Blake Bortles leads AFC South QB rankings post-Week 2
By Luke Sims
If you had told me Blake Bortles would be the top-graded quarterback in the AFC South through two weeks in 2015, I would have told you that you were crazy. Andrew Luck is just that good.
But through two weeks, here we stand with Pro Football Focus giving Bortles an unimpressive -1.7 grade that leads Marcus Mariota (-4.4), Luck (-5.3), and Ryan Mallett (-6.4).
In our weekly AFC South quarterback rankings, we aren’t looking solely at PFF rankings, but we’re taking it week by week based on the numbers. Last week, we saw Marcus Mariota take the top spot after an unbelievable debut.
Last week we ranked five quarterbacks because the Houston Texans simply can’t get the most important position in football settled. This week we have just four with Mallett forcing Brian Hoyer out of his way.
Let’s dive in.
Sep 20, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) passes the ball as Carolina Panthers defensive end Wes Horton (96) pressures in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
4) Ryan Mallett, quarterback, Houston Texans
Last week Mallett was my third-best quarterback in the AFC South. He beat out Blake Bortles (fourth) and fellow Houston Texans QB Brian Hoyer (fifth). This week, he finds himself dropping down a spot.
Mallet completed just 45.6% of his 57 attempts in Week 2.
Now before we unpack that, can we please note that the Texans had an untested quarterback throwing the ball 57 times! That was the second-highest for the week and just one behind Tom Brady. The only other quarterback to attempt more than 50 passes was Matt Stafford. Stafford and Brady are exceptional QBs…Mallett, not so much.
Aside from the ridiculous number of attempts and horrific completion percentage, Mallett also managed to throw one interception and one touchdown.
All in all, that’s an uninspiring, unimpressive debut as a starter in 2015. Mallett is supposed to be the better option between him and Hoyer. Instead, it looks like this is quite clearly a battle to see which of the two can be worse.
Ryan Mallett defenders will note that his receivers are credited with five drops in Week 2. That’s a ridiculously high number, but I’m not certain they would turn his day into one that tis magically pretty. It was ugly, ugly, ugly.
Head coach Bill O’Brien is hoping that by starting off calmer, Mallett can get on track. In my mind, it’s much more than that. There are a lot of areas for improvement and Mallett needs to really step up. I’m just not certain he can.
Next: Andrew Luck continues his fall