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In 2020 I’d say Watson was a great QB, with good weapons, a bad offensive line and terrible defense.
The only difference between what Burrow did the last two years and Watson did in 2020 is the Bengals defense was a top ten unit. The Texans D allowed the 30th most points in the league that year.
It’s very possible for a great QB to be on a bad team and not win games. We saw Brees lead the league in passing three years in a row, his team had the dead last defense and his teams only won 7 games. It wasn’t his fault, ultimately it’s a team game and you need to good/great in all three phases.
I’m skeptical that Watson’s offensive line was that bad. He holds the ball and runs around.
There’s not going to be an absolute answer on the QB’s importance relative to the other 52. The QB is extremely important. The QB’s supporting cast is important. Having a great defense does make a big difference. Having a good special teams unit is helpful.
I wrote more on the post:
Think about how stupid the passer rating formula is. On 2nd and 7, Tom Brady sees a pass rusher coming and throws the ball away. Russell Wilson in the same situation tries to scramble away and takes a 10 yard loss. Who put the team in better position? The passer rating formula rewards the quarterback who took the sack (no stats registered) and dings the one who took the neutral yardage (0/1, 0 yards) and also double whammies him with both Y/A and completion pct.
Wilson has a higher passer rating this year than almost any of Brady’s seasons yet is getting booed off the field and is a laughingstock.
The formula isn’t usually this skewed from reality, but for high sack players it is. Look at Watson’s sack totals. This is why it’s important to review other stats with him.