After three weeks of the season, things are starting to take shape. We’ve had some disappointing starts for some teams, some expected starts for many teams, and some surprise starts as well.
Over the summer,
we ranked the top 50 quarterbacks in the NFL. Let’s take a look at those rankings and update the list based on how the 32 week one starting quarterbacks have performed at this point in the season.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (Prev. 1)
Despite the slow start, Mahomes’ QBR is still 5th in the NFL. Travis Kelce can’t catch, Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice have been out, it’s going to take more than what Allen and Lamar have thrown out so far to unseat Mahomes
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (2)
Jackson may have slightly better stats at this point in the season, but the head-to-head matchup and how that game ended keep Allen ahead of Jackson.
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (3)
Every year, you don’t think Jackson’s stats can get better, they do. But he needs to start winning big games to reach that next level.
4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (4)
Burrow is most likely going to miss the rest of the season. He will most likely hold this spot moving forward.
5. Justin Herbert, LA Chargers (5)
I expected Herbert to have an excellent season in his second season with Jim Harbaugh, so far, he and the Chargers are living up to the billing.
6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (6)
His stats certainly aren’t gaudy, but he is 7th in QBR, completing over 70% of his passes, and hasn’t thrown an interception.
7. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (10)
I said I needed to see it without Ben Johnson to believe it, and so far, Goff is delivering. If he keeps this up this season, he’s going to shut up all his remaining doubters.
8. Matthew Stafford, LA Rams (9)
It was never a question with Stafford if he was worthy of being a top 10 quarterback; it was if he could stay healthy with his chronic back issues. So far, so good for the Rams’ signal caller.
9. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (7)
Daniels hasn’t been great, and he’s also missed a game due to an injury. He still gets the benefit of the doubt after a spectacular rookie season, but he needs to play better, or he will see himself tumble further.
10. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (12)
Nobody really grabbed the last top 10 spot with authority, so Love gets it by default. The Packers are an excellent team, and Love has played pretty well. But you can’t stumble against teams like the Cleveland Browns, where Love was quite pedestrian.
11. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15)
The question really needs to be Just how good is Baker? The argument can be made that he’s cemented himself as a top ten QB, and if he keeps this up, he will be exactly that on this list in the near future.
12. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (8)
Dak hasn’t dominated like many thought he would with Lamb and Pickens catching passes. At 32, it’s fair to wonder if Dak’s best days are behind him.
13. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (14)
Purdy has missed a couple of games due to injuries, and despite a couple of turnovers, he did nothing in week one to make you think he’s much better or much worse than this slot.
14. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (18)
Williams looked shaky in week one, but looked decent in week two, and excellent in week three. Albeit it was against a very poor Cowboys defense, Williams is showing growth, and if he continues, should push to become a top 10-12 QB in the league by season’s end.
15. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans (11)
CJ Stroud really needs to start figuring this out. He had a Sophomore slump, and everyone blamed the now-fired offensive coordinator. If he has another subpar season, people are going to start wondering if that rookie season was a mirage.
16. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts (36)
Jones jumps 20 spots (!) after an outstanding start to the season. I have a hard time believing he’s actually this good, but the results have been spectacular, and at this point, it’s hard to justify putting any other QBs above him.
17. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (22)
Darnold hasn’t looked quite as sharp as he did in Minnesota, but he’s certainly proving that he wasn’t just a KOC puppet and has legitimate staying power as a starting quarterback at the NFL level.
18. Drake Maye, New England Patriots (21)
Maye has had a nice start to the season, and if he continues to do this, he will keep ticking up spots throughout the season.
19. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers (24)
Rodgers can’t move anymore, but he can still stand and deliver. He should be able to deliver Mike Tomlin’s Steelers back into the playoffs once again.
20. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (17)
Murray hasn’t been bad; he just hasn’t been good. He continues to be the guy he shows year in and year out to be, while some people wonder if he will ever put it all together. At this point, it certainly feels like this is who he is.
21. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders (20)
Geno is another guy who has played great and awful, and we are just three games into the season. The Geno Smith roller coaster will keep him right around here.
22. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (19)
Nix hasn’t been horrendous, but he hasn’t been good either. At this point, there’s nothing to me that doesn’t suggest that he wasn’t just propped up by Sean Payton in year one.
23. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (13)
Lawrence has weapons, a coach that was brought in here to specifically bring him to the next level, and nothing is clicking. It’s time to stop making excuses for Lawrence and wonder if this just isn’t going to click for him.
24. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (16)
Tua has gotten off to a lousy start, his team hasn’t won a game, and now he’s calling out analysts (including former quarterbacks) for criticizing him. Maybe he should look in the mirror.
25. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans (31)
Ward hasn’t looked great, but he’s looked functional, and with what’s around him in Tennessee, that’s a pretty good accomplishment.
26. JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings (30)
He won offensive player of the week thanks to one quarter of play, but looked bad in the other seven, and now he’s hurt. This feels fair.
27. Michael Penix, Atlanta Falcons (23)
After a small sample size last year, the sample size this year hasn’t produced great results. He has plenty around him to succeed. It will be interesting to watch.
28. Justin Fields, New York Jets (29)
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Fields was awesome in game one, horrendous in game two, and injured and missed game three. I’ve heard that song before.
29. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (25)
So far, Young has shown that the surge he had at the end of 2024 was just a mirage.
30. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns (28)
Flacco hasn’t been good, but at least he hasn’t been benched.
31. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints (51)
Rattler has played better than I expected, but I haven’t seen anything to make me think he’s a legitimate QB1 either. I didn’t know if he was a legit QB2 before the season, to be fair, and Rattler has shown that he is at least that.
32. Russell Wilson, New York Giants (26)
Our comment about Russell Wilson over the summer was, “How long does he hold off Jaxson Dart?” Well, three weeks. Three weeks was the answer.
