Quantifying a quarterback’s production and efficiency with just one number isn’t easy. And while traditional quarterback rating is helpful, it doesn’t necessarily tell the entire story.
So, starting in 2011, ESPN and its team of stats-based analysts and NFL insiders attempted to quantify a quarterback’s efficiency and impact on a given game with with a proprietary metric that tries to incorporate everything a quarterback does (passes, rushes, sacks, turnovers, penalties, etc.) to help his team win a game. And with that, total quarterback rating – or simply, QBR – was born.
Fast forward to Week 4 of the 2018 season, where Mitch Trubisky put up a 98.2 Total QBR for his six-touchdown performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To put that number in perspective, Trubisky posted a 32.4 QBR as a rookie in all of 2017 – which put him at 29th on the leaderboard. Yikes.
In case you missed it, the folks at ESPN have summarized Trubisky’s stellar showing in a concise two-minute clip you can watch here:
It’s notable that Trubisky’s best work came in a clean pocket while not facing pressure. In those situations, Trubisky completed 19 of 22 attempts (that’s 86.4%!) for 354 yards (that’s 16.1 yards per attempt!!) and six touchdowns (yep, still six touchdowns). Trubisky threw just four passes when he was pressured, all of which fell incomplete. I’m not quite sure how offensive line play figures into QBR calculation, but the monsters up front deserve a ton of credit for keeping Trubisky clean and putting him in a situation where he can get the ball to playmakers on the outside and the team can put points on the board.
Bears quarterbacks haven’t been good enough often enough to garner much of a mention when it comes to QBR (at least, for good reasons) but that changed on Sunday by Trubisky doing what he did against Tampa Bay. More of that, please.
Should you want to read more on QBR, this could help explain any unsolved questions you may have regarding the stat.