• Jared Goff leads multiple categories: The Lions quarterback led the NFL in hitch, in and seam route grades in 2023.
• Brock Purdy is best when it all breaks down: Purdy’s 95.5 scramble adjustment grade paced all quarterbacks.
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Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes
The 2024 NFL regular season is nearly here. But we're turning back the clock one more time.
Having already identified the NFL’s best receivers on each route run in 2023 using PFF’s database, we’ll now take a look at which quarterbacks performed best when targeting each route last season.
Slant: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (94.1)
Tagovailoa was money when targeting slant routes this past season, completing 81.1% of his attempts for 388 yards and a touchdown at 8.3 yards per attempt. He has made a name for himself as one of the more accurate quarterbacks in the league with a quick release.
And while linking up with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, two lightning-quick wide receivers, Tagovailoa should continue to feast on his underneath options and earn excellent grades in 2024.
Hitch: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (88.3)
No route was targeted more by quarterbacks in 2023 than the hitch route, and no quarterback earned a higher grade when targeting them than Jared Goff.
Goff completed 81.0% of his attempts to hitch routes for 675 yards and one touchdown. Having short-yardage monsters like Amon-Ra St. Brown, who earned the highest hitch route grade in the NFL among receivers (97.1), and Sam LaPorta, who earned an 81.0 receiving grade in his rookie season, makes the job all the easier.
Out: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (93.0)
Outs are considered one of the hardest throws in the NFL. It requires all of the prerequisite timing and accuracy of most throws, but the added juice of zipping the ball to where only the receiver can get it requires consistent velocity.
There aren’t many quarterbacks with more arm velocity than Stafford. His arm is one of the best in the NFL, and he completed 69.3% of his out route attempts for 523 yards and four touchdowns while adding five big-time throws.
In: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (93.2)
So much of the modern NFL is about attacking the middle of the field in the passing game — exactly what in-breaking routes are designed to do. No one did them better than Jared Goff and the 2023 Lions. Goff’s 93.2 PFF overall grade when targeting in routes led the league, as he completed 66.7% of his attempts for 686 yards and three touchdowns, making five big-time throws in the process.
Crossing: Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (95.6)
Cousins’ final season with the Minnesota Vikings was cut short while he was playing, arguably, the best football of his career. His 86.1 PFF overall grade was the second-highest mark of his career, and his performances lifted the Vikings to a 4-4 record prior to his season-ending injury.
His grade when throwing to crossing routes was the highest in the NFL, too. He completed 72.7% of his crossing route attempts for 391 yards and six touchdowns.
Cousins diced up defenses on crossing routes, targeting the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson prior to his injury.
Go: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (99.9)
Tagovailoa proved last season that you don’t need the biggest arm in the world to be able to take deep shots. His 99.9 PFF grade on go routes was unmatched throughout the 2023 season, with Tagovailoa completing 63.0% of his attempts for 706 yards and 10 touchdowns, adding 14 big-time throws.
It helped that Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill also boasted a perfect 99.9 grade on go routes. Hill is likely the most dangerous weapon in the NFL, and his speed and acceleration on go routes are what every NFL quarterback dreams of.
Corner: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (91.2)
Burrow featured in 10 games for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023, but the former No. 1 overall pick still left his mark as one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. No quarterback graded higher on corner route attempts, with Burrow completing 57.1% of his attempts for 105 yards, a touchdown and four big-time throws.
Burrow’s connection with Ja’Marr Chase, who earned a 91.8 grade on corner routes in 2023, was a big reason why he was able to capitalize on those opportunities.
Post: Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (99.9)
Carr’s first season in New Orleans was a mixed bag. He earned a 77.2 PFF overall grade and played solid football, but the Saints were unspectacular as they missed the playoffs for a third straight season. However, Carr finished with a perfect grade on post route attempts, completing 100% of his attempts for 181 yards and three touchdowns.
Carr only threw four post route attempts in 2023, so the fact that three of those attempts turned into touchdowns is wholly efficient.
Comeback: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (87.6)
Comeback routes are among the harder throws for quarterbacks on the route tree. Typically run by an outside receiver, the receiver breaks the route back toward the quarterback after running upfield, and a back-shoulder throw usually accompanies it. Its complexity means it’s not something often utilized in an NFL playbook.
Baker Mayfield led the NFL in comeback route grade in 2023, utilizing his connection with Mike Evans, one of the best outside receivers in the NFL.
Seam: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (98.0)
Goff’s passing performance in 2023 was to be admired. His 85.2 PFF passing grade was the highest of his career and ranked sixth in the NFL, as he threw for 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns. Having already led the NFL in hitch and in route grades, Goff also paced the league in seam route grade.
He completed 72.7% of his targets up the seam for 200 yards and three touchdowns, and he added six big-time throws. Having weapons like St. Brown and LaPorta who can attack up the middle of the field is key.
Scramble Adjustment: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: 95.5
How do quarterbacks perform when the play breaks down and they have to make a play out of structure? Some thrive in that setting, using their awareness and smarts to create something out of nothing. The likes of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen routinely do it better than most, but Brock Purdy led all quarterbacks in scramble adjustment grade in 2023.
Purdy’s 95.5 grade was paired with a 78.1% completion percentage for 308 yards and two touchdowns. The former Mr. Irrelevant did throw two interceptions when scramble adjusting, but his creativity helped the 49ers' offense evolve in 2023.
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