Play-Action: Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Comeback Player of the Year, indeed. Tannehill tops the bill in passer rating on three-step drops, throws outside the pocket, and play-action passes. Play-action was a huge part of Tannehill’s professional redemption in Tennessee, as he posted a 143.3 passer rating, completing 66 of 86 passes for 1,149 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions. If you’re completing 76.7% of your play-action passes and averaging a league-leading 13.4 yard per attempt… well, with the four-year, $118 million contract Tannehill signed in March to stay with the Titans, expect it to be the primary construct of his passing game.
Without play-action: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Not that Jackson needed play-action last season to set defenses on edge; they were generally too worried about him taking off on the run and taking it to the house. But on non-play-action throws, no quarterback had a better passer rating than Jackson’s 111.6, which he constructed with 178 completions on 269 attempts for 2,112 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just six interceptions.
The broken play: Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In 2019, Winston became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. So it makes sense, given the “YOLO” nature of his playing style, that Winston would be by far the NFL’s most efficient quarterback on broken plays — that is to say, when the quarterback is flushed out of the pocket, the prescribed routes are not there, and the quarterback has to improvise. On these types of plays, Winston actually achieved the highest possible passer rating of 158.3, completing 18 of 23 passes for 302 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. Winston is now Drew Brees’ backup in New Orleans, so if he does have to spell Brees for any length of time, perhaps head coach Sean Payton should just throw out the playbook.
Under pressure: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes didn’t have the NFL’s highest passer rating under pressure in 2019 — that went to Drew Brees (98.6) to Mahomes’ 90.4. But no quarterback was more prolific when creating scoring plays — the reigning Super Bowl MVP threw 12 touchdowns to just three picks, with 1,170 yards.
Without pressure: Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Might as well close out with this guy again… and gosh, what a heroic picture. Tannehill led all NFL quarterbacks in 2019 with a 122.6 rating from a clean pocket, completing 194 passes in 266 attempts for 2,535 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. Yes, it’s easier to make plays from a clean pocket, but there are studies that indicate that performance without defensive pressure is actually one of the more accurate barometers of quarterback success.