Grading NFL’s next generation of QBs, Week 14: Will Levis shines in Titans’ epic comeback win vs. Dolphins

The Week 14 “Monday Night Football” doubleheader was all about Will Levis and Tommy DeVito and eating chicken cutlets. The Titans and Giants stunned as underdogs, winning with fourth-quarter comebacks that capped impressive performances from the two rookie passers. 

There were a grand total of eight first- or second-year quarterbacks who qualified for this series in Week 14. 

Let’s dive deep into the individual efforts of each quarterback and assign a grade on a per-snap basis, taking every individual aspect of their performance into account. More than 10 attempts were needed to qualify for this piece, which runs every Tuesday.

High-Caliber Throws/Plays:

• The long touchdown to Deebo Samuel was a gorgeous teardrop up and over the defense. 
• With under six minutes to go in the third, Purdy drifted left out of the pocket and placed a pass perfectly downfield to Brandon Aiyuk for 45 yards. 
• Also in the third, he threw a laser against tight coverage against the momentum against his body to Samuel who nearly scored on the play. 
• In the fourth, on a deep over run by Aiyuk, Purdy fit a rocket into the receiver’s chest between two defenders. 

Low-Caliber Throws/Plays: 

• Purdy’s third throw was nearly intercepted over the middle. 
• While tipped by Aiyuk, Purdy’s pick came on a throw that was errant to the open receiver, forcing him to dive for the pass. 
• He threw behind Samuel on an in-breaker late in the second. 

Summary: Another slowish start for Purdy morphed into flashes of sensational play in the second half. Once he settled in, the second-year pro was very comfortable in Kyle Shanahan’s amazing system. 

Grade: B-
Season Grade: B

High-Caliber Throws/Plays:

• Young had an awesome sideline hole shot to D.J. Chark with under a minute to go in the first half. 
• He made Demario Davis miss in space on an 11-yard scramble in the second quarter.  
• With under three to go in the game, as he took a hit, Young got a deep out to his receiver for 14 yards. 

Low-Caliber Throws/Plays: 

• Late in the first half, Young threw well wide and too deep on a long shot down the left sideline. 
• In the second quarter, he threw behind a dig route and fell incomplete. 
• With under 15 seconds left in the first half, Young missed a touchdown on a deep post. 

Summary: Young barely had open receivers in this contest — one of the stories of his rookie season — and had problems completing passes in this one. He was under duress often, held the ball too long, and missed some throws. There were some impressive scrambles. 

Grade: D+
Season Grade: D+

High-Caliber Throws/Plays: 

• He sent a laser to his tight end over the middle for 10 yards through a miniscule window. 
• Levis eluded a sack from Bradley Chubb in the pocket and crunched Jalen Ramsey in the open field. 
• With under 30 seconds to go in the half, he sent a rocket to a DeAndre Hopkins deep down the field — from a crumbling pocket — between three defenders for a play that amounted to a huge 24-yard gain. 
• On a third-and-6 late in the third quarter, Levis floated a perfectly thrown ball to Tyjae Spears between three defenders close to the Dolphins goal line. Incredible placement. 
• Late in the game, while stepping into the pocket and seeing a defender in his face, Levis was forced to toss the ball underhand to his running back over the middle to pick up positive yards. 

Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:

• Early in the game, there was a very dangerous throw on a slant to Hopkins against double coverage that led to a big hit and was nearly intercepted. 
• The pick-six inside his own 10-yard line was brutal. Didn’t see the defensive lineman and threw it right to him. 
• Late in the game, he missed a wide open tight end on an easy outbreaking route. 

Summary: Levis put on one of the gutsiest performances of the season in the Titans epic comeback win over the Dolphins. He took shots in the pocket, but still delivered spectacular throws to all levels of the field. He put his body on the line repeatedly and demonstrated that he has the arm talent and accuracy to be a competent pocket passer. 

Grade: A-
Season Grade: C+

High-Caliber Throws/Plays: 

• His second-to-last throw of the game while rolling right and releasing the ball back to his left to Singletary on a scramble drill was made with impressive touch, but the ball fell incomplete 

Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:

• In the first, Stroud threw late and behind Devin Singletary over the middle and was nearly intercepted. 
• Late in the second quarter, Stroud threw low to a wide open Brevin Jordan, which forced the tight end to dive for the catch when an on-target throw would’ve led to a first down. 
• With under 30 seconds to go in the half, Stroud forced a throw over the middle that should’ve been intercepted but was dropped. 

Summary: This game was the perfect storm to be the worst outing since the season-opening defeat at the hands of the Ravens for Stroud. Jets defense, on the road, without Tank Dell, in a rainstorm. Stroud and the Texans offense sputtered all afternoon in the blowout loss. 

Grade: D
Season Grade: B-

High-Caliber Throws/Plays: 

• Zappe stepped into the pocket and zipped a pass on an in-breaker to JuJu Smith-Schuster against tight coverage that went for 17 yards. 
• His second quarter, long touchdown to Hunter Henry was a laser beam over the outstretched arm of the deep safety. 

Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:

• Midway through the first, Zappe lofted an ill-advised long ball to Tyquan Thornton that was overthrown. The receiver was well-covered too. 
• He threw behind an in-breaker late in the first. 
• At the two-minute warning, Zappe threw low to a pass into the flat that fell incomplete. 
• Early in the fourth, while rolling right, he tried to squeeze a pass to a receiver near the sideline, but the throw was late and nearly picked. 

Summary: Zappe had a respectable performance, on a short week, in prime time, on the road against a quality defense. Was he sensational? No. But made two impressive throws, the second of which was integral to the Patriots pulling off the upset in Pittsburgh.   

Grade: C
Season Grade: D+

High-Caliber Throws/Plays: 

• In the first, he made a defender miss on a third-and-5 to pick up the first down with his legs. 
• Ridder dropped one in the bucket deep down the left sideline while on the run but the ball was lodged loose by a deep safety. 
• His last, desperation throw at the end of the game was a laser to Drake London in traffic near the end zone. 

Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:

• Late in the first quarter, he didn’t see Carlton Davis on a receiver screen and was intercepted by the cornerback flying downhill. 
• Ridder took a bad sack in the end zone — in which he fumbled — that resulted in a safety.  
• Midway through the third, he threw a dig route directly to an underneath linebacker that dropped the easy pick. 
• On a bootleg near the beginning of the fourth, Ridder threw wide of an open receiver standing near the sideline. 

Summary: While Ridder went over 300 yards in this contest, I wasn’t overly impressed with his performance. A few too many misfires and pass breakups scattered throughout this game. Plenty of easy, screens and throws into the flat as well. When he did let it rip, good things happened in most situations though.  

Grade: C-
Season Grade: C-

High-Caliber Throws/Plays: 

• Late in the game, he squeezed a pass between two defenders through a closing window to his tight end that was dropped. 

Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:

• Early in the game, he threw behind a slant that fell incomplete. 
• His fourth-quarter interception was an in-breaker that was well covered. 

Summary: There was not much to take from this O’Connell game. Plenty of underneath throws, checkdowns, some misfires, but not many egregiously bad decisions or throws. The wow throws simply weren’t there in a game when maybe one or two would’ve won it for the Raiders.   

Grade: D
Season Grade: C+

High-Caliber Throws/Plays: 

• The touchdown throw to Isaiah Hodgins was perfectly placed in the back corner of the end zone. 
• He had an impressive carry on a designed run in which he lost a safety with a juke back to the inside. The play went for 26 yards. 

Low-Caliber Throws/Plays:

• He missed a deep corner to Wan’Dale Robinson in the first. 

Summary: DeVito did a stellar job managing the game, in prime time, against a defense that had been cruising, in the win over the Packers. Not a litany of insane, high-caliber throws but he didn’t make mistakes, flashed his athleticism and arm talent when it mattered most. 

Grade: C+
Season Grade: C-