Die Macht » The Hoosiers go to the Horseshoe a

Often in this space well explore the work of someone who had an exceptionally poor performance QBR-wise, or look at why an opponent adjustment may be helping or hurting a QBs numbers. So why are we looking this week at Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford, who had an above-average opponent-adjusted QBR of 66.1 in Sundays win over the Eagles? The reason is that Stafford also happened to possess the highest NFL passer rating of the week at 135.0. Lets take a look at what differentiates Total QBR from Staffords traditional passer rating:Dont forget about the fumbleStaffords passing numbers (19 of 25, 180 yards, 3 TD) last week were fairly impressive. He completed 76 percent of his attempts and threw for three scores without an interception -- all good things. But one area the NFL passer rating fails to account for is when a QB fumbles, yet fumbles are often a big part of the picture of a quarterbacks day.Stafford was responsible for only one turnover, a fumble lost, but it was a potentially costly one. With the Lions up by four and operating at their own 12-yard-line midway through the third quarter, Stafford lost control of the ball while trying to maneuver within the pocket. Officially, the play is recorded as a sack, and the fumble was recovered by the Eagles at the 16, setting them up with a chance to pull within a point with a field goal or take the lead. To put it in terms of their win probability, Detroit went from a 62 percent chance to win before the play to a 50 percent chance after -- a loss of 12 percentage points.Staffords QBR fell from 90.5 to 81.0 on the play though his NFL passer rating was unchanged, underscoring the incomplete nature of the latter metric.Sacks matter tooIn addition to the aforementioned sack-and-fumble, Stafford took three other sacks. The first came on the play just before the lost fumble. That, along with a damaging unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Anquan Boldin, is what helped set the Lions back to their own 12.Staffords other two sacks both came on third downs in the fourth quarter. The first turned a third-and-7 at the Eagles 38 (on the verge of field goal range) into a fourth-and-16 and a punt, dropping his QBR from a 76.5 before the play to a 67.5 afterward. His final sack came on a third-and-goal from the Eagles 5. Not nearly as detrimental as the lost fumble or moving out of field goal range, but it also wasnt a positive and did make the ensuing field goal attempt slightly more difficult for his kicker.None of these plays were accounted for in his NFL passer rating.How penalties improved Staffords numbersPenalties are one area NFL passer rating overlooks and QBR accounts for, and in this case it was actually beneficial to the latter number for Stafford. He was able to draw a defensive offsides call and a pair of defensive pass interference flags, and while none were huge gains for him, QBR does account for these plays.In the end, the largest differentiators between Staffords QBR and his passer rating were the four sacks and the turnover. If we look at just his 25 passing attempts, his raw QBR would have been an 81. But losses incurred from those damaging plays get us to his final number of 66.1, highlighting the magnitude negative plays can have on a game.A look at Staffords week-to-week progression in the QBR realm: Andy Pettitte Astros Jersey . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Joe Pepitone Astros Jersey . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. https://www.cheapastros.com/2173o-michael-brantley-jersey-astros.html . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Jeff Kent Astros Jersey . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Framber Valdez Astros Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Some things to watch in the Big Ten on Saturday:GAME OF THE WEEKMaryland at Penn State. Maryland has built its 4-0 record against the 80th-toughest schedule, according to the NCAA, so a Big Ten road game on homecoming in Happy Valley should provide a better assessment of the Terrapins. The Nittany Lions have won nine of their last 10 at home and are coming off an overtime win against Minnesota. The Terps blew out Purdue and bring in one of the best rushing offenses in the country. Each of the last two meetings has been decided by one point.BEST MATCHUPIowa at Minnesota. Floyd of Rosedale isnt all thats at stake. The loser will have virtually no room for error the rest of the way if it hopes to be a factor in the West. The defending division champion Hawkeyes, whose two losses came at home, would match the program record with an eighth straight road win. The Gophers are rushing for 228 yards a game, and Iowa has struggled to stop the run. Minnesotas defense has been vulnerable to the big play , and the Hawkeyes are among the conference leaders with 13 plays of 30 yards or longer. The teams have split the last six meetings.INSIDE THE NUMBERSPenn State safety Marcus Allen made a career-high 22 tackles in last weeks overtime win over Minnesota, the most stops by a PSU player since Paul Posluszny in 2005 and the most by a Big Ten player since 2011. ... Illinois has played the toughest schedule in the nation based on winning percentage against FBS teams. The Illinis tthree FBS opponents are a combined 14-1.dddddddddddd ... Purdues offense is converting 50.7 percent of its third downs to rank 15th nationally. Purdues defense is giving up first downs on 54.4 percent of third downs to rank 127th. ... Michigan has had 16 players carry the ball and 17 players catch passes. ... Rutgers, which hosts No. 4 Michigan, hasnt beaten a top-five opponent since then-No. 2 USF in 2007.LONG SHOTIndiana at No. 2 Ohio State. The Hoosiers go to the Horseshoe as 29-point underdogs , and theyre 0-28 all-time against teams ranked Nos. 1 or 2 and havent beaten a team in the top three since 1967. Indiana can draw confidence from last years meeting, when the Buckeyes won 34-27 after Eli Apple batted down a pass in the end zone as time expired. The Hoosiers are as confident as ever, having knocked off Michigan State in overtime last week. Indiana RB Devine Redding has three 100-yard games, but hell be going against the only FBS defense that has yet to allow a rushing touchdown.PLAYER TO WATCHMichigan State QB Tyler OConnor. The Spartans have lost back-to-back games , and the first-year starter is taking heat from the fans for the overtime loss to Indiana. OConnor needs to bounce back at home against BYU. The Spartans havent lost three in a row since 2009.---Online:AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '