NFL

The 10 Best Fourth-Quarter Quarterbacks From the 2015 Season

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3. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

Fourth Quarter Passing NEP: 34.99
Fourth Quarter Passing NEP per Drop Back: 0.29

Among all quarterbacks on this list, none saw a bigger discrepancy between their regular, season-long Passing NEP per drop back average -- which includes all quarters -- and their fourth-quarter rate than Andrew Luck did in 2015.

It's kind of crazy, actually. Luck's Passing NEP per drop back of 0.08 last season ranked 19th among the 200-plus attempt quarterbacks the NFL saw. His 0.29 Passing NEP per drop back in the fourth quarter, though, was completely elite.

Raw statistics show the same story, too. During the first three quarters of games last year, Luck had a yards per attempt average of 6.0. There were 39 quarterbacks with 100 or more attempts under these circumstances, and that yards per attempt rate was third worst, ahead of only Ryan Mallett and Zach Mettenberger

In the fourth, though, that yards per attempt rate jumped to 7.2. 

His high efficiency number is bolstered by a lot of late-down completed passes in the third quarter. Just looking at his play log shows just how many big plays came in the fourth this past season.