If you love good quarterback play, I hope you didn’t miss the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens go at it on Sunday. It was the kind of game that reminded us why we make time for football.
Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow both seemed to know the last man with the ball was going to win. Defenses didn’t really matter. And while it — briefly — seemed like that guy would be Burrow, it ended up being Lamar — and a Ravens’ win.
And it was a nice piece of redemption, because of what we saw in Week 1 when Lamar dueled with Patrick Mahomes and Isaiah Likely’s toe was an inch out of bounds on the final drive as the Chiefs won. So, while that outcome went against the Ravens, this one ended in their favor. And this win is a big reason why Baltimore is back on track to make a playoff run.
By now, you can probably guess who is still sitting atop this week’s QB Stock Market.
For these rankings, we weigh this week’s performance with 30% importance with 70% applied to the rest of 2024. One question holds importance above all others: What have you done for your team lately?
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (↔)
2. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (⬆️ 3)
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (⬆️ 5)
What else can Joe Burrow do?
It’s not his fault the Bengals won’t pay Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins. It’s not his fault the Bengals let Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, Jonah Williams, Chidobe Awuzie and D.J. Reader sign elsewhere in free agency this year. It’s not his fault Zac Taylor has proven incapable of recreating the success he had en route to Super Bowl LVI.
All Burrow did on Sunday was drop 392 passing yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
You don’t really see this: Burrow is an elite QB playing extremely well — and yet he’s on a 1-4 team. What a waste. Cincy is letting Burrow’s prime pass them by.
4. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (⬆️ 3)
5. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (⬇️ 2)
Against the Jets, Darnold played a little bit like the guy New York no longer wanted.
Robert Saleh’s defense was able to generate 19 pressures, four sacks and three QB hits, including one that injured Darnold. The Jets also swallowed up Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in coverage.
But in the moments where the New York defense was beatable, Darnold didn’t seize his opportunities. On one particular third down in the first quarter, he stared down his open, primary target long enough to let the rushers get home. On another third down in the fourth quarter, he threw an uncatchable ball to a wide open Addison. It would have been a first down — and probably a touchdown.
And then there was a potential 83-yard TD late in the fourth quarter that Darnold missed right before he threw an interception. It would’ve been a remarkable touchdown — but it was there for him to hit.
Darnold’s hesitancy and inaccuracy gave life to a potential Jets’ comeback. It’s the second week in a row we’ve seen him open the door to an opponent — rather than help the Vikings slam it shut.
6. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (⬇️ 4)
7. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (⬇️ 3)
8. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (⬇️ 2)
There were cracks in the foundation of Stroud’s performance on Sunday. As you can see, I’m not panicked. I still have him in the top 10. But … I wasn’t exactly reassured.
The Texans, for example, did not score a touchdown following the departure of Nico Collins. Stroud was 5 of 5 for 111 yards and a touchdown (to Collins) prior to the WR’s injury. After that? He was 17 of 27 for 220 yards with an interception and a fumble.
It’s not like Stroud fell apart. But the explosive plays came to a halt.
We might just see how important Collins is to Stroud in the coming weeks if the receiver has to miss time. And we might just see whether Stefon Diggs is still the WR1 that he used to be — or whether he’s lost a step.
Stroud lost his handle on the game against the Bills after Collins’ exit. And because of that, Buffalo nearly pulled off a win.
9. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (⬆️ 1)
10. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (⬆️ 11)
For one night, Cousins found out what it felt like to be 2007 Tom Brady.
Cousins had the Falcons offense firing. Timing. Precision. Anticipation. But it wasn’t all safe throws. Cousins was pushing the ball into traffic and taking risks where he saw fit.
After Week 1, the Falcons looked flat and Michael Penix seemed like a throw away from taking over. But this week, Cousins was the NFL’s best pocket passer — better even than Burrow. It was a delight to see Cousins go 42 of 58 for 509 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. And he got the W.
11. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (⬇️ 2)
12. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (⬆️ 2)
That might not have been vintage Mahomes from his explosive days early in his career. But that was absolutely 2023 Mahomes when he was patient and methodical in taking only what the defense gave him.
He registered 300 of his 331 passing yards on passing under 15 air yards in the Chiefs win over the Saints, per Next Gen Stats. Typically, I’d present that stat to show an overcautious, underconfident quarterback. But given how teams play Mahomes, that’s actually K.C.’s recipe for some good BBQ. According to Next Gen, Mahomes didn’t throw into a tight window on any of his 39 passes — not even his interception when a Saints defender poked out JuJu Smith-Schuster’s reception.
This is boring, game-manager Mahomes. But when he keeps his decision-making in check, the Chiefs demolish teams. Like they did with the Saints.
13. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets (⬇️ 1)
14. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (⬆️ 12)
15. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (⬆️ 3)
16. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (⬇️ 5)
17. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (⬇️ 4)
18. Daniel Jones, New York Giants (⬆️ 4)
19. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (⬆️ 1)
20. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (⬇️ 4)
21. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (⬇️ 2)
22. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (⬆️ 3)
23. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (⬇️ 8)
24. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (⬇️ 7)
Love has been as erratic as any quarterback in the NFL. I’m not sure the Packers can sustain this.
The situation didn’t come to a head Sunday because Love and the Packers eked out a win. But the film for Love wasn’t pretty. Perhaps because of the knee injury, he was misfiring on simple throws, most notably on out-routes near the sideline where he overthrew or threw wide.
And then his biggest throw was one of his worst decisions. When he wound up for a 53-yard bomb to Jayden Reed, the defense was clearly sending a message: Don’t throw the ball. Reed was tripled, with Ahkello Witherspoon in position to notch an interception. But Love got lucky: Witherspoon couldn’t track the ball. The play provided a massive chunk. It was the wrong process resulting in the right results. But that’s not something the coaches will build on.
On just 121 drop backs, Love has six turnover-worthy plays and only four big-time throws, per Pro Football Focus. He also has three passes batted at the line of scrimmage.
The Packers should take another look at the Malik Willis game plan. They kept things simple and efficient and Willis kept the ball out of harm’s way. That might actually help Love get back on track after a pair of dizzying performances.
25. Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts (new)
26. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers (⬇️ 3)
27. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots (⬇️ 3)
Brissett is playing every week like the Patriots have the lead. Like he can coast to victory with throwaways and safe decision-making. But New England has been trailing or tied for 130 of their 300 minutes this season, 12 most. And so the irony is that Brissett’s conservative play is contributing to New England’s inability to win.
That’s why coach Jerod Mayo has to be at least considering starting rookie Drake Maye.
The case to bench Brissett is obvious: The season is over. Get the kid in there to start giving him real, game reps. His progress could go exponential with that experience.
The case against benching Brissett is also obvious: The season is over. Keep the kid out of harm’s way. The more the Patriots lose, the higher they’ll pick in the draft. That’ll help Maye next season when he’s the undisputed starter.
I’d bet Maye makes an appearance in garbage time in Week 6.
Then he gets his first start in Week 7.
28. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders (⬇️ 1)
Like the Patriots, the Raiders are mulling who to start at quarterback. It’s unclear whether Minshew or Aidan O’Connell will start next week.
Unlike New England, it doesn’t feel like Las Vegas’ decision will materially change its season — or its franchise. It was already clear going into the year that the Raiders did not have a franchise QB or even a guy who could get them to the playoffs. (Neither O’Connell nor Minshew have started a postseason game.)
So, why didn’t the Raiders pick a QB in 2024?
Their decision to take Brock Bowers in Round 1 was already strange. But their decision not to move up the board and get one of these QBs? I hope they like what they see from Quinn Ewers, Shedeur Sanders and Carson Beck.
29. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (↔)
30. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (↔)
31. Tyler Huntley, Miami Dolphins (⬆️ 1)
32. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (⬇️ 1)
Henry McKenna is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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