Best of the AFC West: quarterback edition

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Alex Smith: #3

Alex Smith is without a doubt the third-best quarterback in the division. The classic case of a player not being the best but not being worst, basically a victim of having two other Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks in the division. Is there a division in the NFL where Smith would at least be the second-best quarterback in the division? Yes, but not this division.

Last year Smith threw for 3,265 yards (20th-best in NFL) and 18 touchdowns which was 19th-best in NFL. Pro Football Focus graded him out a positive 2.5 which was the 16th-best in the league. His best performance grade came against Denver in the second week of the season with a positive 3.6 grade and his worst came late in the season against Arizona with a negative 3.3 grade.

Some Smith defenders will say it was the offensive line and the wide receiver talent around him and I wouldn’t argue those facts. However, even with a great offensive line and above average receivers in San Francisco he only managed to throw for 3,144 yards in 2011 with Jim Harbaugh as the coach.

Under Pressure:

Stats below by PFF are based on passing under pressure.

No Pressure – 15 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, +13.9 grade
Under Pressure – 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, -6.2 grade

Derek Carr: #4

Derek Carr is the little brother of the division and after just finishing his first season. There’s a lot of negative stats but there’s also a lot of good things to take away from his overall performance as well. I didn’t have high expectations for Carr in the NFL so he actually exceeded my expectations giving an outlook of some stability at the quarterback position for the first time in years for Raider Nation.

Last year, Carr threw for 3,270 yards (19th-best in NFL) and 21 touchdowns (15th-best in NFL). Both stats were better than Smith so why do I have him fourth? He’s also part of the reason they only won three games last year. Pro Football Focus graded Derek Carr at a negative 32.6 for the season which was the 38th-worst score in league. According to PFF, Carr graded at a negative 2.6 in Oakland against Kansas City and at a negative 7.2 in K.C. which was his worst performance of the year.

Under Pressure:

Stats below by PFF are based on passing under pressure.

No Pressure – 13 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, -6.4 grade
Under Pressure – 8 touchdowns ad 6 interceptions, -15.9 grade

In closing there’s no real surprises here, I think many would agree this order of rankings but if you don’t share your comments below and let’s discuss. I think I can speak for all Chiefs fans that we’re hoping Alex makes a jump this year and that one particular aging quarterback starts showing some signs of regression.