Mid-Season NFL QB Rankings

This list idea actually started as an argument between myself and a friend in a group chat. We were discussing the very average overall Jared Goff and I made the assertion that right now, Derek Carr may actually be playing better. The argument devolved as he got annoyed and I went into full “poke the bear” mode. In the end, I promised to make a current quarterback ranking list. That was almost a month ago. Well Alex, we finally made it. Today will be my first tri-annual QB rankings. 

What a weird season to start doing this kind of list. There have been a fantastic amount of injuries and QB changes that make piecing together the back end of this list near impossible. For a start, Joe Burrow will be on this list. I saw enough from him to be ranked. Let’s hope he can come back healthy and continue to climb. The New York Jets and Chicago Bears QBs will be combined. To single out one of the two guys on either team is unfair to the gods of suck. Want to guess where they will end up? San Francisco will avoid this awful purgatory as Jimmy Garrapolo has played enough. This list is not an attempt to rank the QBs that are starting tomorrow based on how well I believe they will play. This is a ranking of the QBs and how good I believe them to be right now, going forward the rest of the season, while also taking into account the QBs career performances. Unfortunately that means no Taysom Hill, PJ Walker, or Andy Dalton on this list. 

N/A Due to Injury: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Dak suffered one of the most brutal injuries we have seen since the Alex Smith injury. If not for that, he probably would have ended up near the top five on this list. He was on pace for some staggering numbers and Prescott would have easily gotten the Cowboys to 7-9 to win that division. 

Number 31: The New York Jets

Adam Gase is a black hole that sucks promising careers up and spits out the husks of what talent used to look like. The fact that Sam Darnold is not a burgeoning star in this league is entirely the fault of the Jets organization. Somebody please prevent this team from ruining Trevor Lawrence.

Number 30: The Chicago Bears

This is what Bears fans refer to as “status quo.” I think I am going to cry. 

Number 29: Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars

Yay, more injuries, said no one ever. Gardner is a decent stop gap QB. He will never lead the Jags anywhere other than a top five draft pick but there are much worse situations at QB in the league. 

Number 28: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

This is easily one of the most distressing and stressful QB situations in the NFL. In his second season in the NFL, Wentz led the Eagles to an 11-2 record and was the leading MVP candidate before going down with a torn ACL. The Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl behind Nick Foles and Carson’s career has been on a steep downhill trajectory since. Wentz leads the NFL with fourteen interceptions this year and has another four fumbles in addition. Wentz may end up stumbling into the division win, but if he continues his recent form of play, the only place he should be headed to is the bench.

Number 27: Alex Smith, Washington Football Team

Every time Alex Smith is sacked I wince just a little. Alex Smith is not the Pro Bowl QB we saw in Kansas City. He is merely the least bad option. He is an okay game manager with a couple of really good young weapons on offense. This team looks primed to walk into a first round loss in the playoffs. Good for Alex.

Number 26: Drew Lock, Denver Broncos

I would like to welcome you all to the “Short term stop gap” section of our list. Drew Lock is very similar to the man one spot below him. The one thing he has over Smith is his youth. He can still develop into a solid young QB, but to me the guy has a Trent Dilfer type ceiling. So that’s fun for Broncos fans. 

Number 25: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

It is still fat too early in Tua’s career to judge how good he can be at the professional level. He is clearly more of a project then the other two rookie QBs still to come on this list. He has one performance where he was required to just not throw three pick sixes. He had one very good and promising performance. Immediately after that he had a performance so bad he was benched. The jury has not even sat down to discuss this man’s career. 

Number 24: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Jimmy is your quintessential game manager when healthy. This season has been a nightmare for the 49ers as a whole. I won’t hold this season too strongly against him but his play to start the year was not inspiring. The 49ers may look to try and move on from Garoppolo soon and honestly this may be the best thing for both parties. 

Number 23: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

If this list had come out three weeks ago Baker would be lower. However he has looked like a much better version of himself since Odell Bekham Jr. was injured. You never want your star receiver to go down but since then he has been in some very weird games but he has looked better, particularly in the Cincinnati game. The biggest thing is that the Browns are winning. And that was not a consistent thing before week seven.

 Number 22: Cam Newton, New England Patriots

Cam Newton’s passing stats are absolutely atrocious. Newton has four touchdown passes to seven interceptions. He has only 1900 yards. However, Newton is still a dual threat QB. He was 341 yards rushing and nine rushing touchdowns. The man is getting it done, vaguely, on a team almost completely devoid of skill position talent. 

Number 21: Justin Herbet, Los Angeles Chargers

This man has an absolutely monster arm. Justin Herbert is the real deal and will be around in this league for a very long time. Unfortunately he is stuck on the quite bad Chargers team that can't close a game out to save their lives. We have yet to see if Herbert has the clutch genes, and we have yet to see if he will continue this pace through the next few years. But the signs all look very good. Herbert is on pace to break just about every rookie passing record. He deserves it.

Number 20: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

What an absolute tragedy. The end of the season should have been a back and forth battle between Burrow and Herbert to see who could be the rookie passing leader in just about every category. But instead the Bengals organization is completely inept and did nothing to address the offensive line needs that they had. And now Burrow may never be the same. Let’s hope his rehab goes perfectly and he actually comes back better and stronger.

Number 19: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

He will lead you to wins, and he will throw away victories. He will pad stats, and he will miss the playoffs. Kirk is a bit of an enigma and this contract very much backfired on the Vikings. Hopefully it will be over soon, for Vikings’ fans sake.

Number 18: Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers

What a difference a single spot on the list makes, the return of Teddy B has been wonderful to watch. The Panthers have played a tough schedule very well. They consistently look competitive, and Teddy is a big reason why. It is awful to see him on the shelf, but for the money he is being paid, he has been a rockstar value for the Panthers and Matt Rhule.

Number 17: Daniel Jones, New York Giants

This is a weird entry. Jones is third in the league in rushing yards among quarterbacks. It turns out he can run the ball quite effectively. The giants have an average offense, a below average defense, and Daniel Jones just does what he is asked. They have had a bit of a tough schedule, but at the end of the day, the Giants have a shot at the playoffs and that is largely in part because of Daniel Jones.

Number 16: Phillip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts

Is there a more middle of the road QB in the NFL? Phillip Rivers is on a very talented team and has become a very average game manager. He cannot make the big throws but he is not making the same mistakes he was last year. It seems as though he has far more trust in this team and does not feel the need to shoulder the entire load. This situation is seemingly perfect for Phillip to be the QB he should be. 

Number 15: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

Do not sleep on Matthew Stafford just yet. This Lions team has no business being 4-7 like they are. They were a poorly constructed team and even worse coached team. Matthew Stafford might not be the guy he was in 2014, but he is still an above average QB making plays on a game-in game-out basis.

Number 14: Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Goff is the enigma that made this list a reality. He is firmly a top half QB in the NFL and the Gap between him and Stafford is not a small one. My main reason for not having him higher on the list is two fold: inconsistency and turnovers. Goff has eight turnovers and three lost fumbles. Neither of these stats is actually that bad, the issue is that he played the entire NFC East to start the season. The competition Goff has played has not picked up until recently. Goff played a horrendous game against the Dolphins, played his part against the terrible Seahawks pass defense, and was a little up and down against the Buccaneers. Goff has a whole load of talent, and the Rams are winning, but trust is not something anyone should have in Goff come crunch time in big games.

Number 13: Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

Carr has looked absolutely resurgent this year. His touchdown percentage is second in the NFL, his completion percentage is third, and the Raiders are occupying a playoff spot after having played some very stiff competition this year. Derek Carr also happened to outduel the best QB in the league, spoilers. Derek Carr has been having his best season since the year he was a top MVP candidate and broke his leg. It is wonderful to watch.

Number 12: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Matty Ice can still sling the football around. Atlanta is not a good team and this ranking is very contingent on the health of Julio Jones. If Julio is healthy, Matt Ryan is capable of being a top ten guy in the league. He still has that skill. Without Julio we have seen a massive drop off in Ryan’s performance. The twelve spot felt like a good compromise. 

Number 11: Ben Rothlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Big Ben is not the same guy he once was. He can’t sling the ball as well, he can’t avoid sacks as well, and he is not as accurate as he once was. His team however, is 10-0. You can’t really argue with results like those.

Number 10: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Lamar very nearly fell out of the top ten for me. I am still holding out hope for the reigning NFL MVP. Lamar looks just a little lost this year. Part of that is likely due to the loss of Baltimore’s two best offensive linemen from last season. Lamar does not have the same kind of time in the pocket as he did last year and it is showing. Hopefully Lamar can get back on track but he has not looked like the MVP he was.

Number 9: Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

Tannehill has been throwing the ball around Tennessee like an elite QB for the better part of two years now. He probably deserves to be higher on this list but that career aspect is actually dragging him down. Tannehill was one superstar QB lead team away from the Super Bowl last year and he looks every bit as good this year. He throws for a lot of yards and he doesn’t throw hardly any interceptions. He is the biggest reason why the Titans are good this year. It truly is fantastic.

Number 8: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

This might be just a tad bit or projection, but Josh Allen is having one hell of a season. He is a dual threat QB with a canon for an arm that is about to win the AFC East for the first time in what feels like forever. Allen has also stepped up as a leader on this team and has proven that in crunch time, he can win a football game. The Rams game showed us that, even if he did need a little referee assistance. 

Number 7: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

This is a weird one. Drew has lost his deep ball almost entirely. He countered this by deciding to check the ball down to Alvin Kamara and what its done is give Drew Brees the best completion percentage in the NFL. The Saints are once again contenders in large part because of Drew’s smart play this season. The Super Bowl ring on his finger just aids his case. 

Number 6: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It is still very surreal to see Bardy in another uniform. It is also surreal to watch Brady consistently miss throws down the field, look completely flustered on a semi-regular basis, and make poor decisions in crunch time. Tom Brady is still Tom Brady though. He is the greatest QB in NFL history by a decent margin and he will get the benefit of the doubt until he retires. 

Number 5: Kyler Murray, Arizon Cardinals

Kyler Murray has over 600 yards rushing this year. He is averaging almost seven yards per carry. All of Kylers passing numbers are very similar to Jared Goff’s. Now add a solid mid tier RB to that equation and that is the player Murray is, in his second season. Kyler Murray is outstanding, has the best wide receiver in football, and is only getting better. This man is scary.

Number 4: Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

The disaster going on in Houston right now can be blamed on anyone you want except Deshaun. He has been phenomenal again this year. Please save Watson from that dumpster fire of a franchise. 

Number 3: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

The man still has it, much to my displeasure. He is an elite top tier QB that will win more games then not. He is top five or six in every passing category that matters. None of this is surprising. Aaron Rodgers is one of the best to ever do it. The Packers are, as always, contenders to make it to the Super Bowl. 

Number 2: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks finally have decided to let Russ cook. Unfortunately they decided to do it after their defense decided to be one of the worst in the league. Russ has had to do it all this season and it has finally caught up with him these past couple of weeks. He has been throwing more interceptions recently, and losing games. They are still very much in contention to win that division, which may be the best in football. While Wilson may have lost out on the MVP race, he is still easily one of the best in the league.

Number 1: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Duh. Who else was it going to be? Patrick Mahomes has legitimate “greatest of all time” potential and he has been living up to it. Mahomes will be the best in the world for the foreseeable future. Everyone else just needs to get in line for second place.