We're Kind Of Wingin' It: Bengals Quarterback Andy Dalton Ranked 10th In Total QBR During Week Nine

by Josh Kirkendall on Nov 8, 2011 10:05 AM EST in Stats

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 06: Andy Dalton #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals looks to pass the ball during the NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on November 6, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Bengals won 24-17. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Admittedly we don't understand much of ESPN's Total Quarterback Rating. We know that it takes into account everything from running with the football, passing, sacks taken, fumbles lost and penalties that contributes towards his respective team's wins (or losses). That much we know. How it's actually figured out, we're far from certain and it still seems odd to us that even ESPN references passer rating more than their own Total QBR. But we're fair and open-minded, curious to see where this takes us.

After falling behind 17-7 against the Tennessee Titans, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton put on his general cap and helped lead the Bengals with 17 unanswered points in the second half, where he completed 14 of 25 passes for 120 yards passing and two touchdowns for a passer rating of 95.4. The performance earned Dalton a Total QBR of 74.4, which ranked 10th in week nine.

According to ESPN's system that was largely formulated by former NFL quarterbacks that are employed with ESPN, Dalton's best game remains against the Colts in week six, where he completed 78% of his passes for 264 yards passing, a touchdown thrown and a passer rating of 111.5. Here's how Dalton's Total QBR has broken down this season.

Week	Opp.	Result	Total QBR	Rank
Week 1	Browns	W, 27-17	27.0	25th
Week 2	Broncos	L, 22-24	41.2	23rd
Week 3	49ers	L, 8-13	14.0	30th
Week 4	Bills	W, 23-20	26.7	27th
Week 5	Jaguars	W, 30-23	61.2	15th
Week 6	Colts	W, 27-17	88.8	5th
Week 8	Seahawks	W, 34-12	61.9	12th
Week 9	Titans	W, 24-17	74.4	10th

For the season Dalton ranks 18th with a Total QBR of 50.4, which is roughly 8.6 points worse than 2-6 rookie quarterback Cam Newton. I suppose the contributions towards winning isn't that significant.

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Comments

This whole new QBR thing makes zero sense

Week in and week out you see inferior QB’s rated way above better ones. You’d think by the halfway point in the season it would be evening out a bit. Dalton is throwing with 62% accuracy and has an almost 2:1 TD to INT ratio over 8 starts. An extra couple hundred yards and he’d be a lock for the Pro Bowl. Kid’s the real deal.

by eric nyc on Nov 8, 2011 10:45 AM EST reply actions

yeah

It looks like ESPN sees how flawed it is and is sort of trying to phase it out midseason. Youd think they would have tested it with previous years numbers before acting like it was so great.

by TheVilified on Nov 8, 2011 3:39 PM EST up reply actions

QBR is beyond a joke

These fools at ESPN just try and formulate new ways of categorizing players they like to talk about as “elite” so they can continue talking about them. The metrics behind QBR are so muddled they are about as easy to understand as Passer Rating (which is what this stupid new system was designed to replace!).

How do you quantify a value for a sack? If Whitworth gets beaten off the line of scrimmage (like that would ever happen) and Dalton gets sacked by a defensive player that he never saw before his receivers could get open, does that still count against him? Does he get positive points for eluding the same sack and throwing the ball away? Did Dalton receive any positive points for making a game saving tackle at the 2-yard line following an INT against Jacksonville?

The fact that a QB from a 2-6 team ranks 8.6 points higher than a 6-2 QB says all you need to know about this new system. ESPN can never just leave well-enough alone…

by WhoDeyEveryDay on Nov 8, 2011 11:53 AM EST reply actions

+1

To add to that.

How about 0 INT’s in the Red Zone. It’s not always the fact that you throw an INT, it’s where you throw it. It’s not always the you didn’t complete a pass, but why didn’t you complete it(dropped balls, throw away to avoid sack, etc….)

In the end, Dalton is playing good. I seriously doubt there are 17 other QB’s playing BETTER then him.