MIAMI _ Ryan Fitzpatrick might have had the best 2019 among AFC East quarterbacks.
That wasn't a typo _ it's a fact with statistical merit.
Before Patriots fans have a conniption, just know that being the best in 2019 doesn't mean the best in NFL history. That designation (arguably) belongs to Tom Brady. His rings and top-three placement in the passing record books leave little doubt that he, at least statistically speaking, is the greatest quarterback to ever throw a football.
That being said, Brady's 2019 was rather forgettable. He posted some of the lowest numbers of his career in several areas, including completion percentage, passing yards and quarterback rating. Blame it on the receiving corps, the injuries up front or whatever _ the fact remains he didn't look as dominant.
Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, overperformed. The NFL journeyman finished with 3,529 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was sacked 40 times but also led the team in rushing with 243 yards while adding four touchdowns _ all behind one of the worst offensive lines in football.
Admittedly, Fitzpatrick did finish behind Brady in passer rating. Still, FitzMagic's numbers are a bit skewed due to the Dolphins' awful four-game stretch start to the season. The team was clearly still reeling from the loss of offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Kenny Stills.
The Dolphins, and by default Fitzpatrick, looked totally different after their Week 5 bye. Consider Fitzpatrick's numbers through their final 12 games of the season, courtesy of Dolphins Wire and Pro Football Reference:
_ 3,226 passing yards (5th in the NFL, 1st in the division)
_ 19 passing touchdowns (12th in the NFL, 1st in the division)
_ 7.17 yards per attempt (14th in the NFL, 1st in the division)
_ 63.1 completion percentage (tied for 14th in the NFL, 1st in the division)
Fitzpatrick also took 34 sacks during this stretch, the fifth-most in the NFL and highest total in the division.
Browse Fitzpatrick's advanced stats and the argument appears even sounder.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, approximately 20.9% of Fitzpatrick's throws targeted pass catchers where a defender was within 1 yard or less of them. That would make him the fourth-most aggressive quarterback in the league but also hard-pressed to find open receivers compared to Brady (15.2-percent) and Buffalo's Josh Allen (15.4-percent).
Couple that with Fitzpatrick's average completion being a division-leading 7.1 "air yards" downfield _ more than a whole yard ahead of Brady and New York's Sam Darnold (5.6) plus fifth-highest in the league _ and the Harvard product's case gets even stronger.
Once again, these numbers were achieved with an extremely lackluster pass blocking unit that gave Fitzpatrick an average of 2.61 seconds to throw the ball _ the third-fastest mark in the league, per Next Gen Stats.
It's important to note that Pro Football Focus did grade Brady (80.4) higher than Fitzpatrick (76.5). But considering how terrible the 15-year veteran started the season, finishing less than five points behind Brady and still ahead of other AFC East quarterbacks is certainly a win.
The Dolphins entered the season with far lesser expectations than their divisional opponents. It's no secret that Fitzpatrick had less weapons than Allen, Brady and Darnold, who were expected to carry their teams into the postseason. Fitzpatrick even being mentioned in, let alone driving, the conversation for best quarterback in the division should be cause for celebration among Miami fans.
To call Fitzpatrick the division's best overall quarterback might be a bit of an overstatement. But saying he had the best 2019 season in the division wouldn't technically be wrong.
