NFL

Best & Worst Passing Performances of 2011

Who gets the top honor as having the singular best week through the air in 2011?

2011 was the Year of the Quarterback (again). Three QBs threw for over 5,000 yards, 10 for over 4,000 yards. Three QBs threw 40+ touchdowns, one of which threw only six interceptions. Three QBs threw over 600 passes last year -- compare that to 2009, where not a single QB threw for that many. So, out of all the ridiculous aerial assaults, what were the best and worst passing performances of 2011?

Best Passing Performance

Shocking that the best passing performance was by the Green Bay Packers, a team that added almost 250 points above expectation after adjusting for the strength of opponents. And while the previous sentence was doused in sarcasm, the next part is a little shocking: The best passing performance of 2011 was by Matt Flynn.

While it was a Week 17 game and both teams were guaranteed playoff spots, Detroit did still have seeding for which to play. If they lost, they'd face an incredibly hot and efficient Saints team. If they won, they could face the winner of the NFC East -- who at the time, was not looking so strong.

Matthew Stafford, the losing QB, went 36 for 59 for 520 yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs. After adjusting for the strength of the Green Bay Packers defense, that amounted to an addition of 17.5 NEP, a dominant performance.

Read more at: Drive By Football, written by numberFire Chief Analyst Keith Goldner.