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Quick exercise: which quarterback do you think had a better day?
QB A: 18/26 (69.2%), 145 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 78 yards on 5 rushes for 1 touchdown.
QB B: 21/29 (72.4%), 340 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception
QB C: 16/29 (55.2%), 177 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, 24 yards on 3 rushes for 1 touchdown
QB D: 22/33 (66.7%), 211 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, 11 yards on 2 rushes for 1 touchdown
QB E: 27/42 (64.3%), 265 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 34 yards on 2 rushes
QB F: 14/22 (63.6%) for 77 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 31 yards on 2 rushes
QB G: 26/38 (68.4%) for 356 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 1 yard on 1 rush
If you need a calculator, or an Advil, I totally understand. It's not a trick question; Quarterback G had the best day. Want to know how ESPN graded these players?
QB A: Alex Smith received a 97.9/100 for his performance in the 45-10 victory over the Lions.
QB B: Peyton Manning received a 93.9/100 in the 29-10 victory over the Packers.
QB C: Jameis Winston scored a 93.0/100 in the 23-20 overtime win against the Falcons.
QB D: Jay Cutler posted an 87.0/100 in the 23-20 loss to the Vikings.
QB E: Geno Smith recorded a 66.2/100 in the 34-20 shellacking by the Raiders
QB F: Aaron Rodgers somehow earned a 64.6/100 in the 29-10 defeat against the Broncos.
QB Goat: Tom Brady picked up a measly 60.7/100 in the 36-7 absolute destruction of the Dolphins.
I don't understand it. Are quarterback rushes that important to ESPN? Even Pro Football Focus thought Brady was the best quarterback on the week.
There's an obvious issue when someone tries to convert an orchestra of events into a single algorithm. Yes, runs are important, as are third down conversions, and the difficulty of the passes, and the sacks given up. But when you try to break all of these different variables into one single equation, there are going to be cases that unintentionally break the scale.
I have no idea how ESPN calculates QBR, and that's part of the mystique. They don't want people to know.
All that's for certain is that no one has perfected the calculation for Tom Brady and his presnap value added. I can only tell you that it scores a 100/100.
I won't tell you how I came to that conclusion.