Tag: NFL Week 15

All 32 NFL quarterbacks (including Saints QB Derek Carr) ranked by passer rating after Week 15

Where does Derek Carr rank in passer rating around the league? Here are all 32 starting quarterbacks after Week 15:

Derek Carr played his best football yet for the New Orleans Saints in Week 15’s win over the New York Giants, so how does that boost his standing around the league?

Carr has dealt with some injuries this season but he hasn’t missed a start, and his 448 pass attempts are the 13th-most in the NFL after 14 games.

With the Saints set to kick off Week 16 on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams, here’s a look at all 32 quarterbacks who started in Week 15 ranked by passer rating, including Carr:

NFL quarterbacks by Total QBR: Where Patriots’ Bailey Zappe ranked in Week 15

Where did Bailey Zappe rank among all NFL quarterbacks in Total QBR in Week 15?

After stunning the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road, Bailey Zappe came back down to Earth in Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Granted, he was slinging the ball around in the pocket like he meant business in the first half. And then it was more bad football from the second-year quarterback, who was also playing behind a busted offensive line that had no hopes of protecting him.

Zappe was held to only 39 passing yards and one interception for the entire second half.

It was another demoralizing offensive performance for the Patriots in a week when AFC quarterbacks struggled in general. Zappe took his place amongst some of the worst in Total QBR in Week 15.

Keep in mind, Total QBR “incorporates all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties,” per ESPN.com.

Let’s take a look at where each quarterback ranked in Total QBR this week.

Jake Browning gets revenge in OT win over Vikings: ‘They should’ve never (expletive) cut me!’

Jake Browning has an iconic moment on the sidelines while getting some revenge.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning had something to say about the Minnesota Vikings after he led the Bengals to a 27-24 win over them in overtime, keeping Cincinnati’s playoff hopes alive for another week.

“They should’ve never (expletive) cut me!” Browning screamed into a camera after slamming his helmet on the ground.

“That one felt good,” Browning said to the media after the game. “I think right after we made the field goal to win the game, I screamed at the camera and said, ‘They never should have cut me.’”

He was mostly correct, give or take an expletive. Right after Evan McPherson made the field goal, Browning found the nearest camera and let his emotions out after putting together a 14-point fourth quarter and sending the game into overtime.

Browning began his career in Minnesota when they signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2019, but the team released him three separate times, signing him to their practice squad twice before he landed on the Bengals practice squad at the start of the 2021 season.

“There was definitely a little extra part (to this game),” Browning said. “I remember getting cut there the last time, and just being told, ‘Hey, we might have a spot for you on the practice squad. Go to the hotel and wait.’ So, I sat in the hotel for a couple of hours not knowing if I had a job or not, and just basically got a call from my agent. They didn’t tell me. I had been there for two years. I’ve been cut my fair share of times, and that was probably the (expletive) one.”

Recently Browning has been proving himself right with three straight wins, two of those in overtime against playoff contenders. In the win over the Vikings, he had 324 passing yards on 29 of 42 passing with two touchdowns and an interception which allowed him to let out what he had been feeling all week leading up to the game.

“You can’t say that the whole week and then go lose,” Browning said. “You kind of just wait until you win, and then don’t look like an idiot.”

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3 standout stars in Patriots’ 27-17 loss to Chiefs

Who were the three stars for the Patriots in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs?

The New England Patriots fell to 3-11 at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, but for a second straight week, their offense looked competent.

The issue is they lack the talent across the board on offense, and they are without key stars on defense due to injuries. But they did manage to hang in there with the defending Super Bowl champions in a 27-17 loss.

Whether Bill O’Brien has turned a corner with his play-calling, or if the change at quarterback sparked players to buy in on offense, there seems to be better execution overall. It also helps when the quarterback isn’t making terrible decisions every play and running the offense as designed.

Regardless, this week had some bright spots, despite the loss. Here are the  three stars of the game for the Patriots:

Jared Goff nominated for FedEx Air Player of the Week

Goff is up against Joe Flacco and Baker Mayfield to win the award this week

Jared Goff had an outstanding game delivering through the air in Detroit’s Week 15 win over the Denver Broncos. For his great game on Saturday night, Goff has been nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Week.

Goff shook off a slow start to finish with 278 yards and five touchdowns in the air, completing 24 of his 34 pass attempts. He was just 2-for-5 before catching fire and lighting up the Denver defense. Goff is just the second quarterback this season to throw for five TDs in a game.

Also nominated this week are Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield and Cleveland’s Joe Flacco.

The award is decided by fan voting. You can vote for Goff here.

NFL Week 15 final scores from Sunday’s games

Check out the results from the 11 games on Sunday in the NFL.

On Sunday, the NFL played 11 games. The Arizona Cardinals lost their game. The Carolina Panthers picked up their second win of the season. The Miami Dolphins pitched a shutout and Joe Flacco and the Browns erased a 10-point deficit to win.

Check out the final scores from Sunday’s Week 15 games below.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

The Morning After…Bailey Zappe, Patriots come back down to Earth

The Patriots put up a better fight than expected, but the end result was still the same against the Chiefs.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The New England Patriots got to do the victory dance for a few extra days after their Thursday night upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, before it all came crashing back down to Earth in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

There was a moral victory baked into the disappointment of defeat. The Patriots went toe-to-toe with the Super Bowl champs, who were coming off back-to-back losses, and kept it competitive. That’s saying a lot when facing an angry Patrick Mahomes-led team desperately looking to get back into the win column.

The Patriots also managed to keep their No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft intact. So it’s hard to think any fans walked away completely unhappy with this game considering the outcome gave them the best of both worlds.

Let’s dive into some leftover notes from Sunday.

VIDEO: Justin Madubuike forces QB Trevor Lawrence to fumble

Here’s a look at Baltimore Ravens DL Justin Madubuike sacking Lawrence and forcing a fumble on Sunday night football.

The Baltimore Ravens held the Jacksonville Jaguars offense to just one touchdown Sunday night.

Defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald used a plethora of pass rush concepts to rattle Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawerence.

Here’s a look at defensive lineman Justin Madubuike sacking Lawerence and forcing a fumble late in the 4th quarter Sunday night.

The Ravens are now allowing just 16.1 points per game and rank No.1 in the NFL in that category. 

READ MORE: Takeaways and observations from Ravens 23-7 win over Jaguars on SNF

Bengals depth comes up big and snap count takeaways from win vs. Vikings

Bengals snap count takeaways from the win over the Vikings.

The Cincinnati Bengals got some key performances from depth pieces during the team’s Week 15 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

That win keeps the Bengals very alive in the playoff standings, with the following notable takeaways from the snap counts:

  • Ja’Marr Chase ended up playing only 71 percent of the snaps after being declared out with his injury.
  • Four different tight ends received at least 17 snaps as the offense continues to adapt to Jake Browning. Drew Sample still leads the way because of his ability as a blocker in all facets.
  • Explosive rookie back Chase Brown got just 13 snaps on the day, which seems minimal, but the offense continued to tick.
  • Chidobe Awuzie is all the way back after rehab and playing well, this time on 99 percent of the possible snaps.
  • Josh Tupou and Zach Carter combined to play a minimum of 56 percent of the snaps after DJ Reader’s season-ending injury.
  • Rookie safety Jordan Battle got 84 percent of the snaps, again making his case for being the full-blown starter next year.
  • First-rounder Myles Murphy played 27 snaps, making the most of them while picking up a sack. Second-rounder DJ Turner played 99 percent.

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