Ah, here they are. My QB rankings. No one asked for them, but I delivered. Countless hours of watching gamepass in my dwindling free time have lead to this moment. I only ranked current starters with at least a game and a half under there belt. So apologies to Danny Dimez and Kyle Allen. If I had to rank those two I would put them in the 18-20 range with Jones slightly higher. This list lacks names like Ben and Brees, their injuries keep them out. Please enjoy and feel free to yell at me on twitter. @eric18utah. If you enjoy listening to things more the podcast recap version of this list is below or wherever you listen to podcasts.
QB rankings and Week 3 recap podcast
1. Patrick Mahomes: Has completely changed the way the QB position is viewed. At least for me, he has. I now judge QB’s off of how many Mahomes type throws they can make a game. He is a revelation and if he continues on this trajectory and wins a ring or two he could wind up the greatest QB of all time, I would have him in the top 15 of all time right now.
2. Russell Wilson: Russell Wilson is a lot like Drew Brees. Not only in stature but in the way we talk about him. Will he ever be a top 2 QB? Yes, yes he will be. I wrote this and hemmed and hawed but my gut tells me I am right. Wilson is having a great year and the Seahawks still aren’t putting the ball in his hands enough in my opinion. He should be garnering MVP love right now. Even with new weapons around him and a shaky O line he has close to a thousand yards already. He’s also just as careful with the ball as Tom Brady, no interceptions yet this year.
3. Tom Brady: Is it possible that Tom has gotten better? That’s a legitimate question. I thought Brady regressed last year, stats prove he did, but this year he looks better. He has regained his control of the deep ball. The Patriots still haven’t faced a good defense yet, that is true, but Brady has still outshone the rest of the league.
4. Dak Prescott: This is where the list gets crazy. Where new names like Dak Prescott emerge as a top four NFL QB. My gut doesn’t believe it, my heart doesn’t believe it, but my eyes and the stats tell me that right now Dak Prescott is in the early run of an MVP type season. Even in a disconcerting game against the Dolphins, he made wow throws to Amari Cooper including his second touchdown toss. Sure he’s got two interceptions but only because he is being more aggressive this year. I am currently respecting Dak Prescott.
5. Deshaun Watson: Watsons ability to survive behind a lack luster O line and for that matter, thrive is what puts him at five. Some of the throws he made against the Chargers Sunday were just incredible most notably the go ahead touchdown where he avoids a sure fire sack. I have never been super high on Watson but it’s getting hard to ignore his ridiculous talent level.
6. Carson Wentz: Could have been at five. This was a tough debate for me because I love Carson Wentz. He stands in the pocket so well and just delivers strike after strike. Wentz second half performance against the Redskins in week one is one of the best QB performances I have seen all year. If receivers don’t drop easily catchable balls Wentz second half of the Lions game would have eclipsed that by a mile.
7. Aaron Rodgers: Shows flashes of prime Aaron Rodgers but then disappears from the game plan for long stretches. I had him in the top five originally, upon deeper thought he has the obvious top five talent but has lacked the consistent production to put him in that range. This is the floor for Rodgers though. The only way to go is up.
8. Lamar Jackson: The most major jump of any second year QB belongs to Lamar Jackson. In week one we saw his new found dominance through the air, though it was to a hapless Dolphins team. Saw him perform in the clutch and salt away a game against the Cardinals and watched him be the first QB this year to really keep pace with a Patrick Mahomes lead offense. Seven TD’s through the air one on the ground and the fact Jackson is just one of my favorite QB’s to watch right now is what catapults him into the top ten.
9. Philipp Rivers: Still going strong. Rivers is currently third in the league in passing yardage and has five touchdowns. I haven’t watched a ton of the Chargers but in reviewing tape for this piece I have come to re love Rivers. His arm is regressing a bit but he’s still finding a way to push the ball down the field.
10. Matthew Stafford: Stafford is weird. Does he make any Mahomes level throws? No. Not at all. What he does is get the job done. It’s hard to ignore a great performance, by Matt Stafford standards, in week 3 verse the Eagles so he rounds out the top ten.
11. Jared Goff: After a slow start in the second half of Sunday night football Jared Goff finally seemed to hit his stride. That said it’s been a slow start for Goff and that’s the reason he sits at 11.
12. Baker Mayfield: Doomed by a bad offensive line I still see flashes of what made Mayfield special last year. He needs to develop better pocket awareness, as he has ran himself into trouble at points this year, that’s hard to do with no offensive line though.
13. Josh Allen: The Bills offense has fundamentally changed the kind of passer Josh Allen was in year one into a more polished version in year two. Gone are the overthrown deep balls of old which have been replaced by play action crossing routes. Allen is somewhat of a game manager right now but what sets him apart is the fact he may be better than Russell Wilson at getting out of pressure and making insane throws on the run. Allen simply put is the most elusive QB in the league right now.
14. Jacoby Brissett: When Andrew Luck retired Colts fans had to think they were doomed. The opposite is true. The team around Jacoby Brissett is one of the best in the entire NFL. If he can continue to move the ball and limit turnovers as he has the Colts will be just fine in a wide open division. It doesn’t hurt that he makes about 2 wow plays a game.
15. Jimmy Garoppolo: Massively inconsistent, struggles with turnovers, yet might be perfect for Kyle Shanahan’s offense that just seems to be coming into its own right about now.
16. Kirk Cousins: The Dalton line. The perfect middle of the league QB. Just good enough to be a starter but just bad enough to keep the Vikings in purgatory if they throw it to much with him.
17. Matt Ryan: Matt Ryan hasn’t been a good QB since week ten of last season. The numbers bear it out. The film bears it out. He misses to many throws, gets bogged down in the red zone constantly and has six interceptions through three weeks. To put that in perspective Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston only have four.
18. Kyler Murray: Hard to judge behind one of the worst lines in the league. That said, he’s one of the smartest rookies I think I have watched. He doesn’t take unnecessary sacks. Most of the sacks he takes are a direct result of a bad line. He could be lower but I need to see more.
19. Jameis Winston: Winston has looked better this year. Sure he still has some bad picks but perhaps that is just what Winston is. This may be his last ride as a starter but with the flashes he’s show Winston will remain in the league as a fringe starter for years to come but at this point, I am confident in saying he will never be a franchise answer.
20. Gardner Minshew: Minshew is an interesting case. He has more or less been a game manager that makes one to two great throws a game. He’s cementing himself as a figure who is going to be able to play in some capacity for years to come.
21. Teddy Bridgewater: He may never be the same guy before injury. That said its still a great story to be able to see Teddy playing in the NFL. He’s a game manager right now and that’s OK.
22. Derek Carr: This is where the QB rankings split. If you are below Teddy Bridgewater the team needs to move on. That’s the case with Carr who still makes three to four head scratching throws a game.
23. Andy Dalton: Stats are deceiving. Dalton has put up the second most yards in the entire NFL. That said he has put out awful take and outside of one week has looked like a borderline back up. It’s time to move on in Cincy.
24. Mitch Trubisky: I don’t know how I feel about Trubisky. On the one hand he shows tremendous promise with some of his throws. On the other hand his coach doesn’t seem to trust and for good reason, he misses some really easy throws.
25. Mason Rudolph: We have really only seen him throw tunnel screens to nowhere to quote the great Chris Wesseling. His best asset is supposed to be his deep ball and the Steelers just have not used it much.
26. Josh Rosen: Perhaps on another team, perhaps in another lifetime, Josh Rosen for now though sits at the bottom of the league. He makes some pretty throws that get dropped. Then he goes out and throws some head scratchers as well on balance, a complete unknown.
27. Joe Flacco: Doesn’t turn the ball over as much as Case Keenum but that’s just about the only difference between him and Case Keenum.
28. Marcus Mariota: Has looked pedestrian in 2 of 3 starts. He isn’t necessarily bad but he’s not good either. He’s bizarre Andy Dalton.
29. Case Keenum: He’s Case Keenum. Flashes of brilliance, killer picks.