12. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy was sensational against the Tennessee Titans in the San Francisco 49ers’ win in Week 15. The Niners are now 10-4 on the season and still alive in the NFC West race. Purdy is a fine QB, and being top-12 is just about as good as he is for the long-term.
Purdy does already have a ton of playoff experience, so he has that going for him, but you don’t ever get the sense that this QB is going to put the team on his back and lead them down the stretch or in massive moments.
There isn’t anything wrong with what Brock Purdy is good at and how good he is, though. The 49ers are surely very pleased with him as their franchise quarterback, but it is quite interesting that Mac Jones played very well this year while Purdy was hurt.
I am not sure the 49ers will keep Jones on the roster in 2025, as I do believe they could explore a trade for him if the compensation is right, but I also do genuinely believe there is a non-zero chance that they could trade Brock Purdy, as Mac Jones was not $50 million per year worse than Purdy while he was in the lineup this year.,
11. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans are heating up at the right time, and are now 9-2 over their last 11 games after an 0-3 start. It would be a miracle if they won the AFC South this year, but I do believe they are the best team in the division right now.
Stroud missed some time earlier this year due to a concussion, but he’s back and he’s heating up. Stroud is a borderline top-10 QB in normal circumstances and is just outside the top-10 in our latest power rankings as Week 15 comes to a close.
The Texans are a very good team, and if Stroud can stack more performances like we saw in Week 15, the Texans could win multiple games in the playoffs. With how good the defense is, this team could be a Super Bowl dark horse as well.
Stroud is 11th in our QB power rankings as we make our way to Week 16 here in 2025.