After weeks of somewhat underwhelming quarterback performances, a few on the field this past week finally impressed. Subsequently, there is quite a bit of movement in the NFL QB power rankings this week.
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) PJ Walker, Cleveland Browns
It took help from the referees and the run game, but PJ Walker came in to relieve Deshaun Watson after an early injury. In the end, he led a 12-play, 68-yard touchdown drive to beat the Indianapolis Colts 39-38.
Walker remains a volatile passer. He completed fewer than half of his passing attempts, and the high-scoring contest more from a wacky game flow than persistent offensive excellence. The Colts outplayed them in nearly every way, but ultimately Myles Garrett’s two strip sacks made up the difference.
31) Brian Hoyer, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
Raiders’ backup quarterback Brian Hoyer was terrible against the Bears. Against a secondary that most NFL passers, including his own backup, could carve up with relative ease, Hoyer completed just over half of his passes. He also threw two interceptions while averaging 4 yards per attempt.
30) 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.
He matches up against the young man taken right after him in the 2023 NFL Draft, C.J. Stroud, in Week 8. Can Young skirt the consistent pressure in his face while facilitating in the Panthers’ underwhelming offense?
29) Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are 2-2 in their last four games and 4-3 overall. But in those last four contests, Desmond Ridder has turned the ball over nine times, losing four fumbles and throwing five interceptions over that stretch. That is how talented the Falcons are — and how light their schedule has been and will continue to be.
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This team should win the NFC South. They have all the pieces necessary to do so, but their quarterback absolutely must take better care of the football. The accuracy and ball placement issues will almost undoubtedly persist. But needlessly handing the ball to the opposition is a trend that must stop quickly if Atlanta wants to see the playoffs.
28) Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love is even more inconsistent as a passer than Ridder. However, despite his scattershot right shoulder, particularly downfield, the Packers’ passing attack is producing at a much higher clip than the Falcons. But it’s starting to become clear now after a solid start to the season that Love hasn’t taken the next step the way we believed he might have sitting behind Aaron Rodgers.
Add in some defensive woes for anyone not named Rashan Gary and this team could be looking for their quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, with a top-10 pick as ammunition. The problem is that there may not be a quarterback worthy of that selection when the time comes.
27) Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
Sam Howell is “The Griffon” at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. It sends you creeping up to the main drop, and as it crests the apex, it stops, leaving its passengers hanging from the top like they’re being interrogated by Batman. Every time Howell drops back, that anxiety exists.
Is he going to spin a 22-yard comeback with velocity, precision, and anticipation, or will he hold onto the ball too long, run around, get sacked, and fumble the ball trying to do too much? He’s got the moxie of Taylor Heinicke and the arm of Baker Mayfield.
But 40 sacks through seven games puts him on pace for 97. There’s a chance he procures an entire Benjamin Franklin worth of sacks. The most ever, you may ask? David Carr was sacked 76 times in 2002. The potential difference is old enough to legally order an espresso martini with dinner!
26) 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.
25) Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants
Protect ya neck! Daniel Jones should not return for the Jets game. As a competitor, he will do everything within his power to return. But Tyrod Taylor hasn’t looked completely lost as the Giants backup in relief. And that has caused a bit of a stir on social media about whether Jones should get the starting job back.
Taylor found some explosiveness against Washington, but Washington’s defense is prone to that. The Jets defense will be an entirely different test and should muffle the whispers for Jones’s job. Taylor would be a great backup on a contending team, but Jones, and his money, need to be the starter after Week 8.
24) Joshua Dobbs, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals’ offense is lost. Joshua Dobbs is still arguably the most dangerous offensive player on the field for Arizona because of his athletic ability. That’s a bad thing for Arizona’s offense.
The efficiency we saw early in the season via some schematic excellence has dried up. They’re unable to find explosive passes. Only Marquise Brown averaged over 10 yards per reception against the Seahawks, whose defensive front bullied the Cardinals.
23) Tyson Bagent, Chicago Bears
Tyson Bagent and the Bears will be discussed in great detail this week after their win against the Raiders. They scored 30 points and had drives of 12, 15, and 12 plays throughout the game. But that comes against the 27th-ranked defense in EPA and 28th in success rate.
MORE: NFL Offense Rankings 2023
Bagent did a great job distributing the ball with efficiency, but there was a complete lack of explosiveness that no team can get away with against better opponents. They did not complete a single pass of more than 17 yards, and that was to D’Onte Foreman on a screen. Not once did the Bears even attempt a 20-yard pass.
22) Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts
“It makes no damn sense,” the great Benoit Blanc once exclaimed, “Compels me though.”
Gardner Minshew is an enigma. Shane Steichen is a genius, and the Colts rushing attack is legitimately dangerous. But Minshew will average 3 yards per attempt against a league-average defense then 13 against one of the most dominant we’ve seen in recent seasons.
What he did to the Browns makes little sense, but there’s no denying that a team can win games with Minshew playing in relief of a starter. In the end, he still lost three fumbles.
21) Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Kenny Pickett was awesome against the Rams on Sunday. Although the numbers may not look impressive on the surface, once glance at the game will tell a different story.
Although he didn’t push the ball downfield in the game, he was rock solid in the intermediate windows and looked far more comfortable navigating pressure against the Rams than he has in any game up to this point. And kudos to Matt Canada, who got Pickett out on the move a bit, allowing him to make plays on the move, where he is at his best.
20) 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. 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.
19) Mac Jones, New England Patriots
The Patriots offense looked completely lost for the first six games of the season. But Jones, and the Patriots’ passing attack, was a well-oiled machine against the Bills. Jones only had five incompletions over the entire 60 minutes.
The best way to describe Jones in college was “surgical.” That’s exactly what we saw against the Bills. Jones also didn’t push the ball downfield. He simply dissected the Bills’ back seven. And much of it was because he ditched trying to do more than his athletic limitations allowed.
18) Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
The deep ball is still beautiful, and the Broncos’ passing attack is moving the ball at a decent rate. However, Wilson’s shaky pocket presence persists. He simply cannot work past the first read. If he can hit that first read as he hits the apex of his drop, every instinct tells him to bail.
17) Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
There’s really only one thing to say about Derek Carr. It’s the most concise way to describe the way he plays.
Derek Carr plays football like he thinks he has six downs
— JP Acosta (Pug Dederson Stan Acct) (@acosta32_jp) October 20, 2023
I couldn’t word it better if I tried.
16) Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers passing attack looked largely like a straight line five yards downfield. Although Mayfield pushed the ball when needed to, without success this week, most of his attempts came between four and seven yards downfield, and inside the numbers.
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There was a clear attack plan against the Falcons. And it worked. Except when the Buccaneers got into the red zone. They couldn’t score in either of their two trips inside of the Falcons’ 20-yard line.
15) Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Burrow is still not 100% from his calf injury, but the Bengals’ offensive woes appear much deeper than Burrow’s calf.
14) 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.
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.
13) Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy met adversity for the first time in his NFL career against the Cleveland Browns. He must have enjoyed adversity’s company because he went back to that well against the Vikings. Brian Flores is a madman. And his ability to change the picture pre-and post-snap can drive quarterbacks crazy.
Purdy had very good turnover luck to start his career, but that has regressed to the mean in his past two games. He plays with great anticipation, and sometimes that will lead to ugly interceptions and misses. That might have been the case in his first interception of the fourth quarter. But it’s clear that he is feeling more pressure and forced to make more plays for himself than he’s used to in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
12) Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert is magnificent, but he’s not played very well recently. He’s only slightly positive in adjusted EPA over that point, and his success rate is hovering just above 41%. But mentally everything is still there. He’s simply forgotten how to hit open targets.
This situation is worth monitoring over the next few weeks.
11) Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford continues to do Matthew Stafford things, for better and for worse. T.J. Watt absolutely baited him into an interception this week. Additionally, he completed fewer than half of his attempts.
The Steelers had an excellent plan for Cooper Kupp, and the Pittsburgh pass rush consistently took Stafford off his spot.
10) Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence has undeniable talent, but he’s currently refusing to use it to his full potential. He clearly doesn’t enjoy the five offensive linemen playing in front of him. Lawrence’s quick trigger is unnecessarily so. While it’s been a treat to see him use his rushing ability more often, he’s leaving throws on the board.
9) Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks’ win against the Cardinals was slow. Seattle leaned on the rushing attack, and Geno Smith only threw the ball 24 times, completing 18 of them for 219 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT.
MORE: 2023 NFL Running Back Rankings
Smith’s 53.1% success rate through the air remains fourth in the NFL. He’s also 10th in QBR, and he’s fifth-best in the league at avoiding sacks when being pressured.
8) Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins was outstanding against the San Francisco 49ers. He threw for almost 400 yards, completing 35 of his 45 attempts. But the most incredible stat of the night was that Cousins did not take a single sack the entire night. He silenced the “Primetime Kirk” narrative by torching the 49ers’ defense without the Vikings’ best player on the field.
He earned his ice in this one. It was Cousins at his best, and at his best, he can slide into the top-10 range.
7) Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Things weren’t great for Jared Goff or the Lions against the Ravens. But it could have been worse, also. He only threw one interception despite seeing his team go down by 14 points early in the game and 28 points by halftime.
Mike Macdonald’s defense has been suffocating teams in 2023. They’re second in defensive EPA and success rate. Given how the game transpired, it makes sense that Goff had a down day.
6) Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Hurts is currently eighth in EPA and 11th in success rate on dropbacks. Although it’s been a slow start to the season for him, there’s no denying his effectiveness. And that comes before even mentioning his rushing ability, which is literally a cheat code when the Eagles get within one yard of a first down.
5) 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?
4) Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa each have a podium argument. Allen actually leads Tua in success rate and leads him in EPA-per-play, although the Dolphins QB just sneaks by him in adjusted EPA. They both push the ball downfield and each are top three in CPOE.
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But Allen has two more turnovers than Tagovailoa, most of which are indefensible. And to date, Tua has more big-time throws.
3) Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tagovailoa’s anticipation, touch, and accuracy are unmatched in the NFL. His ball placement and anticipation, particularly over the middle of the field, allow him to throw to open windows before they open up.
Although the Eagles game felt underwhelming, the QB was without or lost three of his offensive linemen throughout the process.
2) Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson is feeling it! He threw for nearly 400 yards against the Lions, a team that was looking primed to contend in the NFC. Jackson has always played with outrageous touch over the middle, and between more outside weapons, Mark Andrews, and Todd Monken calling the shots, Jackson has thrived.
He’s currently sixth in success rate and fifth in adjusted EPA. He also has the most rushing yards of any QB and is second in missed tackles forced.
1) Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes had a throwback game. It’s been a bit underwhelming for him and the Chiefs passing attack this season, relative to what we’ve become accustomed to with them. But he absolutely decimated the Los Angeles Chargers defense.
He threw for 424 yards on 42 attempts, with a lot of his work being done in the first half of the game. He also showed his patented scrambling ability when things broke down for him in the pocket.
