Tommy DeVito and Patrick Mahomes are very different quarterbacks. One is a two-time MVP, two-time Super Bowl champion and arguably the most recognizable active quarterback in the world — even if his tight end’s girlfiend doesn’t make him the most famous player on his own team. The other is an undrafted rookie thrust into the spotlight by circumstance only to build himself into a sensation thanks to better-than-expected play and a zeitgeist with nothing but fond memories for The Sopranos and the first few seasons of Jersey Shore.
These two also had very different experiences in Week 15, but each winds up on the list of gross quarterbacks. Mahomes was perfectly fine in a 10-point win over the New England Patriots and occasionally, catastrophically, led into danger by his teammates. DeVito, hamstrung by awful blocking because that’s a key tenet of the New York Giants’ philosophy, plummeted back to earth in a touchdown-less 24-6 loss to the the New Orleans Saints.
Those were two frustrating games, but were DeVito or Mahomes truly the most disappointing passers this Sunday? Fortunately, we’ve got tools to better understand just how damaging each underwhelming performances was. Using the advanced stat expected points added (EPA) can gauge how much a quarterback brings to the table compared to a typical player.
By comparing each passer’s Week 15 EPA against their 2023 adjusted average, we get a better picture of just how frustrating their days were. And we can find both of those thanks to The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin and his incredibly useful stats sites RBSDM.com and HabitatRing.com. So let’s take a look at who disappointed the most in the 15th Sunday of the 2023 season.