Week 2 was highlighted by great quarterbacking performances. Geno Smith outdueled Jared Goff in a Michigan battle of redemption stories. Lamar Jackson gave the Baltimore Ravens an early two-game lead on the defending AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals. Baker Mayfield — Baker Mayfield! — threw for 300-plus yards for the first time since October 2021.
That is not what we’re here to discuss. We are here to celebrate the worst performances of Week 2.
There was no shortage of garbage quarterbacking last week — so much so that we went eight deep with passers who advanced stats deemed a net detriment to their offenses. But as offseason rust dissolves we found more stable performances. Teams improved to 1-1 and kept their fanbases from punching the panic button for at least one more Sunday.
Despite these improvements, there was some bad football on display in Week 2. Joe Burrow struggled for a second straight Sunday. Justin Fields’ comeback efforts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended with an interception, sack and another interception all in a four-play span. Zach Wilson played up to expectations, which just means he threw a bunch of interceptions in a loss.
Who was the worst? Fortunately, we’ve got tools to better understand just how damaging these underwhelming performances were. 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 2 EPA against their 2022 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 follow up to their 2023 debuts.