We haven’t had a screaming match in a while so I figured I would change that and highlight these quarterback rankings from Pro Football Focus. As you know, this has not been Alex Smith’s best year. The numbers won’t be wildly different from other years but he doesn’t pass the eye test.
PFF has him ranked 21st, right behind Tyrod Taylor and right ahead of Carson Wentz. That’s about right, isn’t it? Last year with his rushing I would have had him in the top 15 but he’s clearly taken a step back from last year.
Perhaps most concerning for the Chiefs is Smith’s uptick in turnover-worthy plays as he ranked second-best last year and he’s fallen to 23rd out of 38 qualifiers this season. It hasn’t reflected on the stat sheet as Smith has only six interceptions, but if he continues to play with fire, it may come back to bite down the stretch.
Alex Smith doesn’t throw many picks but when he does they hurt. His end zone interceptions against the Bucs and Titans helped lose those games. Take those away and the Chiefs are 12-2 and Alex has thrown 14 touchdowns to four interceptions. We might be looking at things differently if that were the case.
(Editor’s note: Just to be clear, I wrote this post solely for the angry pageviews that come with it)