NFL Week 12 QB Review: Deshaun Watson continues to shine, Patrick Mahomes strengthens his MVP case and more

Every week throughout the 2020 NFL season, we'll revisit the biggest storylines around the NFL's quarterback play and try to add proper context to PFF grading and traditional stats.

Before we start, here are a few disclaimers to aid in the understanding of the PFF system and its interaction with box score stats.

• There's no doubt that quarterback play is the biggest driver of passing production, and most people are conditioned to have a picture of how well a quarterback played based on the five basic box score stats — completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns and interceptions.
• The reality is that the best quarterbacks will rise to the top, or close to it, statistically over time, but in one-game samples or even full seasons, there are other forces at play that heavily influence those numbers.
• The PFF grade is here to isolate the quarterback's play away from his playmakers, playcaller, opposing defense and anything else that could influence his statistics. We give credit for good throws regardless of the result, and we do the same for bad throws. The PFF passing grade has proven to be one of the most stable passing metrics available, and we believe adding proper context to every play is crucial for long-term player evaluation.

Week 12 is in the books, so here's a look at some of the top stories from the latest slate of NFL games.

[Editor's Note: PFF's advanced statistics and player grades are powered by AWS machine learning capabilities.]

Five Takeaways

Mahomes making his move

It was a vintage performance from Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes, who continues to ascend the season quarterback rankings and now comes in at No. 2 behind Aaron Rodgers. Mahomes forms an unstoppable pairing with WR Tyreek Hill, and that was on display as they hooked up for 269 yards on 13 completions. Mahomes finished with eight big-time throws that included a 50-air-yard laser, multiple Cover 2 shots, another laser right by the cornerback’s head and the usual late-down magic that Mahomes has made look easy throughout his career.

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