Best and worst QB performances in NFL Week 8

Young QB’s demonstrate why they are rising stars.

The eighth week of the 2018 NFL season provided fans with a wide spectrum of quarterback performances.

Many of the NFL’s top, young quarterbacks stepped up this week with performances that demonstrate why they are the rising stars in the league.

Week 8 also told the story of several quarterbacks who struggled and will likely face uncertain futures as the season goes on.

Here are the best and worst performances by quarterbacks in Week 8.

 

Best: Deshaun Watson

Houston hasn’t put Watson in a position to succeed. The playcalling is often questionable and Houston’s offensive line allows the most quarterback hits in the league. Despite it all, he finds a way to turn in masterful performances.

Watson was simply sensational on Thursday against the Miami Dolphins. The 23-year-old threw more touchdowns (five) than incompletions (four) and averaged 11.95 yards per attempt with a 156 quarterback rating.

The Texans have won five consecutive games, but they lost Will Fuller to a torn ACL and the offensive line shows zero signs of improvement. Yet, no one should be surprised if Watson helps this team win 10 games after a 0-3 start to the season.

 

Worst: Jameis Winston

It’s time for everyone, including Tampa Bay’s front office, to realize it just isn’t going to happen. The No.1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Winston’s four-interception performance further highlighted his fall.

Tampa Bay’s coaching staff pulled the plug on Winston in Week 8. While Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t the long-term answer either, he at least gives Tampa Bay a chance to be competitive this season and will start going forward. As for Winston, his future as an NFL starter is uncertain.

 

Best: Patrick Mahomes

In an MVP-caliber season, Mahomes continues to set NFL records nearly every week. He did it once again this weekend as he builds upon an unbelievable pace to begin his NFL career.

Mahomes completed 24-of-34 passes against the Denver Broncos and recorded his seventh consecutive game with 300-plus passing yards. The 23-year-old finished the day with four touchdown passes and a lone interception in another outstanding performance. Things should be even easier for this offense in Week 9 against the Cleveland Browns.

 

Worst: Brock Osweiler

Just like everyone expected, Osweiler fell back to earth after a strong initial stretch. While he made a few smart throws against the Texans, much of his night was filled with poor quarterback play.

Osweiler completed 21-of-37 pass attempts and had several missed throws to open wide receivers. He also benefited from dropped interceptions and an awful fumble that was overturned by replay. “Brocktober” is over, and it never should have been a thing.

 

Best: Russell Wilson

While we haven’t been seeing a high volume of pass attempts from Wilson, he still makes throws that prove he is one of the best in the NFL.

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Most of Wilson’s damage against the Lions came in the first half. He completed 11-of-12 passes for 151 passing yards and three touchdowns as Seattle rolled to a huge lead. Wilson would finish the day with 248 passing yards and a 158.3 quarterback rating — simply a perfect performance.

 

Worst: Joe Flacco

Just when it started to feel like Flacco might enjoy a breakout season, things have unraveled rather quickly for the veteran.

Everything about this performance looked bad for Flacco. He averaged a disgraceful 4.92 yards per attempt, threw two interceptions and failed to even crack 200 passing yards. The 33-year-old has completed less than 60 percent of his passes and averaged under 6.5 yards per attempt in three of his last four starts, a troubling sign for a team with playoff hopes this season.

 

Best: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick came into the game with Tampa Bay trailing 34-19 and in need of a miracle to even give it some form of hope.

He brought the magic to this offense and answered with 15 unanswered points. Fitzpatrick finished Sunday’s game with 194 passing yards in just over a quarter of action and completed 11-of-15 passes for two touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

While Fitzpatrick will deliver a high variance of outcomes and hurt this team at times, he gives Tampa Bay its best chance to win games. An upcoming matchup against the Carolina Panthers will be tough, but the Bucs at least have a small chance now.

 

Worst: Sam Darnold

While some quarterbacks might make their rookie seasons look easy, it’s far from it. Often, especially for top picks drafted by bottom-tier teams, the first year in the NFL can be brutal.

The 21-year-old is trying to make it work in an offense with limited weapons. Unfortunately for Darnold, he doesn’t have the type of playmakers who can bail him out. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes for the second consecutive week and averaged only 5.28 yards per attempt in this start.

It will get better for Darnold, it’s just going to take time. He’ll learn to make better decisions and his placement on throws will improve in the future as well. The biggest key will be New York’s front office surrounding him with talent to help unlock this offense.