The stat line for Alex Smith isn’t that bad. He completed 77 percent of his passes for 261 yards, one touchdown and one interception. A rating of 99 is his best over the last three weeks. He even ran for a touchdown.
Pro Football Focus graded Alex Smith out with a better game than Jameis Winston. If you watched the game, you would probably disagree with that. Winston consistently converted on third down and kept the Bucs moving. They both completed 24 passes but Winston threw for 70 more yards.
It’s not just Pro Football Focus. ESPN’s QBR rates Alex Smith as the No. 1 quarterback this week. Yes, Alex currently has the highest QBR this week. Again, doesn’t pass the eye test.
Why are they rating him so high? These stats don’t seem to punish his interception enough. Given the context of the game, it should hurt him a lot more. The score was 12-10 in the fourth quarter meaning a field goal gives the Chiefs the lead. You have one of the hottest defenses in football. The one thing you can’t do there is turn it over.
The interception is so bad because of Alex Smith. His thing, the area where he’s elite is not turning it over. It’s why you can handle his 175-yard passing days. Not only did he turn it over, but the Bucs went down and made the Chiefs pay for it with a touchdown.