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Grossman has had the best terrible season in NFL history. Or the worst great season. Overall he threw for 3,193 yards and 23 touchdowns in the regular season, and when he has been good, he has been terrific. A career passer rating of 90 or better will get a quarterback into the Hall of Fame. Grossman's rating has topped 90 in eight games this season, and he set a team record with seven games of 100 or better.
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But when he is bad, he is awful. Grossman had 20 interceptions and eight fumbles, and he has had three games with a rating of 10.2 or worse. To understand how bad 10.2 is, here you go: Against Arizona in October, he was 14-for-37 for 144 yards, no TDs and four interceptions. That's a 10.2 passer rating. And he had two games worse than that.
Terrible, terrific ... on Sunday, Grossman was all of the above. He finished 21-for-38 for 282 yards, one touchdown and one interception. That produced a rating of 76.9, which is just below the NFL average. His 68-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian in the first quarter was an absolutely beautiful throw. His 30-yard seam pass to Rashied Davis in overtime -- on third-and-10 -- was the play of the game, non-Gould division.
Otherwise, Grossman was mostly awful. He missed open receivers. He threw dumb passes. He lost a fumble when he cocked his arm to throw instead of protecting it under pressure, and toyed with other fumbles by pumping and faking on a cold, icy day. He should have been intercepted on the first drive, throwing a pass that went through cornerback Jordan Babineaux's hands and became a 37-yard gain for Davis.
And still Chicago beat a Seattle team that played smart, hard and well.
"The most important thing is we won," Grossman said. "I don't care how we do it."
Next up is New Orleans, with the winner going to the Super Bowl. If you're New Orleans, Chicago is the last team you want to play. Or the first team you want to play.
