Brissett is not the type of player who will single-handedly drag his team to victory.
Among 29 quarterbacks who have played 50% of their team’s snaps, Brissett ranks 24th in average depth of target and dead last in average time to throw. As a result, the Cardinals have produced the fewest explosive pass plays in the league. When blitzed, he ranks 26th in expected points added (EPA) per dropback, because those plays often require a quarterback who can be creative. That’s not Brissett. He won’t conjure brilliant plays out of nothing, like Murray once did. But within the rhythm of the offense, Brissett can effectively keep the operation on track. When he’s not blitzed, he ranks 14th among those same 29 quarterbacks in EPA per dropback. Overall, he ranks 20th.
Theo Mackie·
The two clearest missed opportunities were both to Marvin Harrison Jr., whose light usage has become a subject of national debate. One came on the first drive of the game, when Jacoby Brissett locked into a well-covered go route from Michael Wilson. Had he progressed through his reads, he would have seen Harrison coming open over the middle for a 20-yard gain. The other was on the Cardinals’ final drive. This time, Brissett was looking at Harrison all the way, but was wary of linebacker Fred Warner lurking over the middle. Brissett would have needed to rip the pass before Harrison entered his break, but those are the anticipation throws required to push the ball downfield against NFL defenses. More often, the downfield opportunities came with even tighter windows. These are plays where high-end NFL quarterbacks are able to generate explosives, but they require throws with a high degree of difficulty — or receivers to make spectacular catches.
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