The cream is starting to rise to the top among the first- and second-year quarterbacks in the NFL, and after a discouraging rookie season, Bears passer Justin Fields is currently the best of the bunch.
Trevor Lawrence is right there, too. His performance in the Jaguars' comeback win over the Raiders in Week 9 was awesome, and he's otherwise been relatively steady in Year 2 under Doug Pedersen's tutelage.
A total of seven quarterbacks selected in the past two NFL Draft classes saw considerable playing time during Week 9 action.
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 are needed to qualify for this piece, which is published each Tuesday during the NFL season.
Justin Fields, Bears
High-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- In the first quarter, Fields hit the cutback lane like a running back on a designed run to the left for 10 yards.
- Fields had an amazing 12-yard run during which he avoided pressure with a spin and then accelerated up the field and made one cut to pick up the first down on third-and-8.
- Fields' touchdown to Darnell Mooney was a dime up and over the corner in coverage.
- His 61-yard score on the ground was a sensational demonstration of his speed.
- In the fourth, he shrugged off an outside rusher, began to scramble, then fought through another tackle attempt to get a first down on third-and-7.
- His last throw of the day, on fourth-and-10, was a perfect toss while on the run that was dropped by Equanimeous St. Brown.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- Late in the first, he threw a quick screen over the head of Chase Claypool.
- Fields missed low to Claypool on a slant.
- Late in the game, Fields threw well behind N'Keal Harry on a back-shoulder attempt.
Summary: Another step forward from Fields. He was incredible with his legs against the Dolphins and understood where the ball needed to be in most occasions. There were a few misses, but they were countered by quality strikes at the intermediate level.
Grade: A-
Season Grade: C+
JUSTIN FIELDS GOES 61 YARDS FOR SIX! 🔥
— NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2022
📺: #MIAvsCHI on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/PrdJzxjse4 pic.twitter.com/EaiuoLqHYO
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
High-Caliber Throws:
- Early in the third, Lawrence threw a laser to Christian Kirk right before the veteran receiver reached the sideline. It was a 12-yard gain against tight coverage.
- Midway through that same quarter, Lawrence looked left, then got all the way back to the right side of the field, while being pressured, and found Marvin Jones for 11 yards.
- As he was hit, Lawrence fired a rocket to Dan Arnold through the second level of the defense for 19 yards in the third.
- In the fourth, Lawrence calmly avoided interior pressure in the pocket, then connected with Marvin Jones for 15 yards against solid coverage.
Low-Caliber Throws:
- In the first half, he threw behind on a slant route that fell incomplete. Receiver was open.
Summary: This contest represented the most decisive I've seen Lawrence in the NFL. He knew where to go with the ball and got it out quickly and accurately for the vast majority of the game. And he completed the vast majority of his passes (25 of 31). The ill-advised decisions weren't there in the comeback victory, either. Yes, it came against a lesser defense, but this was an awesome outing for Lawrence.
Grade: A
Season Grade: C+
That’s how you kick off the second half!#LVvsJAX on CBS pic.twitter.com/QkTAcvK9Cl
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) November 6, 2022
Malik Willis, Titans
High-Caliber Throws:
- Early in the second, after rolling out and seeing two defenders in his face, Willis was forced backward but had enough arm strength to get the ball downfield to Austin Hooper for 16 yards.
- On the Titans' second touchdown drive, Willis threw a dart on a back-shoulder to Hooper that was close to being a score.
- Late in the second, he hit Chris Conley in stride down the right sideline against air-tight coverage, but the ball was dropped.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- His second throw of the game was well above Robert Woods' reach down the right sideline.
- His last throw of the game, in a desperate fourth-and-21 situation, was nearly intercepted.
Summary: Willis flashed in this game. The Titans playbook was pretty limited, and they often substituted extra blockers in, which limited receivers running routes. It by no means was a dazzling effort, especially in the second half, yet for a quarterback making his second start, in prime time, at Arrowhead Stadium ... not bad. A lot of his throwaways came on plays when Titans receivers simply were not open.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: C-
Dimes courtesy of the rookie @malikwillis 🎯
— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2022
📺: #TENvsKC on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/ExOeMHivBX pic.twitter.com/ilLN6OyrsR
Zach Wilson, Jets
High-Caliber Throws:
- Midway through the second, Wilson dropped it down sidearm to squeeze a pass underneath to Garrett Wilson.
- The 24-yarder over the middle to Garrett Wilson was a laser against decently tight coverage.
- Late in the fourth, he got the ball into Denzel Mims on a slant with Kaiir Elam draped on the wideout.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- In the second, he airmailed a throw to a wide-open Denzel Mims that fell incomplete. His late second-quarter interception was a high throw on a checkdown with pressure in his face.
- Early in the fourth, he somehow fit a pass over the middle to Mims with a safety all over him, but the ball was dropped.
- On the next play, he had an open target for a first down on an out-breaking route but flat-out missed.
Summary: Wilson was much steadier in this game than he'd been in previous weeks, particularly against pressure, but it was not a clear-cut step forward for the second-year QB. Some encouraging signs, though.
Grade: C
Season Grade: C-
"Great stop there by our defense ... holding them to 17 points. What an awesome win."
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 6, 2022
- @ZachWilson after the @nyjets' hard-fought victory over the Bills pic.twitter.com/5a9N9T41Xi
Mac Jones, Patriots
High-Caliber Throws:
- In the third, he fit a pass into Jakobi Meyers between two defenders at different layers of the defense for 17 yards.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- Late in the third, Jones underthrew a deep corner route to Meyers that was nearly intercepted, tipped, and almost caught by the veteran wideout.
Summary: Back-to-back vintage rookie-year outings for Jones. There weren't many throws to go in either category. He wasn't great but wasn't horrible, either. The Patriots defense dominated, and New England cruised to a home victory.
Grade: C
Season Grade: C-
Davis Mills, Texans
High-Caliber Throws:
- Mills' touchdown late in the second quarter was perfectly placed near the sideline in the end zone to Chris Moore.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- The interception in the third quarter was a bad decision to throw the ball over the middle after bouncing around awkwardly in the pocket.
- Late in the fourth, he had Jordan Akins open over the middle, but the ball didn't lead the tight end and fell incomplete.
Summary: Mills wasn't totally abysmal against one of the NFL's best defenses. But the Texans didn't put much on his plate, and he was far from great in the loss on "Thursday Night Football". There weren't many plays to pick from for this series that features really great or really bad throws or plays.
Grade: D+
Season Grade: C-
Sam Ehlinger, Colts
High-Caliber Throws:
- On his second drop back of the game, Ehlinger dropped it in the bucket to Jelani Woods on a long throw near the sideline that was dropped.
- In the third, there was nice placement on a back-shoulder toss to Woods.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- Early in the third, he missed wide on a long-ball attempt to Parris Campbell.
- In the fourth, he took a brutal sack in which he got spun around multiple times. Play ultimately went for a 15-yard loss.
- His second-to-last throw of the afternoon was late with a defender lurking. It should've been a pick six but was dropped by Devin McCourty.
Summary: This outing was more a dismal effort by the Colts offense than one strictly from Ehlinger, but it's hard to give anything but a very low grade for a contest that featured Indianapolis barely moving the ball.
Grade: D
Season Grade: C-
