Bruce’s QB STEW: Top NFL passers after Week 8

Through eight games in 2022, Buffalo Bills signal caller Josh Allen remains high on the QB STEW chart, while some others have risen or fallen. Let’s take a look at the STEW.

For the uninitiated, QB STEW is a metric amalgamation I concocted in an attempt to have the flaws of one metric accommodated in the formula by the presence of another metric.

• You can find the original article with reasoning here.
• The post-Week 4 QB STEW rankings can be read here.

First, the results (among quarterbacks with 150 dropbacks in 2022):

Next, I’ll share some observations...

Tua Tagovailoa remains incredibly efficient

Sample size is still the rub for Tua, who’s missed time this year in concussion protocol and put up his best games against lower-tier defenses. But his status at the top of the DVOA chart (which is adjusted for defense) lends credence to the idea that he is, indeed, playing as well as it looks. We’ll see if he keeps it up over the course of the year, but as of this writing, he’s been everything the Fins faithful could have hoped he’d be entering this season.

Marcus Mariota jumps significantly

After ranking 21st on the post-Week 4 QB STEW chart, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota jumps to ninth on the updated chart based largely on his top-ten rankings in both QBR and EPA per play. Given what we know about these metrics, Mariota’s rushing ability is pulling up the otherwise reasonable results. The issue continues to be one of volume for Mariota, who has attempted only 22.25 passes per game in 2022. He continues to be efficient with his legs and with his arm, but isn’t being asked to do more than that in the run-heavy Falcons offense.

Josh Allen continues his top performance

Allen’s CPOE sitting in 18th place is the only metric not in the top 10 in the composite. Historically, this difference between CPOE and the remaining metric usually indicates that the quarterback is getting assistance from his receivers and system (you have seen it with Patrick Mahomes’ STEW the last few years before this one). His average net yards per attempt jumped from ninth in the NFL (dragged down by a 63-attempt game in Miami and a sloppy first half in Baltimore) to second in the NFL (buoyed by an incredible game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and solidly efficient performances against the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers in terms of ANY/A). As a whole, Allen’s numbers continue to tell the story of an incredible young quarterback who remains the NFL MVP favorite in 2022.

The Cowboys “QB controversy” was always nonsense

Cooper Rush played the role of a backup quarterback well. He managed the Dallas Cowboys’ offense, and he kept the team afloat in the absence of starting quarterback Dak Prescott. But after Week 4, Rush sat at tenth in the QB STEW rankings. Fast forward to now and he’s fallen to 23rd, just ahead of benched Indianapolis Colts’ veteran Matt Ryan. While QBR continues to favor him heavily, all other metrics have fallen off, and the Taylor Heinicke-like flash that grabbed some media attention for his future as a potential starter in the NFL has faded.

...and that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan with Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive and look for new episodes of “The Bruce Exclusive” every Thursday on the Buffalo Rumblings podcast network!