Brock Purdy was once again Mr. Efficient in another 49ers thumping of an NFC opponent, while Aidan O'Connell cruised in the Raiders blowout win on Thursday Night Football. And Bryce Young may have had his best performance of the season in a rainstorm. Imagine that.
There were a grand total of eight first- or second-year quarterbacks who qualified for this series in Week 15.
Let's dive deep into the individual efforts of each quarterback and assign a grade on a per-snap basis, taking every individual aspect of their performance into account. More than 10 attempts were needed to qualify for this piece, which runs every Tuesday.
High-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- With under five to go in the first half, Purdy made a few defenders miss in the pocket and found his fullback instead of taking a sack.
- There was a late second-quarter touch throw to George Kittle in which Purdy moved into the pocket and lofted a ball perfectly between a few Cardinals defenders.
- His last throw of the day was a gorgeous back-shoulder touchdown to Deebo Samuel for 19 yards.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- In the second, Purdy threw a dig route that was nearly intercepted.
- There was a deep overthrow to Brandon Aiyuk down the left sideline.
Summary: The 49ers didn't cruise from the jump against the Cardinals, but as the game progressed there were a lot more openings for Brock Purdy and the aerial attack. It was mostly what has become a vintage Purdy effort. And that includes good improvisational skill.
Grade: B+
Season Grade: B
High-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- Young had an awesome back-shoulder late in the first half to Adam Thielen.
- Midway through the third, there was an impressive 12-yard scramble through traffic.
- His best throw of the game was a gorgeous back-shoulder late in the fourth quarter for 18 yards.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- He threw incomplete to an open receiver in the flat in the second quarter.
Summary: Ironically in a rain-soaked contest, Young had arguably his most under-control outing of the season to date. He avoided the bad decision and wasn't overly inaccurate throughout the game.
Grade: B-
Season Grade: D+
High-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- He sent a laser to Treylon Burks on a deep in-breaking route for 37 yards.
- Without being able to step into the throw as he normally would, Levis uncorked a 42-yard deep ball to DeAndre Hopkins in the third.
- There was nice touch on a deep over route to his tight end in the third.
- On a third-and-8 in the fourth, Levis cranked the MPH on a deep comeback to Chris Moore for a 12-yard gain against tight coverage.
- There was an impressive 9-yard scramble in overtime.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- Late in the first, Levis threw behind an open Hopkins.
- Levis clearly didn't see a defender underneath his deep outbreaking route in the third, and the pass was intercepted.
Summary: Levis makes wow throws every game. Demonstrations of his huge arm and aggressive nature as a passer. His interception was a misread, and he took far too many sacks in the loss to the Texans, but otherwise was solid.
Grade: B-
Season Grade: B-
High-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- While stepping into the pocket, Howell noticed Terry McLaurin with a step down the field and got it to the receiver on a fourth-and-2 in the first quarter for 24 yards.
- There was a pretty bucket throw down the left sideline to McLaurin that was ruled incomplete.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- He missed on a short outbreaking route in the first.
- Howell should've been intercepted on an inbreaking route thrown to John Bates.
- A sideline shot to McLaurin should've been intercepted early in the third.
Summary: Howell and the Commanders had a rough go -- on offense and defense -- in Los Angeles against the Rams. There was a lull in the second quarter into the third with a bunch of incompletions in a row, and the Rams defense did a tremendous job challenging almost every throw at the catch point. Bunch of tipped passes in this game too.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: B-
High-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- Zappe ripped a fastball into the arms of Hunter Henry on a deep in-breaker in the first.
- His next throw was similar to DeVante Parker.
- His touchdown to Hunter Henry was throw with perfect touch and placement between two Chiefs defenders.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- Early, he missed an open DeMario Douglas slanting across the middle on a third down.
- Bad decision on his third-quarter interception after eluding a rusher while rolling right, he threw the ball directly to Willie Gay near the sideline.
- The first play of the fourth quarter was an awful overthrow on a deep over route that should've been intercepted.
Summary: Zappe and the Patriots hung with the Chiefs in the first half, then things unraveled after halftime. He took a bunch of sacks, some in which he held the ball for far too long, and wasn't super accurate throughout this contest.
Grade: C-
Season Grade: D+
High-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- In the fourth, Ridder squeezed a throw into the arms of Drake London near the sideline as he was hit by a defensive back after making the catch.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- Midway through the first, Ridder tossed a very dangerous throw into the flat that was nearly intercepted.
- In the third, he missed Drake London on a deeper throw on a bootleg.
- In the fourth, Ridder forced a football into traffic while rolling left that was intercepted. Very ill-advised throw.
Summary: In Carolina, in a steady rain, Ridder had no answers for the Panthers defense that has not been very stingy this season in most occasions. After some encouraging performances of late, this was a clear-cut step in the wrong direction for their second-year pro.
Grade: D+
Season Grade: C-
High-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- While not the most difficult throw of his life, O'Connell's touchdown to Tre Tucker was perfectly lofted deep down the field on the 30-yard score.
- His second touchdown pass, this one to Jakobi Meyers, was even better. Dropped it in the bucket down the right sideline.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- Late in the first half, O'Connell threw behind an open Hunter Renfrow underneath.
- There was an inaccurate throw at the intermediate level to Michael Mayer.
Summary: Outside of a few pass breakups, O'Connell was sharp in the Raiders' enormous win over the Chargers to begin Week 15. Decisive and accurate to all levels of the field.
Grade: B+
Season Grade: C+
High-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- In the first, DeVito fit a pass on a scramble drill to Saquon Barkely against tight coverage down the sideline.
Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:
- DeVito missed a wide-open Darren Waller on a corner route in the fourth.
- His last throw of the game, he threw low and late to an open Eric Gray at the sticks on fourth down.
Summary: DeVito and the Giants came back to earth in New Orleans, and it was mostly due to a ridiculous amount of sacks. In terms of throwing the ball, there weren't a litany of bad throws or accurate tosses from DeVito, but the hits he took impact his grade. An undrafted rookie quarterback and the Giants offensive line are not a good match.
Grade: D+
Season Grade: C-
