49ers fans and Bay Area residents are hyper-aware of Colin Kaepernick’s excellent 2012 season. He took Alex Smith’s starting job Week 10, started the final-seven games of the regular season and was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL over that stretch.
I thought it would be interesting to compare Kaepernick’s final-seven regular season games to the final-seven regular season games of each of the quarterbacks the 49ers will face in 2013. I’ve listed the quarterbacks below and ranked them by their passer rating over their final seven starts last season.
What I found surprised me: Quite a few quarterbacks played exceptionally well down the stretch.
1. Russell Wilson (6 wins, 1 loss): 107 completions; 159 attempts; 1,479 passing yards (9.3 yards per attempt); 13 passing TDs; 2 INTs; 49 rushes; 334 rushing yards (6.8 yards per carry); 4 rushing TDs; 118.9 passer rating.
2. Robert Griffin III (6 wins, 1 loss): 109 completions; 170 attempts; 1,422 passing yards (8.4 ypa); 12 passing TDs; 2 INTs; 50 rushes; 339 rushing yards (6.8 ypc); 1 rushing TD; 108.995 passer rating.
3. Aaron Rodgers (5 wins, 2 losses): 152 completions; 225 attempts; 1,912 passing yards (8.5 ypa); 14 passing TDs; 3 INTs; 19 rushes; 97 rushing yards (5.1 ypc); 2 rushing TDs; 108.972 passer rating.
4. Colin Kaepernick (5 wins, 2 losses): 120 completions; 192 attempts; 1,608 passing yards (8.4 ypa); 10 passing TDs; 3 INTs; 42 rushes; 238 rushing yards (5.7 ypc); 2 rushing TDs; 99.9 passer rating.
5. Cam Newton (5 wins, 2 losses): 125 completions; 214 attempts; 1,726 passing yards (8.1 ypa); 11 passing TDs; 2 INTs; 64 rushes; 387 rushing yards (6.05 ypc); 4 rushing TDs; 97.6 passer rating.
6. Drew Brees (3 wins, 4 losses): 152 completion, 296 attempts, 2,330 passing yards (7.9 ypa); 18 passing TDs; 10 INTs; 5 rushes; 7 yards; 0 rushing TDs; 95.1 passer rating.
7. Matt Ryan (5 wins, 2 losses): 182 completions; 264 attempts; 1,948 passing yards (7.38 ypa); 12 passing TDs; 7 INTs; 12 rushes; 43 yards (3.6 ypc); 0 rushing TDs; 94.4 passer rating.
8. Matt Schaub (4 wins, 3 losses): 177 completions; 269 attempts; 1,995 passing yards (7.42 ypa); 9 passing TDs; 6 INTs; 8 rushes; 3 rushing yards; 0 rushing TDs; 89.7 passer rating.
9. Carson Palmer (1 win, 6 losses from Weeks 8-14, before he got benched): 180 completions, 293 attempts; 2,046 passing yards (6.98 ypa); 13 passing TDs; 9 INTs; 7 rushes; 11 yards; 0 rushing TDs; 84.5 passer rating.
10. Sam Bradford (4 wins, 3 losses): 149 completions; 263 attempts; 1,630 passing yards (6.2 ypa); 11 passing TDs; 6 INTs; 15 rushes; 66 yards (4.4 ypc); 0 rushing TDs; 79.6 passer rating.
11. Blaine Gabbert (1 win, 6 losses from Weeks 3-9, before he separated his shoulder): 130 completions; 218 attempts; 1,325 passing yards (6.1 ypa); 6 passing TDs; 6 INTs; 12 rushes, 45 yards ( 3.75 ypc); 0 rushing TDs; 74.8 passer rating.
12. Andrew Luck (5 wins, 2 losses): 131 completions; 265 attempts; 1,743 passing yards (6.6 ypa); 13 passing TDs; 9 INTs; 28 rushes; 96 yards (3.4 ypc); 0 rushing TDs; 72.9 passer rating.
13. Jake Locker (3 wins, 4 losses): 110 completions; 208 attempts; 1,395 passing yards (6.7 ypa); 6 passing TDs; 8 INTs; 33 rushes; 224 yards (6.8 ypc); 1 rushing TD; 67.7 passer rating.
14. Josh Freeman (2 wins; 5 losses): 151 completions; 285 attempts; 1,808 passing yards (6.3 ypa); 9 passing TDs; 12 INTs; 16 rushes; 74 yards (4.6 ypc); 0 rushing TDs; 65.7 passer rating.
What sticks out to you about this list? What surprises you the most?
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