It's not that Jayden Daniels was bad in the triumphant comeback against the Eagles at home in Week 16; it's that four of his touchdowns were of the wide-open variety, and Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, in isolation, had stronger performances.
Yes, Washington's 36-33 victory matters more right now for these first-year passers, but even in defeat, Maye and Williams did some extraordinary things for their respective clubs in Week 16.
Maye handled the Bills' blitz well and only had one real mistake throwing the ball. Williams bounced away from pressure all afternoon and made a variety of impressive throws against an opportunistic Lions defense in Chicago's ninth-straight loss. Bo Nix struggled against the Chargers, and C.J. Stroud did all he could against the Chiefs defense in Arrowhead, but it wasn't enough for the Texans to win that game.
There were 11 quarterbacks selected in the past two NFL draft classes who saw considerable playing time in Week 15. Let's dive deep into the individual efforts of each quarterback and assign a grade on a per-snap basis, taking every individual aspect of their performance into account.
(At least 10 attempts were needed to qualify for this piece, which comes out weekly on Tuesdays.
Week 16 stats
- 24 of 39 for 258 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT, 81 rushing yards
High-caliber throws/plays
- His 51-yard long-ball to Dyami Brown was a bucket throw from his end zone.
- Late in the third, Daniels demonstrated his speed and flexibility on a windy 29-yard scamper up the middle.
- Daniels' final throw of the game, the game-winning touchdown was a dot through layers of coverage.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- He missed an open receiver near the flat on his first throw.
- Daniels' second-quarter interception was airmailed on a seam throw.
- Near the end of the third, he threw late and behind McLaurin on a dig that bounced around and was nearly picked.
- While he was under duress and bought extra time in the pocket, Daniels' late, fourth-quarter interception was a force to a covered receiver.
Summary: What a comeback by the Commanders in a monstrous divisional showdown with the Eagles. I have seen Daniels play better, more efficient games in his rookie season. Four of his five touchdowns were of the wide-open variety, and his interceptions were clearly on him. He did handle the underneath, quick-game portion of the game plan well, and flashed his athleticism on more than a few occasions.
Grade: C
Season Grade: B
Week 16 stats
- 26 of 40 for 334 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- In the second quarter, there was a rocket on a deep over to Keenan Allen against tight coverage.
- There was seemingly nowhere to throw the ball to Rome Odunze on a deep over against man coverage that was perfectly thrown for a 13-yard gain.
- Williams ripped a vertical throw between the seam and the numbers to D.J. Moore with three defenders in tight.
- The 45-yard touchdown before the end of the half was a illustration of just how live of an arm Williams genuinely has.
- He made a nasty juke on a 13-yard scramble in the third.
- Couldn't have placed a slot fade to Odunze any better later in that quarter.
- While it was a spectacular catch by Allen, Williams threw a gorgeous ball on an out-and-up to Allen in the fourth. Led the veteran receiver, and it was on his outside shoulder down the right sideline.
- He spun twice behind the line to avoid tacklers on a six-yard scramble.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- His first throw of the game was misfire on a short throw near the left sideline to Allen.
- Williams missed wide on a throw to a comeback route in the second.
- He airmailed a dig to Odunze in the fourth.
Summary: Despite yet another loss, Williams was awesome in this game. He got off to a slow-ish start, yet made a collection of spectacular throws and plays in general from the second quarter en route to one of his highest grades of the season. This was an outing that demonstrated why he was the No. 1 overall pick.
Grade: A-
Season Grade: B-
Week 16 stats
- 29 of 40 for 131 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- Early in the second, Nix threw a strike while on the run through layers of coverage to Courtland Sutton for 18 yards.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- In the first quarter, Nix skipped a deep comeback attempt targeted for fellow rookie Troy Franklin.
- Near the end of the half, he threw at the feet of a check down option over the middle.
- In the fourth, he woefully underthrew a wide open Marvin Mims streaking down the right sideline for what should've been a touchdown, but the pass fell incomplete.
Summary: This was the classic pitfall game for Nix and the Broncos offense, in that when you're throwing screen after screen after dumpoff things can start well, but once a defense adjusts, what can Denver's aerial attack do on a consistent basis? That's what happened as the Chargers started to get hot offensively in the second half, and Nix and Co. didn't have an answer.
Grade: D+
Season Grade: C+
Week 15 stats
- 23 of 39 for 244 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- From a muddy pocket near the end of the first quarter, Stroud led Collins down the left sideline for a big gain.
- Right before he was hit while rolling right, Stroud threw across his body to find Dalton Schultz in the end zone.
- The long touchdown on the play Tank Dell was injured was a gorgeous long-ball toss against tight coverage on a designed rollout off play-action. Perfectly placed.
- On a third-and-9 in the third quarter, Stroud threw with anticipation and pinpoint accuracy to Schultz near the sideline, but the ball was dropped.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- On the first drive of the game, Stroud overthrew a deep dig on a third and long and was intercepted.
- His late second-quarter interception was a major force while being pressured. Ball didn't need to be thrown over the middle, and his target was completely covered.
- Stroud threw high on a pass into the flat to Joe Mixon.
Summary: Reasonably good effort from Stroud in this game, particularly given the environment and fact he lost his starting right guard and No. 2 receiver during the contest. But the Texans needed him to be spectacular to win in Arrowhead Stadium on this afternoon, and Stroud didn't play to that level.
Grade: C
Season Grade: C+
Week 16 stats
- 17 of 26 for 158 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- In the first, Young demonstrated his speed on a 34-yard scramble.
- Off play-action in the second, Young ripped a fastball on a deep corner to David Moore for 21 yards.
- There was a gorgeous back-shoulder to Adam Thielen in the third.
- Young made a free outside rusher miss and scrambled for seven yards near the end of the second.
- As he was hit by a free inside rusher in the fourth, he found Tommy Tremble against tight coverage for 12 yards.
- The fourth-quarter touchdown to Moore was a high-arcing pass perfectly placed.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- Young airmailed a throw into the end zone toward Jalen Coker in the second.
- He missed wide on a pass toward the sideline on a critical 3rd and 3 late in the fourth.
Summary: Ample quality play from Young in this thrilling overtime win at home. The misfires were few and far between. His full skill set was on display in this one -- he threw with anticipation and flashed his athleticism eluding rushers throughout.
Grade: A-
Season Grade: B
Week 15 stats
- 18 of 27 for 202 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- Penix ripped a laser to Darnell Mooney, just over the outstretched arms of an underneath defender, on a deep comeback for 22 yards.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- He overthrew a slot fade to Drake London in the first.
- Penix's next throw on the ensuing drive was low and outside toward the sideline.
Summary: Good but far from spectacular NFL starting debut from Penix. The arm talent was evident on essentially all of his throws but the game plan was mostly conservative and his ball placement left a little to be desired against the Giants. There were encouraging signs though.
Grade: C
Season Grade: C
Week 16 stats
- 7 of 11 for 131 yards, 2 TD (1 rushing) and 1 INT, 70 yards rushing
High-caliber throws/plays
- There was quality touch on a 38-yard completion to Adonai Mitchell in the first half.
- In the second quarter, Richardson demonstrated his supreme athleticism on a 29-yard scamper, making a defender miss then weaving through the secondary.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- He simply didn't see Amani Hooker over the middle on his first-half interception.
Summary: It's not every day you see a team score 38 points when the quarterback only drop backs 14 times and completes 7-of-11 passes. That's precisely what the Colts did to keep their playoff hopes alive in the 38-30 win over the Titans in Week 16. Very minimal on Richardson's plate in this one.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: C-
Week 15 stats
- 22 of 36 for 261 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- On the first drive of the game, Maye dropped a dime deep downfield to Kayshon Boutte for a 28-yard score. Air-tight coverage, and he fit the ball in.
- He spun between defenders on a 10-yard scramble on third-and-9 in the first quarter.
- With a blitzing safety in his face, he threw with anticipation on a deep comeback to pick up another third down in the first half.
- After a play-action fake, Maye had a linebacker in his face but faded away and threw with good velocity on a 22-yard throw over the middle to Boutte.
- In the fourth, he squeezed a short pass into the arms of his intended target between two zone defenders.
- Later that quarter, Maye threw a perfect post from the slot to his tight end between converging defenders for 28 yards.
- His final throw of the game was a touchdown with good zip and some anticipation near two defenders.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- Maye underthrew a dig in the second quarter.
- His interception was potentially a miscommunication, but the throw was too flat toward his tight end in the end zone, who was running closer to the back pylon than the front pylon.
Summary: Maye looked the part of an encouraging rookie quarterback in Buffalo. He made plays against the blitz, with his feet, and routinely found the open receiver against the Bills' zone-heavy defense. Strong performance.
Grade: A-
Season Grade: B-
Week 16 stats
- 20 of 34 for 157 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- In the third, after gliding left out of the pocket, he somehow got a pass to Jerome Ford in the middle of the field for 12 yards.
- There was a quality throw on a dig against tight coverage later that quarter.
- He managed a nifty 14-yard scramble to move the chains near the end of the third.
- Late in the game, DTR spun away from multiple defenders, stayed on his feet, and found David Njoku for 12 yards right before he drifted out of bounds.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- His first throw of the game was behind on a slant.
- Thompson-Robinson missed badly on a throw near the sideline while scrambling to his left in the second half.
- While pressured in the red zone, he lofted a ball near Njoku but also toward multiple Bengals defender and was intercepted.
- His desperation, last throw of the game should've been intercepted over the middle.
Summary: Thompson-Robinson made some plays, mostly thanks to his athleticism, in his road contest against a hungry Bengals team. There were also plenty of misfires, a few bad decisions, and a plethora of times in which he didn't get rid of the football and was sacked or hit in the pocket.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: D+
Week 16 stats
- 20 of 34 for 157 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- While his arm was being hit in the first quarter, he found Jakobi Meyers for 24 yards down the right sideline.
- On the first play of the second quarter, O'Connell placed a long-ball down the right sideline in front of the front left pylon of the end zone for a 29-yard gain to Tre Tucker.
- He somehow shook off a sack in the third quarter, floated left and got the ball to Tucker against tight coverage down the left sideline.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- He took a bad sack in the first quarter when he clearly could've stepped up.
Summary: While the the vasty majority of O'Connell's throws were underneath in this one, he was mostly on-time and accurate with his throws and even played with uncharacteristic mobility and ad-libbing skill against a bad Jaguars defense.
Grade: B-
Season Grade: C
Week 16 stats
- 20 of 34 for 157 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
High-caliber throws/plays
- In the second quarter, Rattler zipped a gorgeous pass to Foster Moreau down the seam in the midst of a collection of Packers defenders.
- He threw with quality zip and accuracy on a deep flag run by Juwan Johnson.
- Late in the third, he made a crazy jump throw with plenty of velocity to Dante Pettis for 20 yards near the left hash.
Low-caliber throws/plays
- He took a bad sack in the second quarter and fumbled when hit.
- In the third, Rattler missed badly on an out-breaking route.
- His third-quarter interception was a bad one, as he didn't identify the sinking defensive back underneath his vertical throw.
Summary: The Saints were wildly overmatched against the Packers in Lambeau, yet Rattler actually made some impressive plays in this game. They were countered by a bad interception in the third quarter and a fumble early in the game.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: C-