2018 QB Draft Class Analysis Fans vs. No Fans

In the 2018 draft class, there are four QBs that are always compared: Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen. Last year was a weird season for everyone, some games were played in front of fans and others weren’t. Every player on this list has a different number of games played with and without fans. There is still a comparison to be made to find out whether they played better with or without fans.

Baker Mayfield

With fans

Let’s start with QB Baker Mayfield, last year he played 15 games in front of fans (including playoffs), posting an 11-4 record. During those games, he had 227.9 net yards a game (passing yards + rushing yards) and a completion percentage of 62.9%. He also had a respectable touchdown to turnover ratio, with almost two touchdowns (1.9) and only .67 turnovers a game. With these numbers, he posted a QBR of 97.2, which is very good.

With no fans

Meanwhile, he only played three games without fans going 1-2 in these games. He had more total yards per game (263.7) but posted more turnovers (1) and fewer touchdowns (1). He had a similar completion percentage (63.7%) but had a significantly lower QBR at 86.6. Overall, Mayfield played better in front of fans.

Sam Darnold

With fans

The next QB being looked at is Sam Darnold. He had a very small sample size of games played in front of fans (2). In these games, he went 0-2 and didn’t play his best. He put up lackluster numbers: 171 yards, 0.5 TDs per game, and 1.5 turnovers a game. He had a 58.8 QBR and completed just over 59% of his passes.

With no fans

With no fans in the building, he was a different man. He played 10 games with no fans, posting a 2-8 record. His QBR, yards, and touchdowns all went up. (QBR = 74.7, Yards = 208.3, and TDs = 1) Also, his turnovers went down to just one a game. He played better overall.

Lamar Jackson

With fans

The third QB is Lamar Jackson. Jackson played 10 games in front of fans, posting an 8-2 record. He had 279.4 yards a game with a completion percentage of 65.1%. He had a 2:1 touchdown to turnover ratio and a 71.5 QBR. Lamar put up good numbers when he played in front of fans now let’s look at what he played like without fans.

With no fans

In seven games without fans, the Ravens’ record was 4-3. All of his numbers except for QBR went down. His yards per game went down to 246.9, touchdowns down to 1.9, and his turnovers down to .71. His QBR was 98.9 and, overall, the decision of whether he plays better with or without fans is obvious. Lamar, like most players, plays better in front of fans. All of his numbers were better when there were fans in attendance.

Josh Allen

With fans

Now let’s talk about Josh Allen. In six games in front of fans, he helped the Bills to a 3-3 record and had unreal stats. He posted 333.2 net yards a game to go along with 2.3 TDs and a completion percentage of 65.3%. He averaged under a turnover a game and had an average QBR of 71.6. These numbers are very impressive and better numbers than he put up with no fans.

With no fans

Finally, with no fans, Allen played 13 games and had an outstanding record of 12-1. In these games, he put up 302.1 yards while completing almost 70% of his passes (69.8). Had a 2:1 TD to turnover ratio and had a little bit higher of a QBR with a 76.1. Allen by himself puts up better stats when he has a crowd cheering him.

The answer here is obvious, these players thrive in front of their fans and are even energized when they are surrounded by the fans of other teams. That energy of a full stadium is unmatched and we are two months away from that full stadium. And we know our Quarterback and our team will be ready and we won’t let them down.