It's baffling to think we are already approaching the midway point of the 2024 NFL season, but Week 8 is looming and there are a number of key matchups all around the league this week that will continue to help bring the playoff picture into frame.
As we approach Week 8, who are the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now?
This isn't going to be measured simply by which quarterback has the best stats (although that will be considered), but which quarterbacks are obviously making the biggest impact on games and their teams are having success right now?
Let's put together a definitive list of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL right now.
NFL Power Rankings: Top 10 quarterbacks entering Week 8
10. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
There are going to be a lot of people who scoff at this, but the reality is that Patrick Mahomes is not playing up to the level we've seen in the past. This is a guy who threw 50 touchdowns at one point in time. And yes, the Chiefs are still having success, but if we're being honest, they have gotten super lucky.
Teams have not taken advantage of Kansas City's offensive woes and mistakes this season. Now, if I had to pick any NFL quarterback to lead my team on a game-winning drive today, I would choose Mahomes. We know he's inevitable. But when it comes to trying to put together NFL Power Rankings for the quarterback position, putting him 10th right now is generous. He's got 6 TD passes and 8 interceptions through the Chiefs' first six games.
9. CJ Stroud, Texans
The Houston Texans had a late lead against the Green Bay Packers on the road this past week, but they couldn't finish the job. They had a late lead despite the fact that CJ Stroud only had 86 yards passing.
Although I think expectations going into this season were rather unfair, CJ Stroud has still been at least a little bit underwhelming this season. Or maybe he's just been exactly what he should be. The Texans are 5-2 so far this season and Stroud has 10 TD passes. It doesn't feel like he's out there absolutely torching defenses, but that's okay. He's got his team right where they want to be.
8. Kyler Murray, Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals pulled off a gutty win on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Kyler Murray was obviously a big reason why. Going up against one of the league's best defenses, Murray pulled off a vintage performance, using both his arm and his legs to get the Cardinals to 3-4 on the season.
And in the NFC West right now, that is a massive step in the right direction.
Murray is now a couple of seasons removed from his major knee injury back in 2022, and he's playing at a high level as a dual threat. He's got 9 passing TDs this season (10th in the NFL in TD percentage) and another pair of rushing touchdowns.
7. Jayden Daniels, Commanders
Hopefully, we get the chance to see Jayden Daniels play in Week 8 as the Washington Commanders are set to take on #1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. The 2nd overall pick and former Heisman winner has got to be the odds-on favorite right now for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and there's even been some MVP talk for Daniels.
He's been so dynamic as a dual-threat but the Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury have been putting him in great positions to succeed early on as a passer as well. At 75.6 percent, Daniels has the highest completion rate in the NFL right now.
6. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers
Well, the Buccaneers got a triple dose of horrendous news on Monday night. First of all, they got whooped at home by the Baltimore Ravens. They lost Mike Evans early in the game to a hamstring injury. Then they lost star receiver Chris Godwin in the waning minutes of the game to a season-ending knee injury.
Baker Mayfield has played so well since coming to the Bucs but he's obviously going to be severely tested as the season rolls along without his top two targets. Still, Mayfield leads the NFL right now in touchdown passes (18) and has the league's best "Success %" right now at 55.1.
Not having his best receivers out there is doing to be a setback, but we'll see more of what Baker is made of.
5. Jared Goff, Lions
Jared Goff has 15 incomplete passes over his last four games.
Is that even possible?
Goff not only has just 15 incomplete passes over his last four games, but he's got a game this season in which he not only didn't have a single incomplete pass but he actually caught a touchdown pass as well. Goff had just three incompletions in the Lions' most recent win and there's no question that he's playing about as well as any quarterback in the league right now.
The Lions have such great balance offensively and you can see how that benefits Goff every week. He doesn't need to throw 40 passes and he's accurate and efficient with what the Lions ask him to do.
4. Joe Burrow, Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are slowly creeping back into the mix, and Joe Burrow is obviously the straw that stirs the drink.
Burrow has 14 touchdown passes compared to just two interceptions, and the Bengals have now won three of their last four games. Their only loss in the last four weeks was an overtime loss against the Baltimore Ravens in which Burrow threw a whopping five touchdown passes and did everything he could to help his team beat one of the top powerhouses in the NFL right now.
There's no question about it -- Joe Burrow is one of those guys who can will his team to victory. They put themselves in a significant hole early this season so they've got a lot of work to do, but Burrow is playing at a high enough level that they should be in the mix all year long.
3. Jordan Love, Packers
There are a couple of amazing stats that really help paint the picture of who Jordan Love is as a player. Despite the fact that he's missed a couple of games this year due to injury, Love is still tied for second in the NFL with 15 touchdown passes. He's also tied with Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew for the league lead with eight interceptions.
Love is a playmaker and a gunslinger, and he's willing to put the ball into harm's way because he's got the type of arm talent to make ridiculous throws.
And we've seen a number of those already this season. Love is going to continue putting the Packers in positions to win this season and he's one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the league. Nobody has a higher touchdown percentage per throw than Love at 8.4 percent.
2. Josh Allen, Bills
For so much of Josh Allen's career, the story has been Josh Allen giveth, Josh Allen taketh. Allen has not exactly been known as a shining example of taking care of the football, but this season has been a completely different story.
Allen has thrown 12 touchdown passes in the Bills's first seven games, and he hasn't thrown a single interception yet. He's also only taken nine sacks, and the Bills have arguably been upgraded significantly on offense despite the fact that they traded away Stefon Diggs in the offseason.
The way Allen has played this year has been awesome to see, and he's taken that next step as a player even though he was already an annual MVP candidate.
1. Lamar Jackson, Ravens
The way Lamar Jackson has been playing the last couple of seasons is stuff you really only used to dream of in your Madden franchise. Everybody wanted that ideal quarterback who could throw for an insane amount of yards while also having blazing speed and crushing the hopes of every defense with his legs.
Lamar Jackson is the create-a-player of today's game. He's such a dynamic weapon offensively and the Ravens are continually proving themselves to be one of the most well-oiled machines in the league. Nobody has been able to stop this Baltimore offense since the team started 0-2, and even in defeat, the Ravens have been good on that side of the ball.
They are the hottest team in the NFL right now thanks to Jackson, who looks like he is on his way to another MVP award.