The point I’m making? Manning having a noodle-arm is nothing new, and he’s been an All-Pro with it multiple times before.
What is new is the rate at which he hit the turf against the Ravens. It looked like he was under constant duress from the Baltimore pass-rush, but he was actually only pressured on 29.5 percent of his passing plays (13 QBs were pressured at a greater rate in Week 1, through Sunday’s games), and while that represents a significant jump from his league-best mark of 21 percent a year ago, the more interesting number is the percentage of that pressure that resulted in Manning getting sacked.
Manning is typically the best quarterback in football at mitigating the pressure from his offensive line and avoiding sacks. Linemen get beat, but Manning feels the pressure coming and knows exactly where to go with the ball, turning sacks for most quarterbacks into just pressure on him.
He has led the league in that percentage in three of the past five seasons, and has never allowed more than 17.4 percent of his pressure to result in sacks — and that came in the first season in Denver in a new offense. Against Baltimore he was sacked on 30.8 percent of his pressured plays. Manning seemed confused and surprised by the pressure he was facing, unusually unable to adjust to it and find his outlet.
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