Seahawks had to overcome 23 points, not insurmountable, but not a low number either. Add to that, Wilson didn’t get much help from his ground game (68 yards), and a Zach Miller fumble at the New England 30 yard line killed an otherwise promising drive. Wilson’s 293 yards and 3 TD passes and, to a much lesser extent, his 17 yards of scrambles were definitely a big part of this Seahawks victory.

Brady Quinn and Andrew Luck both struggled in week 6. Neither of them had particular strong games, but they also received very little help from their team. Both had rushing attacks that produced less than 70 yards and defenses that allowed more than 30 points. Meanwhile, neither QB enjoyed particular strong field position. Mediocre QB play and low levels of support makes it unsurprising that the Chiefs and Colts lost their games by 28 and 26 points in week 6.

Michael Vick, on the other hand, managed to keep his team close despite a low QB Support level. Eagles not named Mike Vick rushed the ball for a total of 12 (YES 12!) yards in week 6. The defense allowed 26 points, and Vick did not benefit from good field position. He did not start a single drive with field position past his own 40 yard line. Needing to overcome 26 points without strong field position and with essentially no ground game, Vick racked up over 300 yards through the air and added 59 more with his legs. It wasn’t enough, but it’s hard to blame him for this loss. 

2012 Week 6 QB Support Levels

TEAM	QB	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
JETS	M. Sanchez	WIN	7.195
GIANTS	E. Manning	WIN	7.015
BUCCANEERS	J. Freeman	WIN	6.350
BILLS	R. Fitzpatrick	WIN	4.950
BRONCOS	P. Manning	WIN	4.885
RAIDERS	C. Palmer	LOSS	4.735
CHARGERS	P. Rivers	LOSS	4.690
CARDINALS	Kolb/Skelton	LOSS	4.540
BROWNS	B. Wheeden	WIN	4.305
FALCONS	M. Ryan	WIN	4.050
PACKERS	A. Rodgers	WIN	3.980
COWBOYS	T. Romo	LOSS	3.755
BENGALS	A. Dalton	LOSS	3.665
LIONS	M. Stafford	WIN	3.565
RAMS	S. Bradford	LOSS	2.920
TITANS	J. Locker	WIN	2.780
REDSKINS	R. Griffin III	WIN	2.675
49ERS	A. Smith	LOSS	2.375
PATRIOTS	T. Brady	LOSS	2.305
VIKINGS	C. Ponder	LOSS	2.215
DOLPHINS	R. Tannenhill	WIN	1.885
RAVENS	J. Flacco	WIN	1.710
STEELERS	B. Roethlisberger	LOSS	1.600
TEXANS	M. Schaub	LOSS	1.600
SEAHAWKS	R. Wilson	WIN	1.520
CHIEFS	B. Quinn	LOSS	1.285
EAGLES	M. Vick	LOSS	1.030
COLTS	A. Luck	LOSS	0.630

Week 5 QB Support: HIGHS AND LOWS

WEEK 5'S TOP FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM	QB	RESULT	QB SUPPORT
49ERS	A. Smith	WIN	6.630
BEARS	J. Cutler	WIN	5.830
CHIEFS	M. Cassell	LOSS	5.500
RAMS	S. Bradford	WIN	5.415

 
Once Again, Jay Cutler and Alex Smith found themselves with very high support levels, allowing them to cruise to an easy victory. The 49ers defense held the Bills to only three points, and Smith’s teammates added 262 rushing yards to help steamroll their opponent. Cutler’s defense put up an even more impressive performance. Not only did the Bears D hold the Jaguars to three points, they also added two defensive TDs. Meanwhile, the Bears rushing attack was also nothing to sneeze at. Cutler’s teammates ran for 191 yards on 31 carries. I should note that both Cutler and Smith added fairly strong performances themselves, but their efforts were used to expand the blowout rather than provide the critical difference between a win or a loss.

Meanwhile, Sam Bradford showed how little you need from a QB when support levels are up around 5. Bradford completed only 1/3 of his 21 passes for 141 yards on Thursday night. The Rams defense, however, held Arizona to three points, Greg Zuerlein booted a 53 yarder, and the ground game helped chew up the clock providing a decent, though admittedly not great, 111 yards.  Bradford’s performance was far from stellar, but it was enough to hold onto the win.

The same could not be said for Matt Cassell. Cassell benefitted from a strong defensive performance (holding the Ravens to 9 points even with one of Cassell’s turnovers giving the Ravens the ball around mid-field) and a robust ground attack (200 yards rushing). He also had decent field position, starting with the ball inside the Ravens 40 yard line twice. And yet, Cassell had no answer for the Ravens pass defense, guiding the Chiefs to only six points and their fourth loss of the season.

WEEK 5'S BOTTOM FOUR QB SUPPORT LEVELS:

TEAM

QB

RESULT

QB SUPPORT

BROWNS	B. Wheeden	LOSS	0.830
TITANS	M. Hasselback	LOSS	0.080
BILLS	R. Fitzpatrick	LOSS	-0.730
BRONCOS	P. Manning	LOSS	-1.035

Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Matt Hasselback did not exactly have strong games this week. Still, it’s tough to throw their losses entirely at their feet. Hasselback and Fitzpatrick had to overcome 30 and 45 points respectively, and neither got much help in terms of field position or their teams rushing attack (42 and 88 yards). Their mediocre play might have made their games closer, but it’s unlikely either QB had a shot at winning these ones.  Brandon Wheeden also faced an uphill battle when he was charged with overcoming the New York Giants’ 41 point effort. Also, aside from one Wheeden turnover that gave the Giants possession around mid-field,  Wheeden cannot be blamed much for those 41 points. He got only 82 yards from his rushing attack, and although he enjoyed decent field position a number of times, his support levels remained low simply on account of such a poor defensive performance.  Wheeden could still help his team by cutting down on his mistakes, but having to throw 35 times in an attempt to overcome 41 points might have been too much for a lot of QBs last week.

The lowest support level of the week was provided to Peyton Manning. Not only did Manning have to overcome 31 points, but his teammates fumbled the ball TWICE after Manning and the Broncos offense had brought the ball inside the 20 yard line. Support levels were adjusted to account for Manning’s own fumble, giving the Patriots the ball inside the Denver 20, but with only 61 yards rushing and lackluster field position for most of the game, Manning’s support numbers remained low for the week.  His 345 passing yards, 3 TDs and 0 Ints helped keep the Broncos within ten, but more help from the rest of the team would have been necessary to pull out a win. 

2012 Week 5 QB Support Levels

Week 5 TEAM QB RESULT QB SUPPORT BEARS J. Cutler WIN +6.830 49ERS A. Smith WIN 6.630 CHIEFS M. Cassell LOSS 5.500 RAMS S. Bradford WIN 5.415 GIANTS E. Manning WIN 5.395 RAVENS J. Flacco WIN 5.385 SEAHAWKS R. Wilson WIN 5.310 TEXANS M. Schaub WIN 5.035 VIKINGS C. Ponder WIN 5.010 PATRIOTS T. Brady WIN *4.645 REDSKINS RG3/Cousins LOSS 3.730 STEELERS B. Roethlisberger WIN 3.580 FALCONS M. Ryan WIN 3.390 JETS M. Sanchez LOSS 3.370 BENGALS A. Dalton LOSS 3.135 PANTHERS C. Newton LOSS 3.100 DOLPHINS R. Tannenhill WIN 2.980 COLTS A. Luck WIN 2.975 CARDINALS K. Kolb LOSS 2.645 CHARGERS P. Rivers LOSS *2.505 PACKERS A. Rodgers LOSS *2.460 SAINTS D. Brees WIN 2.075 EAGLES M. Vick LOSS 1.980 JAGUARS B. Gabbert LOSS 1.135 BROWNS B. Wheeden LOSS 0.830 TITANS M. Hasselback LOSS *0.580 BRONCOS P. Manning  LOSS *-0.535 BILLS R. Fitzpatrick LOSS **-1.230
* Adjusted by +0.5 to account for changes in the formula **Adjusted by -0.5 to account for changes in the formula +Adjusted by +1 to account for changes in the formula