Shannon Sharpe has "big problem" with Tom Brady being named Offensive Player of the Week and he's wrong
Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-29 win against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL season-opener last Thursday and was named PFF's Offensive Player of the Week for his effort. NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe did not agree at all with the decision.
On Fox Sports' "Undisputed," Sharpe said other quarterbacks such as Arizona Cardinals' Kyler Murray, Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, New Orleans Saints' Jameis Winston, and Los Angeles Rams' stafford" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Matthew Stafford deserved the award more than Brady.
Let's look at the numbers that all of these quarterbacks produced in Week 1.
.@ShannonSharpe on Tom Brady named Offensive Player of the Week:
"I have a big problem with this. Tom Brady played well, but I don't think anybody that watched Sunday's games think that Brady played better than Kyler Murray, Mahomes, Jamies & Stafford." https://t.co/3RogxthroA
Tom Brady numbers against the Cowboys
Pass Attempts: 50
Pass completions: 32
Pass yards: 379
Pass average: 7.6
Pass touchdowns: 4
Interceptions: 2
Passer rating: 65.3
Kyler Murray numbers against the Tennessee Titans
Pass Attempts: 32
Pass completions: 21
Pass yards: 289
Pass average: 9.0
Touchdowns: 4
Interceptions: 1
Passer rating: 79.5
Rush attempts: 5
Rush yards: 20
Rush touchdowns: 1
Patrick Mahomes against the Cleveland Browns
Pass Attempts: 36
Pass completions: 27
Pass yards: 337
Pass average: 9.4
Touchdowns: 3
Interceptions: 0
Passer rating: 88
Rush attempts: 5
Rush yards: 18
Rush touchdowns: 1
Jameis Winston against the Green Bay Packers
Pass Attempts: 14
Pass completions: 20
Pass yards: 148
Pass average: 7.4
Touchdowns: 5
Interceptions: 0
Passer rating: 92.5
Rush attempts: 6
Rush yards: 37
Rush touchdowns: 0
Matthew Stafford against the Chicago Bears
Pass Attempts: 26
Pass completions: 20
Pass yards: 321
Pass average: 12.3
Touchdowns: 3
Interceptions: 0
Passer rating: 89.9
Rush attempts: 5
Rush yards: -5
Rush touchdowns: 0
Who was the best QB in Week 1?
Is Shannon Sharpe right?
Looking at the numbers, yes, he is.
But they do not tell the whole story.
Brady had to win the game with his passing ability because the Buccaneers' running game didn't help him. Tampa Bay's running backs managed just 52 yards against the Cowboys.
Brady also faced a tough challenge from Dak Prescott. The Cowboys quarterback had a good game, finishing the night with 403 yards, three touchdowns and a QB rating of 74.3.
Titans' Ryan Tannehill had a 17.5 QBR against the Cardinals, Browns' Baker Mayfield had a 68.3 QBR against the Chiefs, Packers' Aaron Rodgers had a 13.4 QBR against the Saints and Bears' Andy Dalton had a 34.0 QBR against the Rams.
Of those cited by Sharpe, Brady had by far the most formidable opponent.
So was giving Brady the award an outrageous mistake by PFF? No. Brady may not have played his best game, but aside from Mahomes, he was the only quarterback on this list that could not count on his running game or played against a quarterback who had a bad night.