Analysis
10/18/23
23 min read
2023 NFL Week 7 QB Power Rankings: Allen, Mahomes Remain at Top
Offenses were in crisis all around the league in Week 6. Only three teams scored more than 25 points.
Unsurprisingly, Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins throttled the Carolina Panthers, scoring 42 points. Just another day at the office for Miami. The only other two teams to score at least 25 points were the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Rams had the luxury of playing a nameless Arizona Cardinals defense, while the Jaguars got a ton of help from their defense through three interceptions.
That's it. Every other team in the league was held to 24 points or fewer, many of them to fewer than 20. As you might expect, we got wonky quarterback performances from about 70 percent of the league.
Note: Each week, only the 32 starting quarterbacks will be ranked. For example, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray won’t be on the list until he returns to action. The same will be true of any quarterback who misses time as the season progresses.
Week 6 QB Power Rankings
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Previous Ranking: 1 
It's pretty disappointing the Kansas City Chiefs only managed to score 19 points against a league-worst Denver Broncos defense. That should have been a fireworks show.
However, my opinion on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense is still unchanged. Mahomes isn't playing the flashiest football of his career, but the Chiefs offense is still sixth in DVOA.
They're fifth in passing DVOA, specifically. Mahomes producing that kind of offense with a carousel of inexperienced guys and mid-level role players at wide receiver is a marvel.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Previous Ranking: 2
Josh Allen has a gift for playing up or down to his opponents more than any other quarterback in the league.
Sometimes, you get an absolute barnburner against an elite Dolphins team. Other times, like Sunday night against a lifeless New York Giants squad, Allen plays around with his food for three and a half quarters before going, "Fine, I will go win the football game now."
As weird of a performance as it was, this is what Allen does sometimes. He's still a special player who shows up when it matters.
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Previous Ranking: 3
The London game vs. the Tennessee Titans was the same story for the Baltimore Ravens we've seen all season: march down the field between the 20s, stall out in the red zone.
Baltimore hasn't figured out the formula to convert efficient drives into touchdowns. Some of that has to fall on the quarterback, but none of Baltimore's receivers are real 1-on-1 separators in condensed areas, and the offensive line isn't the bulldozing unit it was in the past. The Ravens scored just one touchdown on six red zone trips on Sunday.
Frustrating as that is, I'm choosing to bet on what Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have done between the 20s this season. They continue to move down the field with relative ease, regardless of opponent. Eventually, those red zone conversions will start coming.
4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Previous Ranking: 4
Justin Herbert wasn't himself on Monday night. That's the long of the short of it.
On one hand, some of Herbert's best traits still shined through. Herbert was under relentless pressure all evening but didn't take a sack or throw a pick until the final drive.
It all came crashing down on him at once on that last drive, but that Herbert mostly survived the onslaught for 58 minutes of game time has gone largely unnoticed in everyone's rush to bury him.
That said, Herbert was uncharacteristically inaccurate. Herbert finished with a -4.7 CPOE (completion percentage over expected) against the Cowboys. That's a rough game for any quarterback, but it's abysmal by the high standard Herbert has set for himself.
Part of the issue is the Los Angeles Chargers' receivers don't separate, but even when they did, Herbert wasn't hitting his shots. Herbert missed several deep throws, including a wide-open Keenan Allen in the fourth quarter, and wasn't as sharp in the red zone as he typically is.
The silver lining is accuracy was the only real issue in this game, and Herbert has a history of being an exceptionally accurate passer. Herbert will bounce back, no doubt about it. He just happened to have a tough game on national television.
>> READ: Justin Herbert's Meltdown Dooms Chargers
5. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Previous Ranking: 5
Trevor Lawrence was nondescript vs. the Indianapolis Colts.
Lawrence was far from bad but wasn't throwing flames, either. Lawrence was kept to a modest 6.0 yards per attempt. He largely favored the quick underneath throws. To his credit, Lawrence executed those throws well. It just wasn't the kind of eye-popping performance we know we can get from him.
Lawrence threw an interception, but it wasn't all on him. Lawrence checked something right before the snap, and it was clear he and the receiver weren't on the same page about where the route should settle, leading to a throw right into a defender's chest.
6. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Previous Ranking: 6
I can't say it enough: Matthew Stafford is doing more with less in a way that needs to be appreciated. He is playing some of the best ball of his career, full stop.
The Cardinals defense isn't exactly a powerhouse, but Stafford chopped them up with ease. Stafford was quick and calculated in the underneath area while regularly stressing Arizona's defense outside the numbers beyond 10 yards.
It was the perfect blend of taking the easy wins and keeping the defense honest with big-boy throws, a line Stafford has walked so well all year.
Stafford's season-long numbers don’t pop off the page but just watch him play football. It's pure bliss. Stafford is completely outside of his mind right now.
7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Previous Ranking: 7
Scoring 20 points on the Chargers isn't exactly a crowning achievement, but those were some well-earned 20 points on the part of Dak Prescott. Prescott was not scared at all to push the ball down the field. That came at the cost of taking a few sacks, but Prescott more than made up for it with dart after dart after dart.
Prescott spammed CeeDee Lamb all night long — over the middle and outside the numbers — and picked his spots to find everyone else.
Prescott's numbers could have been even better, too. His best throw of the night — a 30-ish-yard seam ball to Michael Gallup — was dropped right in front of the end zone.
8. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Previous Ranking: 8
The Philadelphia Eagles’ implosion against the New York Jets is what happens when an inefficient offense banking on explosive plays gives away turnovers.
Jalen Hurts threw three interceptions for the first time since 2021, his first season as the Eagles starter. Not all of those interceptions were on the quarterback, but it was still an unusual day for Hurts in terms of forcing the ball into traffic.
While he made up for it with some sweet throws outside the pocket, Hurts was largely unsure of where to go with the ball and the offense suffered for it.
That's sort of been the issue with Hurts all year. Hurts has the eighth-lowest passing success rate in the league (min. 100 snaps), per TruMedia. He's sandwiched between Josh Dobbs and Gardner Minshew. Hurts just typically finds enough throws down the field to A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith to make up for it.
I'm becoming mildly concerned for Hurts, and he's in danger of dropping soon. To be clear, I think the issue is more that offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has yet to find his comfort zone as a play-caller, but Hurts isn't doing him many favors in terms of keeping the offense on schedule.
9. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Previous Ranking: 9
Stop me if you've seen this story before this season: X quarterback plays exceptionally well between the 20s but falls flat in the red zone.
That was Geno Smith against the Cincinnati Bengals. Between the 20s, Smith was dealing. He was kind of back to his Jets days in terms of being numb to pressure in the pocket, but he was still making some nasty throws when he did get the ball off.
Smith and the Seattle Seahawks’ offense just couldn't function when the field got condensed. That's partly because the Seahawks don’t have a true ball-winner, but Smith was also off his game.
As he's prone to at times, Smith's aggression poured over into recklessness, and those handful of critical mistakes were enough to fall to a damn good Bengals defense.
I'm still bullish on Smith, though. The Seahawks have been a top-10 passing offense all season long despite offensive line injuries.
10. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Previous Ranking: 10
It was just another day at the office for Tua Tagovailoa. Save for one nifty touchdown throw on the move to Jaylen Waddle, Tagovailoa played his typical game. Tagovailoa let it rip over the middle of the field relentlessly, finding Tyreek Hill more than once on those deep digs they love to run.
Mike McDaniel cooked up another delicious game plan, and Tagovailoa executed it with all the rhythm and accuracy we've gotten used to. Nothin' more to it.
11. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Previous Ranking: 11
Joe Burrow is kind of getting back to his usual self, but not entirely.
The good news is the calf doesn't seem to be bothering Burrow as much. He's got a little more pep in his step moving around the pocket, and he's not losing as much velocity on his throws.
The bad news is Burrow is still playing conservatively, for the most part. Beyond the opening drive or two against the Seahawks, Burrow fully returned to his shell of quick game passes and checkdowns galore.
That was enough on Sunday, thanks to Lou Anarumo's defense on the other end, but we still haven't gotten vintage Burrow quite yet.
12. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Previous Ranking: 12
The Minnesota Vikings’ offense isn't built to sustain a Justin Jefferson injury. Kirk Cousins' performance showed that on Sunday.
The Vikings just have nothing besides Jefferson and all the things he unlocks for them. Rookie WR Jordan Addison is a nice player, but he's not a true, coverage-tilting WR1 at this stage.
The Vikings also don't have any threatening receivers outside of Addison. Even TE T.J. Hockenson, who the team traded for and paid handsomely, is not playing well this season. He's not been the security blanket Cousins needs him to be.
Then, you have to factor in the offensive line and run game. The Vikings rank 24th in rushing DVOA and can hardly generate explosives on the ground. Up front, the Vikings have good offensive tackles, but the interior trio is still an issue.
The burden is too much for Cousins to bear, but that doesn't make him any less of a quarterback. I don't think many quarterbacks could make something out of this Vikings offense right now.
Basically, every quarterback behind Cousins on this list would look as mediocre as he does in this offense with the way it's constructed.
13. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Previous Ranking: 13
Jared Goff had a few shaky moments under pressure against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but none bad enough to derail an otherwise awesome performance.
More than anything, Sunday's game was another example of Goff's continued growth in the 1-10-yard area. We know Goff can grip it and rip it on play-action throws over the middle. That's been the book on him since Los Angeles.
But Goff's unlocked his game over the past year or so by becoming a quick, consistent thrower in the short area.
The offensive line and play-calling in Detroit is exquisite, and Goff is taking advantage of it. I still want to see Goff do it in December and January before he jumps much further up this list, but there's no denying he is playing some of the best football of his career.
14. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Previous Ranking: 15 
Is C.J. Stroud perfect? No, far from it. He's still prone to some rookie misfires. Stroud even threw his first interception of the season straight at a linebacker's chest this week. The dude still has a long way to go before truly being one of the league's best passers.
But man, Stroud just gets it. It's so clear when you watch him play. Stroud plays with calm feet and impeccable timing. He does an exceptional job knowing where all the moving parts are in a defense and adjusting his ball placement to account for those moving pieces.
CJ Stroud finds Robert Woods for his second TD pass
📺: #NOvsHOU on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/B4mQvLOt8O pic.twitter.com/760r3Mj1ll— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
Stroud's touchdown to Robert Woods was a perfect example of that. Stroud's quick timing and throwing motion let him fit the ball between the linebacker Woods was running past, while smart ball placement to get Woods to throttle down stopped him from running into a linebacker in the next window.
Stroud threaded the two defenders perfectly for the score. You just don't see that kind of timing and ball placement from anyone but the top-10 quarterbacks.
Again, Stroud still needs to iron out the consistency a bit. That's the difference between where he's at and where the best guys are at. The future is so bright with this guy, though, and he proves it every week.
15. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Previous Ranking: 16
The Brock Purdy implosion finally happened.
Purdy was successful on just 23.3 percent of his attempts vs. the Browns, the fifth-lowest mark of any game this season. He also threw his first interception of the season. Purdy's been testing fate all year with some of his throws into coverage, so it's only natural it would come back to bite him at some point.
I'm not all that down on Purdy after this game, though. That feels weird to say as someone who is generally on the dissenting side of the Purdy discourse, but I think a lot of this game can be explained away as an anomaly.
Rain was a huge factor; the 49ers lost Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey at different points, and Jim Schwartz has always put Kyle Shanahan in a headlock for as long as they've been in the league together.
Purdy and the 49ers will be fine. Probably.
>> READ: Don' Panic on Brock Purdy Just Yet
16. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Previous Ranking: 18
Derek Carr is an eminently frustrating quarterback. Sunday's game vs. the Houston Texans was a prime example.
Carr threw for 353 yards. He made a handful of delightful throws, including a corner route to Taysom Hill and a switch-release comeback route to Chris Olave under pressure. Carr also avoided the pressure-oriented mistakes he's often prone to. It was a clean, stable showing.
And yet, with the game on the line, Carr did absolutely nothing. On the second-to-last drive, Carr checked down to Alvin Kamara in the flat well short of the sticks. Kamara was tackled; turnover on downs.
Then, at the end of the final drive, Carr chucked up four fade balls in a row despite having more than a minute on the clock and a timeout to work with.
17. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Previous Ranking: 17
For the first five weeks of the season, it was the team that was failing Russell Wilson. Though far from his peak, Wilson was playing competent football. He was doing better to keep the offense on schedule, and some of that old magic popped up occasionally.
Thursday night's game against the Chiefs was a complete throwback to 2022. Steve Spagnuolo's defense had Wilson's head spinning. The Chiefs threw blitzes and tricky coverage rotations at Wilson all night, and the 12-year veteran had no answer for it. That's just not acceptable for a player who has played as much football as Wilson.
That's just one game, but it does make you worry that the 2022 version of Wilson could be creeping back in. Hopefully, Thursday night's meltdown was an aberration brought on by a short week of practice.
18. Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders
Previous Ranking: 19
Jimmy Garoppolo left Sunday's game against the New England Patriots at halftime because of a back injury.
Before leaving, Garoppolo was exactly what he always was. He was on-time, efficient and accurate, mixed in with one or two braindead throws into traffic. He's not going to change.
Jabrill Peppers absolutely LIT UP Davante Adams.
My goodness. #Patriots #Raiders pic.twitter.com/Bl5vJvGImd
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) October 15, 2023
In Garoppolo's defense, the interception wasn't his fault. Garoppolo threaded a tough slant route to Davante Adams, only for Patriots SAF Jabrill Peppers to deliver an absolute kill shot to knock the ball loose and into LB Jahlani Tavai's hands.
It's unclear if Garoppolo will play in Week 7, but we'll keep him around for now.
19. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Previous Ranking: 20
Deshaun Watson didn't play again this week but remains on this list. It's hard to know when Watson is actually supposed to play again, which makes him a weird player to place. Watson was reportedly cleared for action this week but didn't suit up.
Either way, there's no reason to move Watson a whole lot until we see him again.
20. Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
Previous Ranking: 24
Desmond Ridder played by far the most frustrating game of his career against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
On about 70 percent of plays, Ridder was rock solid. He was dealing in the underneath area. He was playing on time and accurately with the easy throws and made a few tough throws down the field. Some of them just didn't get caught, like the crosser to Khadarel Hodge on Atlanta's second play of the game.
About 15 percent of the remaining plays were an unmitigated nightmare, though. Ridder threw three picks, all in the second half.
The first featured Ridder testing a cornerback with outside leverage with a flat route to Van Jefferson. Can't do that. After that, Ridder marched the team down to the red zone, only to throw a completely baffling interception straight to a Commanders' defender in the end zone.
Jamin Davis' first career INT wins it for the @Commanders ‼️ @jamindavis25 | #WASvsATL pic.twitter.com/I7la5EfTkW
— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
Ridder's final interception was a mediocre throw to Bijan Robinson on a slant route, but at least Robinson can share some of the blame on that one for running a poor route.
I'm choosing to buy more stock in the 70 percent. The down-to-down operation for the Atlanta Falcons is getting better, and Ridder's quiet improvement within the offense is part of that.
The back-breaking mistakes need to get cut out, but there's real progress to hang onto if you watch the film.
21. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Previous Ranking: 22
Baker Mayfield was all over the place against the Lions on Sunday.
Mayfield had one of those days where he was clearly pressing to make a play. He chucked the ball beyond 20 yards 11 times, only completing two of them. That's an easy way to crater an offense's ability to string together consistent drives.
Here's the thing: Mayfield just does that sometimes. And we know that. Mayfield is an imperfect quarterback who leans on a "screw it, we'll see what happens" mentality when he's backed into a corner. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. On Sunday, it didn't work.
I'm just not going to punish Mayfield much for having the kind of game we know he's prone to. That was already baked into his placement on this list.
22. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Previous Ranking: 25
Thankfully for Jordan Love, the Green Bay Packers were on a bye in Week 6. The bye came at a perfect time for Love, who is coming off his two worst games as a pro.
We'll see if the bye week was enough to reset Love and get him back on the right track.
23. Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Previous Ranking: 23
The Las Vegas Raiders game was the same old story for Mac Jones and the Patriots offense.
Jones still shows the ability to zip through his reads and throw some accurate passes in the short to intermediate areas. The issue is that's all the offense has. Nobody can separate and make explosive plays with the ball in their hands.
The entire offensive operation requires Jones to be perfect on every down with receivers who can't get open and an offensive line that's been up and down.
The results, predictably, remain mediocre. Jones is certainly at fault for some of his panicked decision-making and inability to create off-script, but this is a nasty, nasty situation for any quarterback.
24. Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Tyrod Taylor is a perfectly capable spot starter. Taylor understands how to be an efficient passer, and his internal clock has sped up over the years. Every now and again, you also get a delightful deep throw to keep defenses honest.
Frankly, Taylor's game against the Bills on Sunday night was the best, most complete four quarters of football from a Giants quarterback this season. Still, the bar has been set horribly low by an underperforming Daniel Jones.
25. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
Previous Ranking: 27
Sam Howell continues to be a quarterback of extremes.
As an idea, I understand Howell. He's got a real NFL arm that delivers some stunning throws. Heck, he had two beauties this week against the Falcons that would have been highlights if not for drops by the receivers. Howell also doesn't make many terrible decisions with the ball, Bills game notwithstanding.
But I can not get over his sack issue and seemingly random process for reading out plays. Howell is addicted to reading both sides of pick-a-side concepts, and the internal clock inside his brain telling him to get the ball out hasn't ever been on time.
There are too many instances where I can't tell what he's seeing, and usually, in those moments, he holds the ball forever and takes a sack.
I get it with Howell. I do. But until his process and clock speed up, I can not get there with him.
26. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Previous Ranking: 30
Bryce Young is slowly but surely honing in on his strengths and recognizing the things he can't get away with anymore. Some of the confidence and ball placement he's starting to show between the numbers is the exact type of stuff that got him drafted first overall.
That said, Young still has a long way to go. He hasn't yet shown much of anything down the field or outside the numbers, deficiencies that could never go away given his lack of arm talent. It's also clear Young isn't the scrambler he was in college, as pro athletes have no problem hawking him down.
Those are tough problems to live with, considering how often Young is under siege behind a nightmare of an offensive line.
The line is ever so slightly pointing up for Young, but this will be a process. If nothing else, it's a good sign he's not getting any worse and crumbling under the immense pressure.
27. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Previous Ranking: 28
Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers were on a bye in Week 6. That's probably for the best, considering Pickett wasn't fully healthy the week before and could use some time to get back to 100 percent.
There was some movement around Pickett in the rankings, but he ultimately fell in the same range.
28. Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts
Previous Ranking: 29
The Jaguars dared Gardner Minshew to win the game, and he couldn't.
Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell spent all his resources loading the box. He shut down the Indianapolis Colts' running game and dared them to throw the ball into light secondary looks all day.
Against a more talented passer that might be playing with fire, but against a weak-armed checkdown specialist like Minshew, it was the right approach.
Minshew imploded against that approach. He still found plenty of throws in the underneath area but hardly connected down the field to punish the Jaguars' aggressive approach. On 13 passes between 11-20 yards, Minshew completed as many passes to his team as he did to the opposing team: three.
Minshew is still fine as far as spot starters go, but that's the kind of game you will get from time to time against legitimate defenses.
29. Josh Dobbs, Arizona Cardinals
Previous Ranking: 31
The shine is starting to wear off the Josh Dobbs experience. Solid as he may be for a backup, it's becoming clear he's only got a few tools to win with.
Dobbs can spin it into tight windows, and he's a quality athlete, but he doesn't have the pocket command or high-level processing ability to open up the offense.
Dobbs is a nice distributor but not a real pick-you-apart passer. That call came to a head against a Rams defense that is quietly pretty feisty despite having only one player anyone can name.
30. Zach Wilson, New York Jets
Previous Ranking: 32
Zach Wilson is only moving up because other unproven quarterbacks are stepping into starting roles due to injury.
Wilson was a nothingburger in the Jets' upset against the Eagles. He completed just one of seven passes between 11-20 yards and finished the day with just 5.6 yards per attempt. Wilson did enough to stumble into field goal range a few times, but that's about it.
To his credit, Wilson did well to protect the football. He didn't throw a pick or fumble on any of the five sacks he took. Somehow, that was enough for this Jets defense to win the game.
31. Malik Willis, Tennessee Titans
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Malik Willis just isn't ready for the speed of the NFL game as a pocket passer yet. In 12 dropbacks of relief duty against the Ravens on Sunday, Willis was sacked as often as he completed a pass. He finished the day with four of each. Willis also scrambled three times with moderate success.
Malik Willis took 4 sacks today against just 5 pass attempts.
He joins Troy Aikman (2000 vs. PHI) and Colin Kaepernick (2016 vs. CHI) as the only QBs to take 4+ sacks with 5 or fewer pass attempts since 2000.
— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) October 15, 2023
Willis' best plays are impactful. He's got a laser for an arm, and he can get active in the open field once he frees himself from pass-rushers. The processing and timing required to play quarterback in this league isn't close to being there with him, though.
We'll see if that changes when Willis presumably gets the start this week.
32. Tyson Bagent, Chicago Bears
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Tyson Bagent has some gamer to him. He's a springy athlete who isn't afraid to make things happen outside the pocket. Mixed with a passable level of accuracy in the short and intermediate areas of the field, Bagent has a little something to him.
But only insofar as, say, Austin Davis had a little something to him once upon a time. Bagent isn't an NFL-ready processor yet, and his play-making is prone to spill over into mistake-making.
Derrik Klassen is an NFL and NFL Draft film analyst with a particular interest in quarterbacks. Klassen’s work is also featured on Bleacher Report and Reception Perception. You can follow him on Twitter (X) at @QBKlass.
