by Vince Verhei

New York Jets fans, rejoice! For one Sunday, you had the best-performing quarterback in the NFL. Geno Smith's 16-of-29, 331-yard, two-touchdown, two-interception game against Buffalo was the most valuable of any NFL quarterback this week -- at least, it would have been, if Peyton Manning had a bad game on Monday night. (EDITOR'S NOTE: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!)

It has been a long, long time since the Jets have put a quarterback atop the leaderboard. The last Gang Green passer to lead Quick Reads was Brett Favre, who turned the trick against Tennessee in Week 12 of the 2008 season. Favre's statline that day isn't impressive on the surface -- a 25-of-32 performance for only 224 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception -- but it came against a Titans defense that finished fourth against the pass in the DVOA rankings.

Smith's game against Buffalo was the best for any Jets quarterback since Mark Sanchez had 181 DYAR against -- yes -- Buffalo in last year's season opener. Sanchez lit up the Bills for three touchdowns, going 19-of-27 for 266 yards with one pick.

Now, let's throw some water on the fire. Smith's game ranked first not so much because it was a particularly great game, but because it was a pretty crummy week for quarterbacks. Half of all starting quarterbacks on Sunday and Thursday finished below replacement level. Smith's 135 DYAR (which, again, could change slightly after the Monday night game) would not have led the quarterback rankings in any week in 2012. It only would have finished second three times, and on four occasions would have been outside the top five.

It is somewhat notable that Smith turned the trick in just his third professional game, but he's not the first rookie to steal the spotlight. You only have to go back five "weeks" of NFL football to find a superior rookie performance -- Russell Wilson's comeback on the road against Atlanta in the divisional round of the playoffs last year. Wilson's performance against Atlanta broke his own record for single-game rookie QB DYAR, a record he originally set in Week 13 against Chicago. (As the table in that link shows, Smith's performance against Buffalo wasn't close to making the top 15 rookie QB games of all time.) Wilson wasn't the only rookie to finish first in Quick Reads last year. Andrew Luck did it in Week 9, and Brandon Weeden (I swear! Brandon F'n Weeden!) was the top quarterback of Week 2. Also, though he wasn't the top-ranked quarterback that week, Robert Griffin's very first NFL start resulted in a fourth-place ranking.

This isn't entirely fair to Smith, though, because we're comparing him to the Class of 2012, almost assuredly the best crop of quarterbacks to ever enter the league at the same time. From 2008 to 2011, no rookie quarterback (including stud freshmen like Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, and Andy Dalton) ever finished first in Quick Reads. I could go back farther than that, but that would mean A) Digging through the FO on FOX archives, which is a giant headache, and B) Investigating the 2007 rookie class led by Trent Edwards, Matt Moore, and John Beck, and I just refuse. Suffice to say that this trend of rookies outshining veterans is a very recent phenomenon.

THIS WEEK'S SURPRISES: Bilal Powell, Joique Bell, DeAngelo Williams, and Adrian Peterson averaged more than 130 yards from scrimmage, but none of them made the top five running backs list. In fact, none of them made the top 10. Powell ran for 149 yards against the Bills, averaging 5.5 yards per carry, but 75 of those yards came on just four runs, and he had only five first downs on the day. He had nine fourth-quarter carries, each protecting a one-score lead, and only gained successful yardage one time. Bell had receptions of 11, 16, and 37 yards for Detroit against Washington. As a runner, though, he had three runs of 10 yards or more, and otherwise averaged 1.6 yards on 17 rushes, with eight runs for no gain or a loss. Williams managed only two catches for 6 yards in five targets, and as a runner, he gained 3 yards or fewer on 12 of his 23 carries. Peterson had a very non-Peterson day, He was hit for no gain or a loss only three times, but he averaged just 3.5 yards on 25 carries, with no 10-yard runs and one lost fumble.

Among receivers, Jimmy Graham caught nine passes for 134 yards, with two touchdowns and six other first downs, but he also had six incompletions. Santonio Holmes was even more boom-and-bust, with five receptions for 154 yards, every catch gaining a first down or touchdown, but five incomplete targets. It's very rare to see a player with a 50 percent Catch Rate make the Quick Reads tables.

Quarterbacks Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 1. Peyton Manning DEN 32/37 374 3 0 227 227 0 Here's how Peyton's day began: Incomplete. Six completions in a row. Incomplete. 15 completions in a row. Incomplete. Five completions in a row (with a botched snap in the mix there). Manning did not throw back-to-back incompletions until the third quarter, when the Broncos were already ahead by 20 points. And it's not like he was throwing ineffective dumpoffs, either; 22 of those 27 completions gained successful yardage. 2. Geno Smith NYJ 16/29 331 2 2 133 117 16 Some curious directional splits for Geno. He was last in the league this week in DYAR on passes to the short left part of the field, going 3-of-7 for 23 yards with an interception. However, he was first in DYAR to the deep right, the diametrically opposite direction, going 6-of-8 for 247 yards and two scores, plus a 22-yard DPI. 3. Jake Locker TEN 23/36 299 1 0 125 106 19 It was not a good start for Locker, as he went 4-of-7 for 21 yards with no first downs and a sack on the Titans' first three drives. Things obviously improved after that, and in one stretch over the second and third quarters, he hit on six passes in a row, with each play gaining 11 to 19 yards. On third downs in the first three quarters, he went 4-of-6 for 23 yards with just one first down. In the fourth quarter, he went 6-of-8 for 101 yards on third and fourth downs, with five conversions, including the game-winning 34-yard touchdown. 4. Drew Brees NO 29/46 342 3 1 124 103 22 First seven third-down plays: 1-of-6 for 14 yards, one first down, one interception, plus an 8-yard DPI. Last four third-down plays: 4-of-4 for 48 yards with a touchdown and three other first downs. 5. Tony Romo DAL 17/24 210 3 0 123 123 0 On second downs, Romo went 10-of-12 for 129 yards, with one touchdown and seven other first downs, plus a 6-yard DPI. 6. Matthew Stafford DET 25/42 385 2 1 118 115 3 First five third-down plays: 4-of-5 for 85 yards with a touchdown and three other first downs. After that, he went 2-of-6 for 2 yards (not a typo) and no first downs. 7. Philip Rivers SD 20/24 184 1 0 109 109 0 Rivers was so ridiculously great on second down (7-of-8 for 101 yards, with six first downs, plus two DPIs for 42 yards and a pair of sacks) that he had only three third-down plays. On the other hand, those three third-down plays resulted in a 3-yard gain with 5 yards to go, a 9-yard gain with 10 yards to go, and an incomplete pass. 8. Tarvaris Jackson SEA 7/8 129 1 0 109 99 10 OMFG THE NUMBERS CLEARLY SHOW TARVARIS JACKSON IS SEATTLE'S BEST QUARTERBACK BENCH Russell Wilson RIGHT NOW. Or not. Six of Jackson's seven completions went for first downs, including a 35-yard touchdown to Doug Baldwin. His other completion was an 8-yard gain on second-and-12. Actually, serious question: Is Jackson the NFL's best backup QB? I think he'd have a strong case. 9. Russell Wilson SEA 14/21 202 4 1 89 84 5 Inside the Jacksonville 40, Wilson went 6-of-6 for 74 yards, with four touchdowns and two other first downs, plus a 25-yard DPI and a sack. 10. Matt Ryan ATL 23/38 231 2 1 86 86 0 In the third quarter, Ryan hit Levine Toilolo for a 2-yard touchdown to put Atlanta ahead 20-7. Up to that point, he was 17-of-20 for 128 yards with two touchdowns and seven other first downs, plus a 3-yard DPI. From that point forward, he went 6-of-18 for 103 yards with five first downs and an interception. 11. Cam Newton CAR 15/27 223 3 1 85 62 23 Some streaky performance from Newton in this game. He started 2-of-8 for 4 yards with no first downs, one interception, and one sack. Then he completed three straight passes for three first downs and 45 total yards. Then he went 1-of-5 for 9 yards. From that point (still midway through the second quarter) to halftime, he went 4-of-6 for 54 yards with a touchdown and three other first downs. And in the second half, he went 5-of-5 for 111 yards with two touchdowns and two other first downs. 12. Andrew Luck IND 18/27 164 0 0 67 47 20 On his own half of the field: 12-of-16 for 100 yards plus two 9-yard DPIs for eight total first downs, with one sack. On San Francisco's half of the field: 6-of-11 for 64 yards and only three first downs. Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 13. Terrelle Pryor OAK 19/28 281 1 0 67 60 7 Pryor was at his worst inside his own 20, going 5-of-9 for 38 yards with no first downs. It didn't help that his average pass in that distance needed to gain 13.7 yards for a first down. 14. Joe Flacco BAL 17/24 194 0 0 62 62 0 Flacco was a wreck in the first half, going 7-of-12 for just 53 yards and two first downs, plus a 21-yard DPI and a sack-fumble. Fortunately for him, the Ravens scored touchdowns on defense and special teams, and the Ravens led 17-9. After the break, he went 10-of-12 for 141 yards, plus a 7-yard DPI, for six total first downs with one sack. 15. Alex Smith KC 22/34 273 0 0 41 51 -10 This game probably shouldn't have been close, but Smith had a nightmarish performance in the red zone, going 0-for-4 with a sack. 16. Tom Brady NE 25/36 225 2 1 24 19 5 Hey, he finally surpassed replacement level. Baby steps. His first first-down throw was a 12-yard gain, and his last two first-down throws went for 15 and 17 yards. In between, he went 4-of-10 for 18 yards with no first downs and a sack. 17. Jay Cutler CHI 20/30 159 1 0 22 17 5 This was a very un-Cutlerian performance, as he didn't complete a pass more than 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage until midway through the fourth quarter, when he hit Brandon Marshall for 41 yards. (The rest of the day, Marshall caught four passes in seven targets for 11 yards and no first downs, though he did get a first down on a 4-yard DPI call.) Inside the Chicago 40 -- you know, where most drives begin -- Cutler started out 8-of-15 for 43 yards with one first down and two sacks. His last throw from that part of the field was the 41-yarder. 18. Andy Dalton CIN 20/28 235 2 1 2 6 -4 First three drives: Three passes, three completions, three first downs, 54 yards. Next seven drives: Nine passes, four completions (two of which lost yards), no first downs, 13 yards, plus two sacks. Last four drives, all in the second half: 16 passes, 13 completions, two touchdowns, seven other first downs, 168 yards, plus two sacks. And yes, we have already reached the last quarterback above replacement level.

LET THE PARADE OF CRAP BEGIN!



19. Ben Roethlisberger PIT 26/41 406 2 2 -11 3 -14 Roethlisberger had a bad day on third and fourth downs. He had a 45-yard gain on third-and-14 and a 4-yard gain on third-and-three. Those were his only conversions. Otherwise he went 2-of-9 for 13 yards with a pick-six. He also had two fumbles, one of which was returned for another defensive score. 20. Josh Freeman TB 19/41 236 0 1 -13 -13 -1 Freeman played his worst inside the New England 40, going 4-of-15 for 45 yards plus a 20-yard DPI for only two total first downs. He went 0-for-6 in the red zone. 21. Ryan Tannehill MIA 24/35 236 2 1 -26 -32 6 On first downs, Tannehill went 7-of-14 for 53 yards and only two first downs with a sack. On third downs, he went 9-of-10 for 103 yards with a touchdown and six other conversions, though he also had an interception, two sacks, and a fumble. 22. Robert Griffin WAS 32/50 326 0 1 -45 -35 -10 Inside the Detoit 40, Griffin went 4-of-11 for 45 yards with three first downs, not touchdowns, and an interception. For the game, he had five rushes for 37 yards and no first downs. His 21-yarder in the fourth quarter would have been a first down, but he fumbled at the end without being touched, and Detroit recovered. Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 23. E.J. Manuel BUF 19/41 243 1 0 -46 -56 10 On third-and-6 on the New York 33 in the fourth quarter, Manuel hit Scott Chandler for a 33-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Otherwise, on the Jets' side of the 50, he went 2-of-11 for 17 yards with no first downs and four sacks. 24. Colin Kaepernick SF 13/27 150 0 1 -46 -39 -7 San Francisco scored seven points in this game, and never came close to scoring more. Kaepernick had three, count 'em, three plays, running or passing, on the Indianapolis half of the field: A sack and an incompletion, both in the first quarter, and an interception on San Francisco's last play (which counts as an incompletion for DVOA/DYAR). In the Mid zone, the area between the 40s, Kaepernick went 4-of-10 for 49 yards and a sack. He didn't convert a first down in that part of the field until the 49ers were down by 20 points in the fourth quarter. 25. Matt Schaub HOU 25/35 194 0 1 -54 -54 0 Speaking of quarterbacks who were impotent across midfield, Schaub's first pass attempt across the 50 went for 13 yard and a first down. After that, he went 4-of-9 for 11 yards and no first downs on Baltimore's side of the field. Two of those completions lost yards. 26. Sam Bradford STL 29/48 241 1 0 -65 -65 0 Bradford's only third-down conversion came on a 17-yard DPI down by 24 points in the fourth quarter. Otherwise he went 2-of-9 for 13 yards with three sacks. He did convert a pair of fourth-down plays in the second half, one for a touchdown, but those were also more or less garbage-time plays. Bradford had 12 failed completions this week; nobody else had more than nine. 27. Christian Ponder MIN 25/42 228 0 1 -73 -110 37 The Vikings kept calling for Ponder passes on first downs, and kept getting into second-and-long as a result. On first downs, Ponder went 7-of-18 for 67 yards with a sack and only two first downs. Those two first downs accounted for 38 yards, and both came in the first 16 minutes of the game. 28. Aaron Rodgers GB 26/43 244 1 2 -90 -94 4 Rodgers also struggled on first downs, going 12-of-19 for 122 yards, but only three first downs, with an interception. 29. Brian Hoyer CLE 31/54 321 3 3 -102 -96 -6 First five drives: 12-of-19 for 161 yards, two touchowns, four other first downs. Next eight drives: 12-of-23, 105 yards, six first downs, three interceptions, two sacks, one intentional grounding. Final, game-winning drive: 6-of-11, 55 yards, five first downs, including the game-winning touchdown. 30. Michael Vick PHI 13/30 201 1 2 -105 -140 35 Between the 40s, Vick went 1-of-6 for 13 yards with one first down, one interception, and one sack. His three carries went for 61, 24, and 14 yards, and three first downs. 31. Carson Palmer ARI 18/35 187 0 2 -115 -115 0 Between a 12-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald in the second quarter and a 26-yarder to Fitzgerald in the fourth, Palmer went 5-of-17 for 24 yards with one first down and three sacks. Both of his interceptions came when trailing by at least 17 points in the fourth quarter. 32. Eli Manning NYG 12/23 119 0 1 -129 -134 5 An 11-yard gain to Victor Cruz. A 20-yarder to Brandon Myers. Gains of 16 and 24 yards to Rueben Randle. Those, dear readers, were the only first downs that Eli Manning produced all game. Meanwhile, he was sacked seven times, six of them in his first nine dropbacks. He had no plays in the red zone. In the Front zone, he went 2-of-3 for 14 yards with two sacks. The two completions were 7-yard gains on second-and-27 and third-and-20. 33. Chad Henne JAC 18/38 235 0 2 -159 -162 3 In the red zone: 2-of-10 for 16 yards, no touchdowns, one first down, two interceptions.

Five most valuable running backs Rk Player Team Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR 1. Johnathan Franklin GB 103 1 23 0 69 54 16 For the second week in a row, the Green Bay Packers have the top running back in Quick Reads. Franklin was so amazingly efficient that he finishes in first place despite a key fumble. Six of his 13 carries resulted in first downs (including a 51-yarder), and two others were successful. Meanwhile, he was hit for no gain or a loss just twice (including the fumbled carry). He also caught each of the three passes thrown his way for 23 yards, including two more first downs and a 7-yard gain on first-and-goal from the 9. 2. LeSean McCoy PHI 158 1 0 0 61 63 -2 McCoy was hit for no gain or a loss only twice in 20 carries, with five first downs, including a 41-yard touchdown and another gain of 30. 3. Ronnie Hillman DEN 66 1 12 0 57 49 8 4. Jamaal Charles KC 92 1 80 0 55 19 36 Rarely will you see a running game this streaky, but, well, that's Jamaal Charles. His first ten carries netted 26 yards and only one first down. His next six carries, in order: 18-yard gain; 3-yard touchdown; 5-yard gain on second-and-2; 17-yard gain; 4-yard gain on first-and-10; 14-yard gain. And then he ran four more times for 5 total yards. His receiving numbers were similarly hot and cold. His first target went incomplete, and his next went for 8 yards. Then he had four straight first downs on catches of 13, 21, 19, and 11 yards. Finally he added short catches of 5 and 3 yards. 5. DeMarco Murray DAL 173 1 28 0 49 39 9 Five 10-yard runs, including gains of 36 and 41 yards. He was hit for no gain or a loss three times, and fumbled once. Also caught 3-of-3 passes for 28 yards. As a runner and receiver, accounted for one touchdown and eight other first downs.

Least valuable running back Rk Player Team Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR 1. C.J. Spiller BUF 9 0 1 0 -61 -57 -5 Ten carries, plus one catch in one target. Only one play gained a first down. No other plays were successful. Longest play went for 6 yards. Hit for no gain or a loss five times. Two fumbles. This game sucked.

Five most valuable wide receivers and tight ends Rk Player Team Rec Att Yds Avg TD Total

DYAR 1. Antonio Brown PIT 9 13 196 21.8 2 76 The Steelers' passing game was erratic and mistake-prone, but they did hit some big plays, most of them to Brown. He had touchdowns of 33 and 21 yards, three other 20-yard catches (including a 45-yarder) and seven total first downs (including the scores). 2. Eric Decker DEN 8 8 133 16.6 1 75 Decker's first reception was his worst: a 12-yard gain on second-and-20. Every other catch produced a first down or touchdown, capped off by a 61-yarder. 3. Donnie Avery KC 7 7 141 20.1 0 62 No touchdowns, but five first downs on gains of 15 to 51 yards, including four third-down conversions. His non-first-down catches were a 5-yard gain on second-and-8 and a 6-yard gain on first-and-10. 4. Ted Ginn CAR 3 4 71 23.7 1 51 He made his three receptions count: an 11-yard gain on third-and-11; a 13-yard gain on second-and-10; and a 47-yard touchdown. 5. Nate Washington TEN 8 10 131 16.4 0 46 Each of Washington's catches gained at least 11 yards. His only non-first down catch was a 14-yard gain on third-and-19.