It was not a banner week in the NFL for quarterback play. In a league already lacking a majority that leans to the “franchise QB” label, many of the best in the game struggled this week. In fact, only 10 QBs produced positive EPA results leading up to Monday Night Football. What kind of movement can we expect for the Week 7 NFL QB rankings?
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed.
2023 QB Power Rankings
While we don’t want to be rash in our decisions about how we view these quarterbacks in the macro, a “power ranking” is about the micro. They’re more about the here and now. While perceived talent remains important, performance so far in 2023 will be weighed heavier.
32) P.J. Walker, Cleveland Browns
The Browns’ defense is outrageous. P.J. Walker threw two interceptions against the 49ers and nearly threw another. However, Jim Schwartz and company had Kyle Shanahan’s number.
Walker is an exciting but underwhelming backup quarterback who the Browns will hope doesn’t have to play any more football. This is a championship-caliber roster, and Cleveland needs Deshaun Watson back and healthy ASAP.
31) Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
After a strong start against the Miami Dolphins, it became more of the same for Bryce Young and the Panthers’ offense. There is simply no juice in this offense, and although this was the best we’ve seen Young so far, he still looks overwhelmed.
30) Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts
Well… that didn’t go as planned. The Jacksonville Jaguars defense is absolutely getting after it in 2023. They turned over Desmond Ridder three times in London and decided to do the same to Gardner Minshew on Sunday. They also added a fumble recovery as well.
The Colts moved the ball better than Jacksonville, but Minshew’s turnovers were the difference.
29) Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants
Tyrod Taylor is in a nearly impossible situation. He almost beat the Buffalo Bills and still somehow ends up 30th on the list? Unfortunately, yes.
Taylor’s decision to hand the ball off at the end of the half was inexcusable. With no timeouts left, it was obvious that they couldn’t get another play off in a perfect situation. New York needed a pass into the end zone. Still, he’s not the only one at fault.
Tyrod Taylor should've never checked into the run, but the #Giants completed a 31-yarder to Slayton who got OUT OF BOUNDS at BUF 21 with 1:21 to go.
They proceeded to get just four more plays in before the last one; three of them run calls, all of them chewing up clock.
Why?— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) October 16, 2023
28) Mac Jones, New England Patriots
The problems with Mac Jones are completely avoidable. Jones caught a wild hair and decided that he was going to play a more free-flowing style of football this season. He was going to create a little bit out of structure.
MORE: Week 7 NFL Power Rankings
But it’s been a disaster. Jones is not athletic enough to create consistently, and his arm is certainly not elastic enough to generate the velocity necessary on the move. It’s led to some truly horrific passes so far. Even so, because of injuries and inexperience, there are worse starting QBs at the moment.
27) Zach Wilson, New York Jets
The Jets QB has been very bad once again in 2023, but aside from the Cowboys game, Zach Wilson has done a decent job of avoiding the backbreaking interceptions we were used to seeing from him.
Still, other than the Chiefs game, in which he was legitimately good against a good defense, Wilson has struggled to find any semblance of efficiency as a passer.
26) Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Kenny Pickett is seeing ghosts, trying to create in unnecessary situations, and running himself into pressures and poor decisions. Pickett’s sloppy decision-making is clear even in the broadcast film.
Despite all of that, he led a fantastic final drive to beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5. That drive encapsulates why the Pittsburgh Steelers fell in love with the former Pitt QB. He just needs to play with that attitude all of the time.
25) Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
Desmond Ridder has thrown six interceptions over his past three outings. The Falcons’ quarterback was a draftnik darling out of the University of Cincinnati, but he didn’t come without flaws.
Although Ridder was considered a quick-witted processor, accuracy issues were abundant in college. But his decision-making has been horrific the past few weeks. The interceptions he threw against Washington were inexcusable, particularly the floater in the end zone. The INT to end the game was bad, as was the first one to Kendall Fuller. But the end zone INT was a complete backbreaker.
24) Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
One simply cannot throw three interceptions against a team that’s had only seven in the past 21 games and remain in the middle of the pack among NFL quarterbacks.
Jordan Love also has the second-worst completion percentage over expected (CPOE) in the league through five weeks, mostly because of how much he’s struggling to complete passes downfield.
23) Joshua Dobbs, Arizona Cardinals
After a few really strong weeks from Joshua Dobbs, the arc of the backup QB hit hard. Dobbs is a relatively inexperienced veteran, and after playing well for a few weeks, the difficulty has been turned up as teams now produce a better defensive game plan against him.
22) Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Justin Fields will miss time with an injury, but he remains on the list another week before Tyson Bagent finds his name on the list next week.
Fields is 24th in QBR and EPA. The Vikings’ defense was not a great matchup for the Bears’ offense. Minnesota does a great job of avoiding explosive plays on defense, and Chicago’s passing attack is built upon the ability to create explosives.
21) Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill injured his ankle and was forced to leave the game in the team’s 24-16 loss to Baltimore.
Only Pickett and Young have produced a worse QBR so far in 2023. And only Wilson in New York and Pickett have produced a worse success rate. In the end, if Tennessee is forced into a straight dropback game, it’s over for their offense.
20) Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Russell Wilson and the Broncos’ offense played a real defense for the second consecutive week, and things did not go well. Wilson threw for just 95 yards on 22 attempts, including two interceptions and a touchdown on a superhuman play by Courtland Sutton.
19) Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
Sam Howell is so much fun to watch play football. On any given play, he can spin a 25-yard dig on the dot, hold the ball for seven seconds, try to create something from nothing, and end up fumbling the football to the other team.
There is a whole lot to like about Howell. He is some kind of combination between Taylor Heinicke and Baker Mayfield. Is that going to be good enough to lead an NFL team in the long term?
Maybe, maybe not. But it certainly is not unless he’s able to speed up his process and make more consistent decisions to help his OL.
18) Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield crashed back down to Earth against the Lions’ defense on Sunday. The third-down magic he showed during the first four weeks disappeared against Detroit, who does a very good job rushing the passer.
Before Sunday, Mayfield was first in nearly every third and fourth-down metric in the books. After Sunday, he’s fifth in adjusted EPA and 11th in success rate.
17) Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders
Until we get clarity on the severity of Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury, he will remain on the list. Although there was a significant scare when news broke that he was heading to the hospital, it appears the injury may not be long-term.
Garoppolo is what he is. He’s a whipsmart QB who consistently finds cracks in the middle of defenses but is also prone to boneheaded mistakes intermittently. But Garoppolo’s most significant issue is his lack of creation ability. If he’s not in structure, the play is dead.
16) Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr is playing well at the moment, but the Saints’ offense is a complete wreck. Pete Carmichael and company must make some swift changes to their red-zone offense moving forward because their current plan simply does not work.
15) Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Nobody has been less aggressive in 2023 than Joe Burrow. He’s averaging only 6.2 air yards, and his 5.3 yards per attempt mark is the worst in the league.
Burrow is still not 100% from his calf injury, but the Bengals’ offensive woes appear much deeper than Burrow’s calf.
14) Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins is about as established as it gets in the NFL. With such a substantial track record, there isn’t much we can say that hasn’t been said already.
At his peak performance, Cousins is a top-10 passer in the NFL, despite being part of the dying pocket-passer breed. But we also haven’t seen Cousins without an alpha pass catcher since his days in Washington.
MORE: What Does the NFL Playoff Picture Look Like After Week 6?
Against the Bears, life was considerably harder for him. Against one of the worst defensive backfields in the NFL, Cousins managed a year-low 5.8 yards per attempt.
13) C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud threw his first interception of his career against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6. He also took his first sacks since Week 2.
But despite completing fewer than half of his passes, Stroud averaged 7.4 yards per attempt, threw two touchdowns, still showed outrageous anticipation, and won the game against a great defense.
12) Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts tied his career high with three interceptions against the New York Jets. Two of those interceptions were tipped, but the game, in general, continued a concerning trend surrounding the Eagles’ passing attack.
Although the numbers appear fine on the surface, Philadelphia’s passing game simply doesn’t feel like the well-oiled machine it became a season ago.
But as long as the “Brotherly Shove” is an option, the Eagles will continue picking up first downs at a high rate.
11) Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
The hot start to the season for Geno Smith and the Seahawks’ passing attack is gone. They struggled against the Giants in Week 5, and Lou Anarumo had Smith in hell in Week 6. Despite throwing for over 300 yards, it was clear that things were not going smoothly for Smith throughout the process.
10) Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ aerial attack hasn’t seen the same high-end production as some other passing offenses, but Matthew Stafford is back to his gunslinging ways, and he has the weapons to have a lot of fun.
9) Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy’s world crumbled around him against the Cleveland Browns. It was his first regular-season loss as a starter, and he lost Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and for a time, Trent Williams along the way. Facing the best defense in the league while your environment is disintegrating can’t be easy.
But the next few weeks could provide insight into just how much Purdy is responsible for the team’s offensive success.
8) Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Maybe it was his busted-up finger on his non-throwing hand, or maybe it was the consistent pressure Dallas was able to produce against the Charger, but the usually-accurate Justin Herbert was flat-out bad on Monday Night Football.
7) Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville’s QB1 isn’t putting up ridiculous passing statistics like some of his peers. However, performances like that would be difficult playing behind the Jaguars offensive line. In fact, Trevor Lawrence’s outrageous pocket presence is the one thing keeping this offense on schedule, even if it’s lacking ideal explosion.
6) Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott played arguably his worst professional game against the San Francisco 49ers, and he followed it up with arguably his best against the Chargers, despite being actively sabotaged by his offensive line, one of his receivers, and his coach.
He turned back the clock, making plays against a steady dose of pressure. His play willed Dallas to a victory they otherwise would not have secured. But can he follow that up with a few solid performances after the Cowboys’ week off?
5) Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Arguably no passer in the NFL has been more consistent than Jared Goff has in 2023. He’s currently fifth in EPA and fourth in QBR. Each of his six games has yielded a QBR of 56 or higher.
Goff still struggles against pressure, and he’s not immune to making mistakes in his process. But he’s been on an absolute heater behind a great Lions offensive line, with Ben Johnson calling the offensive shots.
4) Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
The Sunday Night Football matchup against the Giants was one of those weird Bills games where things just didn’t mesh. There were only nine offensive possessions throughout the game. Still, Allen remains second in success rate and third in EPA per play through the air. He also averages a first down every other time he runs the football himself.
3) Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Jackson has been one of the most successful passers in the NFL so far through six weeks of play. The inexcusable turnovers in the pocket remain part of his game, but the Ravens’ passing attack has risen to an entirely new level.
Additionally, his 54 yards per game on the ground is 13 more than Jalen Hurts, who is second on that list. Jackson is also lapping the field in missed and broken tackles forced on average. Only Justin Herbert has a higher rate, and he’s rushed the ball 39 fewer times.
2) Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa has been the most productive QB in the NFL this year. Although, the Panthers’ defense doesn’t necessarily strike fear in the heart of opposing offenses. Tua’s day felt relatively muted when comparing it to the rest of his season. He threw for under 300 years, but he was efficient. Even in a slower performance, he averaged 8.5 yards per attempt.
1) Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes still hasn’t made the jump to the top of the EPA charts yet in 2023, and he may never get there. However, with a bum ankle of his own and a bum ankle on his best (only?) viable weapon, he ranks fourth in adjusted EPA.