Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett was given a baptism by fire two weeks before the regular season started, as Andrew Luck announced his sudden retirement, thrusting Brissett into the starting role.
It's not like Brissett didn't have any experience as a starter. After all, he started 15 games for the Colts in 2017 when Luck was sidelined all year with a shoulder issue.
But to be given the starting job so suddenly this season had to be jarring for Brissett, especially considering it meant that he would also be Indianapolis' quarterback going forward.
The 27-year-old got off to a terrific start, throwing 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions over his first seven games and leading the Colts to a 5-2 start in the process.
However, since then, Brissett has hit a wall.
Dating back to Week 8, Brissett has thrown just four touchdown passes, with two of them coming last Sunday in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has only thrown three picks during that span, so he has at least taken care of the football, but his lack of recent production is alarming.
Well, until you look at the Colts' injury report.
Brissett is short on weapons, to put it lightly.
Wide receivers Devin Funchess and Parris Campbell are both out for the season (Funchess only played one game), and T.Y. Hilton looks like he is done, as well.
Running back Marlon Mack missed a couple of weeks with a broken hand.
Tight end Eric Ebron is on injured reserve.
Heck, Brissett himself sprained his MCL back in Week 9 and missed a game because of it.
For that reason, it's hard to really blame Brissett for his struggles over the second half of the season, as he has not exactly had a whole lot to work with.
But it also makes grading Brissett's 2019 campaign thus far that much more difficult.
How much stock do we put into Brissett's strong start, and how much of a hit should he take for his slide? Is he laboring solely because of the lack of talent around him? Or is he just flat out not playing well?
Given that Brissett does not have an extensive track record, it's hard to determine, but it also gives us a reason to give him the benefit of the doubt going forward.
Let's face it: it can't be easy throwing to a bunch of no-name receivers that you have little to no experience with. I don't care what quarterback you are: you need your receivers to be in sync with you to perform.
And seriously, Brissett looked really, really good early on and was actually a fringe MVP candidate through the first half of the season. The operative word there is “fringe,” but even so, that is still incredible for a guy who was supposed to be a backup this year.
I'm going go ahead and give Brissett a B-minus grade for what he has done thus far in 2019. His overall numbers (2,496 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 63.2 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 93.2) certainly aren't bad, and they have certainly been hindered by all of Indy's health issues.
I'm really looking forward to see what Brissett can do with a healthy squad next season.
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