Buckle up, folks! The NFL world just got a whole lot spicier. Shannon Sharpe, the outspoken NFL analyst, dropped a bombshell by ranking Jordan Love and Brock Purdy ahead of Dak Prescott in his NFC quarterback hierarchy. This fiery take goes against the grain of Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranking Prescott as the top QB in the NFC.
The outspoken analyst didn’t mince words, declaring on his Nightcap Live Stream today, “I would take Jordan Love over Dak Prescott. I would probably have Matthew Stafford first. I put Jordan Love in two. I put Brock Purdy 3.”
Sharpe’s explosive take directly contradicts PFF’s assertion that Prescott was the cream of the crop in the NFC. The analytics gurus lauded Prescott’s 2023 campaign as “special,” highlighting his stellar 89.8 passing grade (second only to Tua Tagovailoa), a league-leading 37 big-time throws, and an ultra-low 2.0% turnover-worthy play rate. However, Sharpe wasn’t buying the hype, putting Prescott on full-body blast.
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The former Broncos tight end’s fiery critique exposes a deep divide between analysts relying on cold, hard numbers and former players evaluating quarterbacks through a more subjective lens. While PFF leans heavily on metrics, Sharpe seems to weigh intangibles like potential, clutch gene, and that elusive “it” factor that separates the contenders from the pretenders.
For Prescott, the stakes couldn’t be higher in this make-or-break season with America’s Team. A disappointing campaign could see him lose his grip on the starting job or worse, find himself hitting the bricks as a free agent, singing the unemployment blues.
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How Love and Purdy are challenging the NFC quarterback pecking order topped by Dak Prescott?
The NFC quarterback landscape is undergoing a paradigm shift, and young guns like Love and Purdy are leading the charge, challenging the established order like a pair of gunslingers in an old Western showdown. Love’s late-season heroics last year were nothing short of electrifying, as he caught fire like a wildfire down the stretch. From Week 8 onwards, the Green Bay gunslinger earned an elite 90.4 passing grade, slinging 27 big-time throws while keeping his turnover-worthy plays to just 10 – a ratio that would make even The Terminator blush. Love’s ability to ball out in crunch time has analysts buzzing like a swarm of bees about his potential to ascend to greatness.
On the other hand, Brock Purdy’s clutch performances in high-pressure situations have been the stuff of legend, like a real-life Rocky Balboa story. The former Mr. Irrelevant took the league by storm, leading the 49ers on an unlikely playoff run while shattering franchise records like a bull in a china shop. His poise, accuracy, and knack for making big plays have earned him a legion of believers, including the ultimate hype man, Sharpe himself.
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Both Love and Purdy boast impressive stats and intangibles that could disrupt the established order in the NFC like a pair of wrecking balls. Love’s numbers from Week 10 through 17 were straight-up video game numbers: first in passing yards (2,150), second in touchdowns (18), and third in completion percentage (70.3%). Meanwhile, Purdy led the league in passer rating (113.0), yards per attempt (9.6), and touchdown percentage (7.0%) – a stat line that would make even Tom Brady tip his cap.
As the dust settles on Sharpe’s controversial opinion, one thing is clear: the NFC quarterback landscape is about to get a whole lot more interesting, like a blockbuster movie with multiple plot twists.