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Kenny Pickett QB | CAR
Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Inaccurate close to rookie campaign
Pickett completed 13 of 29 passes for 195 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Sunday's 28-14 win over the Browns.
Pickett entered Sunday's game with some momentum after leading game-winning drives in back-to-back weeks. However, the Pittsburgh offense was stalled early on, as Pickett began with just one completion on his first six attempts. He improved marginally from there and managed five completions of more than 20 yards for the second time in his career. While Pickett closes his rookie campaign with only seven touchdowns and nine interceptions across 13 games, his performance is trending in a positive direction heading into his sophomore season.
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Trevor Siemian QB | ATL
Bears' Trevor Siemian: Ends season on injured reserve
Siemian ended the season completing 15 of 26 passes for 184 yards with one touchdown pass and an interception.
Siemian struggled in his spot-start against the Jets in Week 12, though that was far from an ideal matchup that also had terrible weather conditions. As backup quarterbacks go, Siemian has been a reasonable option for the Saints and the Bears over the last two years. He'll likely be in a similar role next year, which will be his seventh year in the league. He's under contract with the team through the 2023 season.
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Deshaun Watson QB | CLE
Browns' Deshaun Watson: Uneven Week 18 performance
Watson completed 19 of 29 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in Sunday's 28-14 loss to Pittsburgh. He added six rushes for 44 yards.
Watson had an up-and-down performance to close the 2022 season. He led a drive early in the second quarter that he concluded with a 10-yard touchdown pass, but he then followed that up with an interception on the following possession to change the momentum of the game. After returning from a more than year-long layoff, Watson has understandably shown rust across the final six games of the campaign. It remains to be seen whether he can regain the dynamic playmaking ability he showed while with the Texans, though he'll enter the 2023 season with key offensive playmakers such as Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and David Njoku still on the roster.
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David Blough QB | DET
Cardinals' David Blough: Getting concussion check
Blough was examined for a head injury during Sunday's contest at San Francisco.
The Cardinals made the announcement near the end of the third quarter, and if Blough is unable to return, he'll end Week 18 having completed 14 of 18 passes for 180 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while turning two carries into minus-2 yards and losing a fumble. With Kyler Murray (knee) on IR and Colt McCoy (concussion) inactive Sunday, Trace McSorley took over for Blough under center.
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Andy Dalton QB | PHI
Saints' Andy Dalton: Another quiet outing in finale
Dalton completed 15 of 25 passes for 171 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 10-7 loss to the Panthers.
Dalton got out to a solid start Week 18, as he went 4-for-4 passing for 59 yards and a 25-yard passing touchdown on the opening drive. However, he still wound up logging fewer than 200 passing yards for the fifth time in his 14 starts this season. The 35-year-old signal-caller finishes the 2022 campaign with a 66.7 completion percentage on 378 attempts for 2,871 yards and 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Dalton was expected to serve as the Saints' No. 2 quarterback after signing a one-year, $3 million contract with the team last offseason, though he took over the starting job after Jameis Winston missed time with back and ankle injuries early in the season. With Winston still under contract heading into the 2023 campaign, it's unclear if the team will want to bring Dalton back for another year.
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Joe Burrow QB | CIN
Bengals' Joe Burrow: Mediocre to close regular season
Burrow completed 25 of 42 passes for 215 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Sunday's 27-16 win over the Ravens. He added three rushes for 10 yards.
Burrow took to the air plenty with the second seed in the AFC potentially up for grabs, and he topped 40 pass attempts for the second consecutive game. His efficiency was less noteworthy, as he managed only 5.1 yards per attempt. Despite that, he did complete four passes of at least 20 yards, highlighted by a 26-yard touchdown toss to Ja'Marr Chase. With the win, Burrow and the Bengals will host the Ravens in a rematch during wild-card weekend.
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Sam Ehlinger QB | DEN
Colts' Sam Ehlinger: Solid in Week 18 spot start
Ehlinger completed 23 of 35 passes for 209 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Colts' 32-31 loss to the Texans on Sunday. He also rushed five times for 21 yards and committed a fumble recovered by Indianapolis.
Ehlinger's pair of turnovers, which unfolded on consecutive second-quarter possessions, certainly didn't help, especially with the first resulting a pick-six and the second coming two yards away from the Texans' end zone. However, Ehlinger did put up some solid numbers otherwise, with his afternoon highlighted by one- and four-yard touchdown passes to Michael Pittman and Mo Alie-Cox, respectively. Ehlinger gained valuable experience this season while drawing his first three NFL starts and making four appearances overall, and he'll enter the offseason as the primary (and latest) candidate to try and bring some long-awaited stability to the Colts' quarterback position come 2023.
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Davis Mills QB | HOU
Texans' Davis Mills: Resurgent effort to close season
Mills completed 22 of 38 passes for 298 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the Texans' 32-31 win over the Colts on Sunday. He also rushed once for six yards and threw a game-winning two-point conversion pass.
Mills saved his best for last, putting together his first three-touchdown tally of the campaign while falling just short of his third 300-yard effort of 2022. The second-year signal-caller even led Houston on an improbable comeback that culminated in a heave of a 28-yard touchdown toss to Jordan Akins on fourth down and a subsequent two-pointer to the veteran tight end that served as the difference in the game. Mills hit Brandin Cooks and Akins for 11- and 19-yard scores earlier in the game as well, but the young quarterback's future in Houston is somewhat uncertain, given the team has the No. 2 pick in April's draft and also may be undergoing a head coaching change this offseason.
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Sam Darnold QB | SEA
Panthers' Sam Darnold: Poor Week 18 performance
Darnold completed just 5 of 15 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions in Sunday's 10-7 win over the Saints. He also rushed six times for 32 yards.
Darnold struggled mightily in the passing game, averaging under three yards per attempt while turning the ball over twice. The signal-caller also fumbled twice but was fortunate not to lose either. In fact, offensive lineman Michael Jordan recovered one of Darnold's fumbles for a touchdown during the third quarter. After being sidelined with a preseason ankle injury, Darnold played just six games this season, completing only 82 of 140 passes for seven touchdowns versus three interceptions. While he also scored a couple times on the ground, it's unclear where Darnold -- an unrestricted free agent this offseason -- will ply his trade during the 2023 campaign, and whether he'll get another chance to start after underwhelming stints with the Jets and Panthers since being drafted third overall in 2018.
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Skylar Thompson QB | BAL
Dolphins' Skylar Thompson: Serviceable in spot start
Thompson completed 20 of 31 passes for 152 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Dolphins' 11-6 win over the Jets on Sunday. He also rushed three times for three yards and recovered a fumble.
As has been the case on multiple occasions this season, Thompson was called upon with both Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) and Teddy Bridgewater (finger/knee) dealing with injuries. As the final score indicates, the rookie seventh-round pick didn't exactly help the Dolphins light up the scoreboard, and he was mainly relegated to short passes, averaging a meager 4.9 yards per attempt. However, Thompson stayed away from turnovers and was able to help position Miami for what proved to be a game-winning 50-yard field goal by Jason Sanders on a drive that included a key nine-yard completion to Jaylen Waddle. With a wild-card road matchup now on tap against the Bills next weekend, it remains to be seen if Thompson will be called on yet again to helm the Dolphins' offense in an unenviable matchup.