[Yahoo!] QB play is down this season and the league is suffering for it

[shadowspinner0]

Want to know why scoring is down? Check out the QB play across the league. Why does it seem there are no great teams this season? QB play.

Why is it hard to fill out a top-five best games of the season list after two months? You guessed it.

Think of it this way: How many quarterbacks are playing better than their expectation this season? That list is very short.

There was a four-year stretch from 2018-21 in which the passer rating across the league was above 90 each season, peaking at 93.6 in 2020. That dipped to 89.1 last season and was 89.3 this season before Monday night's game, in which winning quarterback Justin Herbert had a 65.4 rating. This season's rating could drop well below 89 as injuries pile up and the weather gets worse.

If you watch games each week or are a Jets season-ticket holder, you don't need stats to tell you quarterback play has not been very good.

The bottom end of NFL quarterbacks is not good enough. It's hard enough to find 32 good starters; when teams have to turn to backups it can get really bad. Clayton Tune had 27 passing yards through three quarters for the Cardinals on Sunday. Over a little more than four quarters of game action through his first two games, Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito had just 10 passing yards. Brett Rypien put up a 45.2 passer rating for the Rams. Tyson Bagent threw three interceptions for the Bears. At least Joshua Dobbs was good for the Vikings when pressed into duty Sunday, though he was bad enough for the Cardinals that he was benched and traded.

There was a lot of ugly quarterback play Sunday. Four teams put up six points or less. Not all of that bad play came from overwhelmed backups pressed into action.

Geno Smith hasn't replicated his stellar 2022 season for the Seahawks. Tua Tagovailoa and Patrick Mahomes were supposed to engage in an epic shootout; both of them finished with less than 200 yards passing, and the Chiefs and Dolphins were each shut out in a half.

Injuries have been an issue. Aaron Rodgers' season was done after four plays for the Jets, and Zach Wilson has been hard to watch. Kirk Cousins is done for the season, as is Daniel Jones. So is exciting rookie Anthony Richardson. Deshaun Watson and Joe Burrow have either missed time or been limited due to injuries. Kyler Murray hasn't played yet.

Even the elite quarterbacks haven't been that great. Burrow got off to a rough start, though he's heating up. Josh Allen threw a terrible interception Sunday night and is tied for the NFL lead with nine of them. Mahomes hasn't lived up to his normal standard. Jalen Hurts has been good but not great. These are supposed to be the NFL's must-watch superstars, and none of them is playing as well as he did last season.

[Giantleap56]

I don't think QB play is down, the defenses might be catching up.

[DaveBrown74]

It might be a little down. You're not seeing a singularly dominant season like Mahomes last year. You still have guys performing at a high level though.

What's definitely not down is the roughing the passer calls. Those are out of control and need to be reigned in. They're hurting the product with some of these calls.

[kingm56]

There are mult starters out or who have significant injuries; consequently, scoring is down too. 

[MightyGiants]

Here is a pretty good article on this season's offensive decline

https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/nfl-offense-scoring-penalties-efficiency-2023/

[spiderblue43]

It might be a little down. You're not seeing a singularly dominant season like Mahomes last year. You still have guys performing at a high level though.

What's definitely not down is the roughing the passer calls. Those are out of control and need to be reigned in. They're hurting the product with some of these calls.

Spot on..and bad NFL dictate..you expect either a flag on that or the secondary laundry flying. It's not football anymore for the elite qbs. The  "look but don't touvh my qb baby" is an irritant.

[TDToomer]

Oh no teams are playing good defense again! But I want scores in the 40s and 50s like in college!