12. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
After the way things ended for him last year in Kansas City, you know CJ Stroud had this game circled somewhere in his locker. Going on the road to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in their house requires a special level of competitive edge and "it" factor, and Stroud made plays when he needed to the most.
Stroud wasn't reckless in this game like his counterpart, Patrick Mahomes. He faced down that Steve Spagnuolo blitz-happy defense, he made throws when he needed to, and he ultimately got the job done. There are throws from this game Stroud will wish he had back. There were opportunities missed. But you can't complain about going on the road and gutting out a win.
11. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Sunday’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers was really a tale of two halves for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. In the first half, he was almost completely shut out by Jeff Hafley’s defense. The Bears only put three points on the board, and Williams struggled to get anything going.
But with his back against the wall in the second half, we started to see him make some big plays and get his team back in the game. Williams had a 4th-and-1 deep in Green Bay territory late to try and get his team at least to tie, but he threw an interception to Keisean Nixon in the end zone. It was a brutal way to drop the top seed in the NFC, but we’ll see how he bounces back.
10. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert and the Chargers play Monday vs. Philadelphia
Justin Herbert’s status for Monday night’s game is going to be fascinating to watch. On a weekend in which we saw Geno Smith leave a game with lacerations on his hand, forgive me if I’m a little bit pessimistic that it’s just going to be “okay” for Herbert to play after just having surgery on his non-throwing hand this week.
At the very least, it’s going to change his game slightly. There’s no way we can expect him to be as much of a playmaker out there until he proves us (me) wrong. We absolutely know when he’s on top of his game, Herbert is capable of making the most ridiculous throws you’ll see, but he has streaks of really rough play as well. He’s historically struggled against the Vic Fangio defense.
9. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
At this point, there are a couple of things we cannot deny about Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. First and foremost, he might be the most clutch quarterback in the NFL this season. Second, he’s taken his game up a notch over the past three games the Broncos have played. His performance against the Raiders was one of his better games this season.
Nix was extremely accurate with the ball. He was decisive, he was on-time, and he made some big conversions. He also did an outstanding job making plays with his legs, and has done so all year long. We’re witnessing nice weekly growth from Nix at this point, which is exactly what that Denver offense needs.