24. JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
I think we need to pump the brakes a bit with JJ McCarthy. Sure, he played well when it mattered the most in the Vikings’ Week 1 win over the Chicago Bears, but he wasn’t all that special in the first three quarters and has made just one career start in the regular season, so let’s calm down.
Sure, the second-year QB but de-facto rookie can end up being excellent, but all this talk of Minnesota having another stud QB needs to be tuned down for a little bit longer. Heck. Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos still has some loud doubters even after a 10-win, 30+ touchdown rookie season.
McCarthy is 24th in our QB rankings.
23. Michael Penix Jr, Atlanta Falcons
Facing JJ McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football, Michael Penix Jr hopes to lead the Atlanta Falcons back to .500 with a win over his first-round QB mate in JJ McCarthy. Penix is ranked ahead of McCarthy because he looked quite sharp in Week 1, and because Penix did see some action late in 2024, so there is simply more to this QB right now.
Both Atlanta and Minnesota are both surely encouraged by their second-year passers, but the circumstances are a bit different for each one right now.
22. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Drake Maye and the New England Patriots earn their first win of the Mike Vrabel era with a dramatic victory over the Miami Dolphins Maye completed over 80% of his passes and threw two touchdowns. He’s stll just 23 years old and is someone that is going to get the Patriots into contention at some point down the line.
I am very high on this team and quarterback, and it’s truly only a matter of time before Maye begins to climb these rankings significantly. He’s just outside the top-20 in our latest QB rankings.
21. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Is it time to panic in Chicago? Caleb Williams did not play horribly against the Detroit Lions, but the Bears now have an 0-2 record and have lost their first two divisional games against the Vikings and now Lions. It just does not feel like Chicago is even close to being there, but I guess Williams and the offense could begin to put things together down the stretch?
Heck, I have no idea…