With one game remaining in Week 11, three quarterbacks lead the way in Week 11 with Total QBRs of 94.1, while the bottom three quarterbacks this week all play in the state of Ohio. ESPN Stats & Information takes a look at the best and worst QB performances from Week 11 so far in terms of ESPN's Total Quarterback Rating (QBR).
Top 3
Alex Smith: 94.1 Total QBR
If you’re surprised to see Smith sitting atop this list, you probably aren’t alone. Smith threw an interception in the fourth quarter that cost the Kansas City Chiefs nearly 33 percentage points in win probability. Looking at every other play in the game, however, Smith was efficient in Kansas City’s loss.
Smith gained positive expected points (EPA) on 77 percent of his plays on Sunday, the second-highest rate for a QB in a game this season (Dak Prescott, 83 percent versus Chicago in Week 3). Put simply, more than three-fourths of his plays contributed to the team’s scoring margin, given the context and situation.
Smith’s biggest play was his 11-yard scramble for a touchdown in the second quarter, which added 3.3 EPA and was the biggest EPA play for a QB in Week 11. Because of that play, Smith entered halftime with a 99.4 Total QBR, and despite a drop-off in the second half, his overall per-play efficiency was among the best in Week 11.
Kirk Cousins: 94.1 Total QBR
Remember when Cousins took off at the end of last season and led the Washington Redskins to the playoffs? Well, he looked a lot like that poised QB Sunday night against the Packers. Cousins completed 70 percent of his passes for 375 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Redskins’ win. He wasn’t dinking-and-dunking his way to those numbers, either. His average pass traveled 10.5 yards past the line of scrimmage, and two-thirds of his passing yards came through the air (as opposed to after the catch).
Overall, Cousins finished 6-of-8 for 229 yards and three touchdowns on passes thrown 15 or more yards downfield Sunday, the first time in his career he has had three such touchdowns in a game. Cousins had the top raw QBR in Week 11, but once accounting for the fact that he was facing the Packers’ depleted defense, he falls into a three-way tie with Smith and Prescott for the week’s best performance.
Dak Prescott: 94.1 Total QBR
In a strange coincidence, Prescott joins Smith and Cousins with a 94.1 Total QBR in Week 11. On Sunday, Prescott continued his magical rookie season by throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns in the Dallas Cowboys' 27-17 win over the Ravens. He has now thrown for 300 yards and two touchdowns in back-to-back games.
Like Smith, Prescott was extremely efficient, with 72 percent of his plays gaining positive EPA. He also avoided costly plays as he took one sack for 2 yards and posted his sixth game this season without a turnover.
Prescott added 9.3 more points to his team’s scoring margin than an average QB would have with the same number of plays, the largest contribution of any QB in Week 11. On the season, Prescott leads the league with 48 QB points added, which is a stat that generally correlates with MVP voting.
Bottom 3
Cody Kessler: 12.4 Total QBR
It seems cruel to highlight a player’s poor performance when he left the game with an injury, but there’s no denying that Kessler struggled in limited action against the Steelers. Kessler dropped back to pass 19 times and gained five first downs on those plays. He was sacked four times and was off target (overthrown or underthrown) on a season-high 31 percent of his attempts, including his interception in the first quarter.
Kessler especially struggled on third down Sunday; he gained a first down on two of his six dropbacks. He posted a 2.9 Total QBR on third down against the Steelers, which brought his season-long third-down QBR to an NFL-low 17.7.
Andy Dalton: 25.2 Total QBR
Dalton had a day to forget for the Cincinnati Bengals against Buffalo as he completed 24-of-43 passes for 207 yards and lost two of his top weapons, A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard, to injuries.
Dalton struggled to find his touch downfield against a Bills’ defense that had been among the worst at stopping deep passes in recent weeks. Buffalo held Dalton to 5-of-13 passing for 75 yards and two interceptions on passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield, including 1-of-6 for 11 yards in the second half.
Josh McCown: 25.6 Total QBR
After Kessler left the game with an injury, McCown picked up where he left off for the Cleveland Browns and posted a 25.6 Total QBR. Like Kessler, McCown was sacked four times and completed about half of his passes (14-of-27) against the Steelers. He had a costly fumble in the fourth quarter which was returned for a TD by the Steelers (negative-1.7 EPA), as it came when the Browns were within one score, and sealed the victory for Pittsburgh.
Overall, Kessler and McCown combined to post an 18.2 Total QBR on Sunday, which was the team’s worst QBR in a game in the past two seasons. The Cleveland QB roller coaster continues as the health of Kessler remains a question.