Week 12 NFL QB Index: Brock Purdy returns to the top 10; Jared Goff declines
Hurts’ performance on Monday night was far from his best, as evidenced by his passing statistics (14 of 22, 150 yards, 1 interception). Hurts, however, displayed remarkable resilience, overcoming difficulties that went well beyond the quarterback (including some oddly cautious play-calling) to produce a few crucial plays in the most crucial situations againstKansas City. With a 10-yard scramble up the middle of the field for his first rushing touchdown of the game, Hurts demonstrated how quickly he could spot a weakness and take advantage of it. Additionally, Hurts’ second and most important rushing touchdown of the evening was set up by his other outstanding play, a 41-yard rainbow to DeVonta Smith. Hurts had to perform, but the defense was also necessary for him and the Eagles offense to win this one. That’s exactly what he did.
Regardless of what Mahomes does, the Chiefs are now officially losing games due to the absence of a true difference-making receiver. Monday night, he could not have found a better location for Marquez Valdes-Scantling to receive his pass and score the game-winning touchdown, but instead, the ball bounced out of the veteran’s hands. That was the tale of a night when Mahomes had his targets covered, but they kept missing. A late third-down pass from Justin Watson was intercepted by Travis Kelce, who also fumbled away a red zone possession. Valdes-Scantling also failed to complete the pass. Superstar status notwithstanding, Mahomes is not quite a superhero. Better is due to him.
As is frequently the case, Tagovailoa had a strong stat line, but I believe fans of the Raiders-Dolphins game will concur that he was a little off more often than not. Given the location of his intended target and the safety lurking over the top, he threw a poor interception and left a few passes too low for his intended targets to catch. Even so, Tagovailoa finished 28 of 39 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns. Simply put, he fell short of the explosive standards we have come to expect—which are certainly high.
This season, most defenses have not been able to limit Dak Prescott, but Carolina was able to do just that. Less than 200 passing yards was his total yardage, and after two red-zone drives, Dallas had to settle for field goals rather than witness Prescott execute a spectacular scoring play. In the end, it didn’t matter because the Cowboys still won handily. Prescott did not commit many errors. His touchdown pass to Luke Schoonmaker down the seam looked uncannily similar, and his pass to CeeDee Lamb for a score was just too simple. We did not, however, witness him falsify the stat sheet. Even though I don’t use statistics to rank these players, I’m okay with Prescott remaining at No. 4.
In the first half of the game against the Cardinals, Stroud displayed incredible accuracy and self-assurance, dropping dimes on his intended targets all over the field. Stroud’s performance left everyone in awe, especially when he broke the pocket, found Tank Dell in the back corner of the end zone, and found the right receiver for a 40-yard touchdown pass. If the match had ended there, Stroud would have given up.even with his first-half interception, which resulted from placing a bit too much faith in his exceptional accuracy, he put on yet another outstanding performance. However, Stroud was asked this week about taking chances after he threw two more interceptions in the second half, which kept the Cardinals in the game. Naturally, he won’t stop letting it fly and he shouldn’t. It’s hoped that he gains some insight from an uncommon three-interception day, but better teams might make him pay.
With the exception of Week 10, Lawrence has been solid for the most of 2023, but Sunday was the first time I really witnessed him emerge from his shell and fully extend his lovely wings. Following a week of talks about his problematic knee and how it has hindered him this season, Lawrence displayed no symptoms of any issues at all, making amazing throws out of structure and even scoring two touchdowns on the ground. He made his two touchdown passes to Calvin Ridley appear effortless, and he was at his most efficient point of the season. Yes, it was versus the Titans, but this is exactly the right moment for Lawrence to get going.
In a lopsided game against the Jets, Allen got back on track just days after offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was fired. Although Allen missed a few passes, he also peppered the yard with passes, finding Khalil Shakir three times for 115 yards and a touchdown. Considering that it was Allen’s first game with a new play-caller, I thought it was amazing that he was still able to find success with Stefon Diggs limited to four catches for 27 yards. Although there’s no guarantee it’s a sign of things to come, Allen’s crucial contribution to the Bills team’s easy victory came at the ideal moment.
Purdy’s past two contests have embodied the ideal turnaround scenario for any quarterback. In Week 10, he achieved a new career high in passer rating; however, in Week 11, he surpassed it all with a perfect rating—the first by a 49ers quarterback since 1989. Who could have pulled that off, you ask? Yes, Joe Montana, the Pro Football Hall of Famer. Purdy isn’t quite Montana, but he showed great play on Sunday, completing five passes for 156 yards, including a touchdown of 76 yards with Brandon Aiyuk. Just four of Purdy’s twenty-five attempts landed incomplete. The rest were spot on as the Buccaneers were defeated 27–14.
For the most part of 2023, that was not the Goff we knew. Goff made poor decisions in each of his three interceptions against the Bears, relying on his arm to make throws that were just not there. Although he never appeared stressed, he lacked the composure and sharpness that he usually possesses in Ben Johnson’s offense. But Goff made a dramatic comeback, so none of that ended up mattering as much as we had anticipated. He tossed a stunning 32-With 29 seconds remaining, Detroit took the lead after a 73-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams and a subsequent quick scoring drive that covered 73 yards in 11 plays in just over two minutes. After watching that game again, the Lions will understand that they cannot play so carelessly against superior teams, especially when it comes to Goff. However, this time it didn’t end up hurting them.
It all depends on how you finish sometimes. In a game where they had offensive difficulties, that was the situation for Stafford and the Rams on Sunday. Along with finishing with 190 passing yards, Stafford also threw an interception at the end of a trick play, missed Cooper Kupp on a free play that would have resulted in a touchdown, and failed to convert a goal-to-go situation in the first quarter. However, in crucial situations, he and the Rams’ offense clicked, driving them on a nine-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that included a crucial completion to Puka Nacua. They then forced Los Angeles back into scoring range for the game-winning field goal. Even though he didn’t play well every quarter, the late comeback was sufficient.
