16. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken a huge step back this year and are now at risk of missing the playoffs entirely. It feels like some major coaching changes are on the horizon. Mayfield has been OK this year, but much of what has gone on is not close to being his fault.
15. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
CJ Stroud seems to be a perfectly ‘good’ QB and nothing more. Sure, he’s still only in year three, but Stroud has never really been able to ascend to that upper echelon of quarterback play in this league. There is something to be said about the Houston Texans winning double-digit games in each year of his career, though.
14. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Is this too high for Tyler Shough? He now has a 92.1 passer rating on the season and is really turning out to be a great pick by the New Orleans Saints. If this pace keeps up into the 2026 season, Shough and the Saints are going to compete for the NFC South title. The Saints have now won four games in a row and are trending in the right direction.
13. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams will have played on Sunday Night Football
Caleb Williams played on Sunday Night Football and has had a pretty solid season, but you’d ideally love to see that completion percentage increase, and the Chicago Bears’ passing attack as a whole is very much still a work in progress. At some point, we need to see more from Williams in that regard, but 11-4 going into Week 17 is quite impressive.
12. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow is a top-tier QB when healthy and on the field, and he’s proven that for years, but it’s also been a bit of a problem. If the Cincinnati Bengals can simply shore up the offensive line a bit more and field an average defense, this team is going to be a contender again, and that is a huge testament to how good Burrow is.
11. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles win again, and the offense was beginning to hit their stride, but they got stuck in a rainy slopfest in Week 17. I am not sure the Eagles are currently good enough to make a Super Bowl run in the NFC, but Hurts does have that ‘it’ about him that could be a huge factor when the playoffs roll around.
10. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert has been dealing with a lot this year, but I don’t think it excuses some of the bad decisions he’s made with the football. Herbert is a pretty good quarterback under normal circumstances, but it feels like he’ll have to wait another year for his first postseason win, as the Chargers have too many roster issues right now.
9. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold has been playing good football for two years in a row now and has been on double-digit win teams in back-to-back seasons. Darnold still has his moments, but we’ve seen a lot more good than bad since the start of the 2024 NFL Season. He’s inside the top-10 in our updated QB rankings.