This is far from the season of the quarterback. While there are still some elite names playing really well, this isn’t the season where there are 20 or so quarterbacks who could theoretically win a Super Bowl. The quality of play under center has fallen off, but that makes ranking the quarterbacks that much more interesting. The top ten is pretty clear, but the order is far from it.
Who is the best quarterback in the league? Over the past two seasons, that question has been easy. It’s Patrick Mahomes. This season? As of the end of Week 7, Mahomes ranks 6th in QBR, 14th in average yards per attempt, and he’s tied with Zach Wilson for the league lead in interceptions with nine. Mahomes can’t be the guy on the top of the list, right? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
There are reasons why the quarterback play is down this season. None of the rookies are playing like Justin Herbert played last season. There are currently five starter rookie quarterbacks, and then there’s Trey Lance who is sharing snaps in San Francisco. That’s going to bring down the quality of play across the NFL. There also seems to be a huge problem with offensive lines. Last year by the end of October, 18 teams had at least two sacks per game. This year, that number is now 24. It’s not that the best teams are getting more sacks, but it’s that the bad defenses are getting to the quarterback this season.
Still, there is some great quarterback play this season. There are definitely a lot of yards being put up. There are 22 players who are on pace to get more than 4,000 yards this season. But, who is actually having a good season, and who is having the best season?