The 5 Best and Worst Passing Performances of the 2016 NFL Playoffs
The 5 Worst
Which quarterbacks failed to do their teams any favors?
| Player | Round | Passing NEP per Drop Back |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Smith | AFC Divisional | -0.06 |
| Eli Manning | NFC Wild Card | -0.11 |
| Matthew Stafford | NFC Wild Card | -0.15 |
| Connor Cook | AFC Wild Card | -0.36 |
| Brock Osweiler | AFC Divisional | -0.41 |
At number five, Alex Smith's performance in the Kansas City Chiefs' 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was not desirable. He's the closest to zero of the five quarterbacks above, but Smith tallied an NEP of -2.01, meaning he subtracted over two points from his team's expected point total. He was successful -- or earned an NEP greater than zero -- on just 40% of passes, with just 14 instances in which he increased his team's chances of scoring.
In the New York Giants' NFC wild card meeting against the Green Bay Packers, Manning really didn't live up to his Super Bowl resumé. He totaled 18 pass successes but did so at a rate of 39.13%. As a byproduct, his -5.21 NEP tell us he took over five points away from his team in the Giants' 38-13 losing effort.
Stafford was ever so slightly worse than Manning in his own wild card performance. As the Detroit Lions faced the Seattle Seahawks, Stafford struggled to -5.18 NEP with just 16 successful passes. His 45.71% success rate was superior to Manning's, yet the outcome -- a 26-6 blowout loss -- was the same.
After Derek Carr suffered a broken fibula in Week 16 of the regular season, it was Connor Cook who was thrown into the fire against the Houston Texans. Ultimately, what happened thereafter could've been expected.
In his first career NFL start, Cook posted the lowest success rate (29.17%) of all playoff passing performances, with just 14 successful passes and a -17.25 NEP. Accordingly, the Texans capitalized with a 27-14 win.
The Texans' quarterback, Brock Osweiler, after defeating Cook, did one worse in his divisional round contest in Foxborough. Osweiler totaled 17 successful passes but did so on just 39.53% of his attempts. His -17.46 NEP is the worst of the 2016 playoffs -- as is his -0.41 Passing NEP per drop back. The Patriots rolled 34-16 as Osweiler fell short of expectations once again.
