2019 NFL QB GRADES WEEK 4

TOP 10

REST OF THE PACK

NON-QUALIFYING QBs

WEEK 4 TAKEAWAYS

+ Gardner Minshew

I commented on Sunday that Gardner Minshew is pulling a Johnny Manziel style-phenomenon in the NFL and I'm still stunned by his Week 4 performance in Denver. Sure, he struggled a bit in the first half and yes Jacksonville was carried by the overdue but very welcome breakout performance from Leonard Fournette. However, when the Jags needed a big play Minshew delivered.. and off-schedule. His two biggest plays were both play-extending Manziel-style pocket scrambles and Minshew's composure to finish these plays is frankly remarkable. When he's not improvising, Minshew is a mostly accurate QB who understands how to play on-schedule and how to protect the football. The fact that such a young and unheralded player has demonstrated such aptitude for playing both on and off-schedule, and for knowing the appropriate time for each, gives me hope that he can keep the good times going for the Jaguars.

+ Jacoby Brissett

The Colts may have suffered a devastating loss in the QB room during the preseason, but that doesn't mean they don't still have an impressive quarterback leading the team this year. Jacoby Brissett has stepped into Andrew Luck's role and quickly become the leader and best player (non-lineman) on the offense, especially noticeable in TY Hilton's absence. Brissett is tied for the league lead with 10 TD passes so far and has flashed a plus arm, consistent accuracy and enough mobility to thrive in extended-play situations. He has more than earned his top-10 season grade so far.

+ Matthew Stafford

Patrick Mahomes pulled out a comeback win on his first career visit to a domed stadium on Sunday, but the higher grade this week went to Matthew Stafford. The Lions QB answered the challenge of the reigning MVP visiting town with a red-hot attacking performance that saw him go 4/7 on passes beyond 20 yards from the line of scrimmage and 12/17 & 2 TDs beyond 10 yards. Those numbers may seem somewhat pedestrian, but in an early season dominated by screens. flats, slants and other scheme-driven short and safe passes, Stafford’s Week 4 pass chart actually stands out. I've said for years now that Stafford plays like a top 5 QB when he's on and he was on in Week 4. The issue has always been his ability to consistently play at the top of his game.

- Kirk Cousins

I noted a couple weeks ago that Kirk Cousins was off to a terrible start and things are already reaching a boiling point after a horrible Week 4 performance against the Bears. The Viking QB's numbers were underwhelming at face value in leading the team to only 6 points in this crucial divisional matchup. But the nature of his mistakes was particularly disheartening. He missed an open deep shot for a TD to Adam Thielen in the first quarter, was strip sacked on the first play of the second half and fumbled again on a sack just two plays after his only 20+ yard completion of the day. Simply put, the Minnesota offense just has no juice or momentum with Cousins at the helm this season and he seems to know it. Kirk publicly apologized to Adam Thielen this week for his ugly performance.

- Jared Goff

The Rams offense is currently a mess and Jared Goff is suffering the brunt of the consequences so far this season. This reality went unpunished until an eye-opening performance by the Bucs in Week 4 exposed all of LA's issues in one shot. The Rams offense under Sean McVay has been built on misdirection runs and the big-play potential of star Todd Gurley. Goff excelled in the balanced scheme, but that balance is currently out the window as LA ran only 11 times total against TB with Todd Gurley getting only 5 carries. Goff on the other hand attempted an astonishing 68 passes, and neither he nor the Rams passing scheme is built for this kind of volume. 57 of the 68 pass attempts were between 0-20 yards with comparatively very few deep shots or easy LOS quick-hitters. Instead, the 2019 game plan consistently asks Goff to make tough and high-risk reads in front of safeties and over the middle of the field. While Goff is confident and comfortable with this challenge, the inevitable reality of such a high volume of high-risk attempts with him is turnovers (he already has 9 through 4 games). All that being said, there's no reason to be too concerned just yet. Sean McVay is the second best coach in football and is absolutely aware of and working to correct the fundamental issues in his offense.

*I laid out my rules for graded starts and the non-qualifying QB list last week (reposted below) and immediately an example of a gray-area judgment grade happened in Week 4. Case Keenum was replaced in the second quarter by rookie Dwayne Haskins, who proceeded to have a nightmare performance. In this case, I felt Keenum deserved the poor grade for essentially forcing head coach Jay Gruden to bench him in a winnable game against a division rival and instigating a disastrous debut for the first round rookie. Keenum was horribly and unacceptably off from the start of the game and missed two big play opportunities by at least 5 yards each, one of which would have went for a walk-in TD.

WEEKLY GRADE AND SEASON CHART QUALIFYING RULES

As of right now, only QBs with multiple graded outings qualify for the main list. To receive a grade, a QB must start the game and play at least into the second half OR relieve the starter from the bench before the end of the first quarter. A QB must have at least 5 graded games on the season to qualify for the final end-of-year chart.