The first 10 weeks of the NFL season have already come and gone. Well, for the most part at least. Where did the time go? And how are quarterbacks stacking up against each other at the beginning of the second half of the season?
We saw some young quarterbacks struggle, along with some seasoned veterans, in Week 10. Even some early MVP candidates looked more human than ever in Week 10. Looking at you, Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen.
The NFL regular season is a long one. Not that you want your quarterbacks to be playing poorly right now, but there are worse times to be in a funk. And some QBs on notable teams are clearly in a funk. Which quarterbacks played the best this past week, and who has played the best this season as a whole? We're breaking it down in our Week 11 NFL QB Power Rankings, ranking each player based on who played this week, the entire body of work this season, and a little projecting going forward.
NFL QB Power Rankings, Week 11: Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield have brutal weeks
32. Justin Fields, New York Jets
Part of the reason we saw the New York Jets absolutely gut their roster at the NFL trade deadline is due to the fact that this team is keenly aware of its need for a quarterback. Justin Fields is extremely limited in how he can actually help the team right now, which is why he only threw 11 passes in the Jets’ win over the Cleveland Browns.
For all his faults as a passer, we’ve seen the Jets gut out a couple of tough wins with him under center. It’s probably not going to be sustainable for the long term, but the vision for this team is still intact.
And that vision likely doesn’t include Fields. You just can’t compete consistently in the NFL when your quarterback is throwing 11 passes in a game, and you don’t feel like you can trust him to come through for you in big moments.
31. Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns dropped another tough one in Week 10, and at this point, the same story is presenting itself with Dillon Gabriel. The young third-round pick out of Oregon had a couple of touchdowns, a bunch of sacks, and didn’t really get the ball downfield all that much.
We saw a lot of balls bouncing high up in the air after getting tipped when Gabriel would try to test further downfield, and he just couldn’t get much going in that regard. Given what we’ve seen from Gabriel to this point, it would be a bit of a shocker if the Browns don’t get a look at Shedeur Sanders in the near future. Sanders was the much better prospect coming out of college, and Gabriel just isn’t getting this offense a good look to every level of the field.
And the issue with that has been consistent.
30. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Cam Ward, Titans were on a bye in Week 10
We didn’t get to see Cam Ward and the Titans in Week 10, but we’ve seen enough this season to know that any harsh judgment made about Ward’s rookie season is unfounded. The Titans officially have the worst record in the NFL after what all went down in Week 10, and getting the #1 pick would be huge for this team. Because of the presence of Ward, the Titans could mortgage that selection for a king’s ransom of picks, and load up a roster that desperately needs reloading.
General manager Mike Borgonzi has to get the next head coaching hire right, but also this next offseason. These are Ward’s formative years in the NFL and having him out there throwing passes to the current Jimmys and Joes isn’t helpful. We’ve seen flashes from Ward, but he’s also looked like a rookie out there.
29. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
Any hope the Las Vegas Raiders had of competing for a Wild Card seemed to disappear against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. And any hope the Raiders had of Geno Smith truly being a franchise player for this team?
Those are dead and gone as well.
Smith has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL this season, and it looks like Pete Carroll got hoodwinked by his old pal John Schneider with the Seahawks. Not only did the Raiders give up a decent draft pick for Smith, but they also paid him a lot of money to come to Las Vegas.
For a while, Smith was a clear floor raiser at the quarterback position. This season, however, he’s looked like a high-end backup making extensive starts out there. The Raiders need a youth movement at the QB position, but is that really what Pete Carroll signed up for?
28. Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
At times this season, we’ve seen Marcus Mariota play really well in relief of Jayden Daniels. And at other times, like we saw on Sunday, it’s just not there. And that’s kind of how it feels for this Commanders team in 2025. It’s just not there.
Mariota had a pair of touchdown passes against the Lions, but the game got away from the Commanders far too quickly for Mariota to really help his team compete. They kept it to a two-score game in the first half, and that was about the extent of it.
Even when Jayden Daniels has played this year, he hasn’t been at the same level we saw last season. The Commanders are 3-7 at this point, and the backup has played far too much for them to have much hope. They simply have to hope Daniels can get healthy this year, finish the year healthy, and get back to playing top-shelf ball in 2026.
27. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
After a couple of really solid performances, even in a loss, the Arizona Cardinals sent a clear message to Kyler Murray by effectively benching him in favor of Jacoby Brissett. Brissett had certainly played well enough to earn another week at the helm, especially after beating the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. But to say that house of cards came crashing down in Week 10 against the Seahawks would be a major understatement.
Brissett came crashing back to reality, and the Seahawks completely dismantled him from the start. Brissett and the Cardinals got down by so much so fast that it was bordering on unfair.
I don’t think Brissett had anyone convinced he was going to be a long-term option for the Cardinals, but certainly, he was doing enough to keep Murray on the sideline. We’ll see if the performance against Seattle changes that.
26. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons took one of the best teams in the NFL into overtime, so there’s obviously something that’s going right for that team. But right now, it is just difficult to feel like Michael Penix Jr. is part of that.
Penix is in his second season with the Falcons, and at this point, you’re taking a big leap of faith to say he’s going to be this team’s franchise quarterback going forward. We still have plenty of time to evaluate him, which is the good news. The bad news is, what we have seen at this point is not sustainable.
The flashes from Penix have been good enough to continue buying into him as a long-term option, and part of that is what we saw late in this game from him. He got the Falcons down the field for a touchdown and a two-point conversion to give the Falcons a late lead, but the defense couldn’t prevent a field goal.
25. JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
The story is yet to be written fully for JJ McCarthy, and there’s plenty of time for him to grow, but this was a very up-and-down week for the redshirt rookie of the Vikings. McCarthy should have probably saved some of the alter ego talk for when the Vikings were on an absolute tear, because it definitely fell a little flat with his performance against the Ravens, but the kid has some serious moxie.
With the Vikings down by 8 points late in the game against the Ravens, McCarthy made a huge play with his legs, but it didn’t matter. They couldn’t convert on 4th down to keep the comeback alive. McCarthy’s poise and athleticism stand out. We’ll see if down-to-down efficiency will come in time.
24. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints rookie Tyler Shough is going to be one of our biggest “risers” of the week after his fantastic performance against the Carolina Panthers on the road in divisional play. It’s still very early in Shough’s career, but he’s getting an audition here in the second half of the 2025 season to prove he can be the team’s starter for 2026 and perhaps beyond that.
One game would not be a big enough sample to declare anything definitive one way or the other there, but Shough was impressive against the Panthers on Sunday. He was calm, collected, poised, and did a good job of finding the open man, throwing for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions (and only two sacks taken).
Shough and the Saints’ offense also did a nice job in this game situationally, converting 8-of-17 third down chances. If he can be better in the red zone, it’ll be a great step forward for him next week.
23. Davis Mills, Houston Texans
It was a tale of two halves for Davis Mills and the Houston Texans in Week 10, and the second half was much better for both of them this week than it was last week against the Denver Broncos.
There’s only so much you can do against the vaunted Denver defense, even without Pat Surtain II in the lineup. Mills looked lost out there coming as a reliever for the injured CJ Stroud, but he was much better this past weekend, including orchestrating a game-winning drive against the Jaguars.
Mills completed 27-of-45 passes for 292 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He did a great job of putting the ball on the Texans’ best receiver, Nico Collins, and the running game behind him was rather supportive as well. Ultimately, you have to tip your cap to Mills, who stepped up in a big spot for Houston.
22. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
When Bryce Young goes, the Carolina Panthers go. There is no question that the Panthers are a better and more competitive football team when Bryce Young is under center, but they had a major clunker on Sunday against the Saints, who entered the week with just one win on the season.
And Young didn’t play well.
On 17 completions, Young had just 124 yards in total with no touchdowns and an interception. The Panthers had just 13 first downs as an offense in this game, and only six of them came through the air. If they are going to truly contend for a Wild Card spot this season, Young is going to have to be better.
Carolina has plenty of weapons for him to get the ball to, but there are times when it feels like Young is holding them back. This weekend was one of those types of weekends. Panthers fans are more passionately calling Young out for his play after this one.
21. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
I don’t know what Trevor Lawrence is at this point. Obviously, the former #1 overall pick is the face of this Jacksonville Jaguars franchise, but how do you buy what this guy is selling as a long-term option right now? I just can’t do it.
I don’t think Lawrence is bad, but I also don’t think he’s good. The kids would say he’s “mid” and that’s probably spot-on at this point. Lawrence only completed 13 passes against the Houston Texans, and going up against the #1 defense in the league, that’s a bit excusable. But he also took five sacks and couldn’t get the Jags’ offense into field goal range with the clock ticking down in the fourth.
When you’ve got chances to win like that, and you’re as well-compensated as Lawrence, the expectation is that you’re going to make the plays to win the game. Getting out-dueled by Davis Mills is a tough look for Lawrence.
20. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
The job of Tua Tagovailoa is a lot easier when he’s able to hand the ball to No. 28 and let him do work. When De’Von Achane is playing as well as he was on Sunday, Tagovailoa just needs to do his best to not make mistakes. And that still happened.
Tua threw a pair of interceptions against the Buffalo Bills, but didn’t take any sacks and the Dolphins dominated their division rivals. Maybe more than anything, the win by the Dolphins (and performance by the offense) was big for the future of both Tagovailoa and his head coach, Mike McDaniel.
With the Dolphins moving on from GM Chris Grier, it felt like both McDaniel and Tagovailoa could be next on the hot seat. But the performance we saw on Sunday by this team was good news for both guys.
19. Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll needs to be careful, or he’s going to be the reason things don’t work out for Jaxson Dart with the New York Giants. Injuries are part of the game, but when you have a quarterback that is taking a ton of hits, you might not be able to call so many designed runs for him.
Jaxson Dart had to leave the Giants’ loss against the Bears because of a concussion, and considering that has been an issue earlier this season, it’s on Brian Daboll for asking him to run the ball so many times. Just because Dart is good at it doesn’t mean he should be put in harm’s way intentionally.
Dart had a pair of rushing touchdowns against the Bears as well as 242 passing yards, but the concern right now is obviously his health. There doesn’t seem to be any question about the fact that he can play, and with dynamic dual-threat abilities, on top of it.
18. Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Flacco, Bengals were on a bye in Week 10
Shockingly, Joe Flacco has been a very nice pickup for the Cincinnati Bengals. Every time Flacco plays well, I’m reminded of John Elway saying Flacco was “entering his prime” back in 2019 when the Broncos acquired him in a trade with the Ravens. Obviously, Flacco was bad for the Broncos, but he’s been quite good, if only in short spurts, everywhere else he’s been.
Maybe Elway was onto something.
Flacco and the Bengals were on a bye this week, and they don’t appear to be much of a factor in the AFC North, but Flacco has 11 touchdowns compared to just two INTs in his short time so far with the Bengals. It’s been pretty darn impressive, if only that Cincinnati defense could shut anyone down.
17. Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers
It wasn’t enough on Sunday, but Mac Jones continues to impress this season. At the very least, Jones has done enough to get himself a starting gig somewhere else in the NFL for the 2026 season. The teams that need a quarterback and don’t fall in love with someone from this draft class should be lined up to get him.
With the return of Brock Purdy seeming imminent for Week 11, this might be the last time we feature Jones for a bit. But to say he’s played well might be a gross disservice to how well he’s actually played. He has five multi-touchdown games this season, and while you can’t really say reclamation project QBs are “in style”, there’s definitely going to be a bit of an enhanced market for Jones thanks to the emergence of players like Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, Baker Mayfield, and plenty of others.
Jones has made himself quite a bit of money in 2026, and Kyle Shanahan has done a tremendous job, even if the 49ers didn’t come away with a win on Sunday.
16. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
At times this season, we’ve seen some vintage-type Aaron Rodgers performances. At other times, we’ve seen complete duds where he looks like the guy who showed up to play for the New York Jets. Ultimately, we’ve known for quite some time what kind of play you can expect from Rodgers, because he wasn’t all that great even in his last year with the Packers.
Remember that team that missed the playoffs? The Steelers are simply hopeful that Rodgers can be the type of veteran to raise all boats in the harbor for a year, and we’re not seeing that happen this year on a consistent basis. Still, when Rodgers plays well, the Steelers are a team that plays complementary football.
The issue right now is, the Steelers have struggled since a hot start to the season, and the Ravens are now 4-5 and knocking at the door in the AFC North.
15. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix has not played great lately for the Denver Broncos. Outside of an offensive onslaught against the Dallas Cowboys, it’s been quite a struggle for Nix to get things going in the first three quarters of games. Now, we can’t discredit or omit what Nix has done in the 4th quarters of games against the Eagles, Giants, and Texans. He’s made plays when he needed to make plays the most.
And there is merit to that. But the Broncos’ offense looked horrible against the Raiders on Thursday night, and Nix looked like he was lacking confidence more than I can recall since early in his rookie year. He has to find a way to quickly snap out of whatever funk he might be in, and a major contributing factor could be that the Broncos’ current 7-game winning streak happened in less than 40 days.
Nix needed a rest, and while the Broncos aren’t on a bye, the additional days after TNF will hopefully help him fully get back on track.
14. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Opinions have been so split on Caleb Williams this year, mainly because folks have been expecting him to play at an MVP level since he got to the NFL. Unfair expectations aside, Bears fans have been longing for more moments like Williams provided on Sunday afternoon. With his team trailing late, Williams took matters into his own hands and willed the Bears to victory. He did it with his arms, he did it with his legs, and he did it with a ton of pressure on him.
And I’m not just talking about the Giants.
The Bears desperately needed another win this week to continue keeping pace in a very difficult division. Williams helped them do that. He had a touchdown pass to Rome Odunze, ran another one in, and he wasn’t sacked a single time. We’re seeing growth week after week from Williams, even if at times he is failing forward.
13. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
After initially looking like he was going to be running away with the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, it now looks as though Daniel Jones might be fumbling it away a little bit.
Literally.
Jones had been so efficient and accurate for the majority of this season, but old habits came back to haunt him last week as he turned the ball over a whopping five times. Then overseas against the Falcons, he had another interception and a whopping three fumbles, one of which he lost. Those old habits are creeping up at the worst possible time for Jones and the Colts, but thankfully, this team has built in a tremendous margin for error and Jonathan Taylor is such a dominant player right now, Jones’s issues are being masked anyway.
It feels like the Colts are flirting with disaster a little bit, and Jones needs to figure out how to take care of the ball like he was earlier in the season.
12. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
In terms of overall talent, Justin Herbert is a top-five quarterback in the NFL right now. In terms of what we see every single week, there’s no way he’s a top-five quarterback in the NFL right now. There are always injuries to talk about with the Chargers, but Herbert might have his most valid excuse for any struggles with both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt out for the year.
Not having your bookend tackles, especially two guys who are outstanding at their jobs, is rough. The play of Herbert has sort of reflected the struggles this team is having to stay healthy. He’s been a bit uneven in his performance this season, carrying the team at times and getting dragged by them at others. And Herbert has turned the ball over more this year than we saw last season, proof that maybe he feels that pressure on himself to make plays.
Herbert isn’t lacking for star qualities with his player attributes, but we need to see him win a big game when it matters.
11. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Once again, Ravens fans don’t need to be worried. We’re not saying some of the players on this list are better overall than Lamar Jackson, but there’s no denying that other QBs have played a lot better on the whole this season. Jackson has been back for a couple of games now, and as many quarterbacks do, he struggled for a bit against the Brian Flores/Vikings defense.
He had 176 yards and a touchdown on 17 completions against the Vikings, and the most important thing is that the Ravens won. But again, that Flores defense is a tough one to navigate, especially with their pass rush and blitz packages, and Jackson wasn’t exactly putting up the same video game-like numbers we have grown accustomed to from him.
We’ll see how he continues to progress this season after missing some time due to injury, but for now, he and the Ravens are creeping back into the playoff picture.
10. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The raw numbers from the Bucs’ loss against the New England Patriots would indicate that Baker Mayfield played about as good of a game as you can possibly play. But some of those numbers are inflated by some garbage time, desperation stats. We can’t deny that Mayfield has played at an MVP level at times this season, but he and the Cardiac Bucs just didn’t have it in them going up against the road warriors that are the Patriots.
Mayfield finished the game with three touchdowns, but the injuries to the skill position players are taking their toll on the Bucs. And Mayfield, especially.
Even though rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka continues to be fantastic, the Bucs need the rest of the parts out there to make the clock tick. Mayfield needs those guys out there to play as confidently as possible.
9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott, Cowboys were on a bye in Week 10
Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys were on a bye week in Week 10, and it probably came at the best possible time. Not in terms of the Cowboys getting to the bye at a good time record-wise, but because this team really needed a reset.
Prescott, especially.
After a four-week stretch from the end of September through the middle of October in which he threw 13 touchdown passes, Prescott had a rough performance against both the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals as the Cowboys lost a couple of games in a row heading into their off week. But the highs from Prescott this season have been as good as any quarterback in the league, and you get the sense he’ll come out of the bye with a chip on his shoulder.
8. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts, Eagles play Monday vs. Packers
There is no quarterback who brings out as many polarizing takes as Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Some people think Hurts is a true MVP candidate and one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL. Others feel like he’s carried by the rest of his team and is mostly overrated.
As is typically the case, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. While Hurts may not light up the stat sheet week after week, and has the occasional bout with turnover problems, there is no question that he is a winner, a gamer, and capable of completely dominating for stretches of time.
He’s completing a career-best 70.2 percent of his passes so far this season and has a 15-1 touchdown to interception rate. You’re going to win a lot of games when he’s playing like that if you’re the Eagles.
7. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love, Packers play Monday vs. Eagles
At times this season, Jordan Love has looked like an MVP candidate. At other times, the Packers have been very frustrating to watch offensively, like we saw against the Carolina Panthers. At this point in the season, there’s nothing the Packers have to worry about with Love. When we’ve seen him at his best, we’ve seen a guy who could help this team contend.
Love obviously has the ability to make every throw on the field, but his comfort level in Matt LaFleur’s offense comes through in a big way, and we’ve seen him continually climb as a starter in the NFL since taking over for Aaron Rodgers.
On Monday night, he’s going to get a great test, going up against a Vic Fangio defense which just added some fun pieces at the NFL trade deadline. There will be pressure, but Love navigates pressure well and he’s got plenty of weapons to get the ball to.
6. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
The reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen obviously deserves a ton of respect for his total body of work at this point. We aren’t going to sit here and say that Allen is not truly one of the two or three best overall players in the league when he’s at his best.
But these are “weekly” quarterback power rankings, and your reputation only carries so much weight for these. Allen is obviously a game-changer and his performance against the Miami Dolphins doesn’t define him. With all of that being said, I don’t think we can ignore what we saw from Allen against the Dolphins, either.
This was a “trap” game for Buffalo, and they couldn’t get the job done. Allen was a big reason why. He had an interception, he lost a fumble, and the Dolphins’ pass rush got to him. We’ll see how much of a wake-up call this was for the reigning MVP going forward.
5. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
The New England Patriots’ defense had to bail Drake May out a little bit late in this week’s game against the Buccaneers. On one sequence in this game, Maye had a brilliant deep ball pass downfield to Mack Hollins, setting up the Patriots in prime position to take a commanding lead. Then Maye followed it up with a brutal red zone interception.
The Pats’ defense came through on the next possession, and TreVeyon Henderson had a long touchdown run to seal the Patriots’ win. Maye played well in the game, but obviously had what could have been a critical mistake if his team didn’t pick him up.
You still see the unbelievable arm talent on display with Maye, as well as the accuracy. His 4th-down touchdown throw in the red zone to Stefon Diggs was a thing of beauty. The Patriots have it all working for them right now.
4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs were on a bye in Week 10
If you didn’t take Patrick Mahomes’s career body of work into account, you might put him a lot lower on a list like this. At least, at times this season. The Chiefs laid flat against the Buffalo Bills right before their bye week, and Mahomes hasn’t been the every-play cheat code he used to be.
With that being said, he’s still an every game cheat code, completely capable of making the most ridiculous throws and escaping the inescapable pressure when he needs to. Mahomes is Mahomes. And the numbers have been better this year for him compared to even 2023 and 2024 when the Chiefs’ offense was in the middle of the pack in the NFL.
There’s no reason to sit here and fool yourself into thinking Mahomes is not going to be relevant in the second half of this season. He’s got MVP stuff in him every single week, and the moment you try to count him out, he’s going to make you look bad.
3. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
On the whole this season, Jared Goff has played exceptionally well. The Lions haven’t been as elite as everyone expected, at least on a consistent basis. But their highs are higher than most teams, and we caught another glimpse of that on Sunday against the Commanders.
Goff, in particular, was dialed in. If there was any friction between the Lions players and John Morton (who lost his playcalling duties to Dan Campbell), there was no ill effect of it on Sunday. Goff had three touchdown passes and 320 passing yards, getting everybody involved in the whole process.
When he plays at that level, the Lions are nearly impossible to beat. It was good enough that Kyle Allen got on the field for some action late. Goff, at his best, is one of the best ball distributors in the league, with outstanding timing and accuracy. He can lead the Lions to a Super Bowl win playing like this.
2. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
It may seem like a hot take, but very few quarterbacks have played as well as Sam Darnold this season, and very few offenses have played as well as Seattle’s with him at the helm. The Seahawks have not only played well overall this season, but they are one of the best first half teams in the entire NFL.
They absolutely blew the Arizona Cardinals out of the water in the first half of their game in Week 10, and Darnold was on fire. While the overall numbers were even crazier in the game against the Commanders the week prior, Darnold and the Seahawks had 38 points on the board before the Cardinals could blink and Darnold set up three scoring drives by completing nine of his first 10 passes.
This week, we finally got to see Cooper Kupp back in the mix and the newcomer Rashid Shaheed also getting involved.
1. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
No quarterback in the NFL right now is playing as well as Matthew Stafford. It’s just hilarious because in the offseason, you do all these exercises and talk about all these rumors about Stafford’s potential retirement, what the Rams are doing with his contract, could he be traded, and so many other hypotheticals.
Then the guy comes out at the age of 37 and looks as dialed in as ever. The only downside to what we’re seeing from Stafford right now is the timing of it all. Of course, there’s nothing inherently preventing him from playing this well in January just because he’s playing this well right now, but the only thing you worry about is peaking early.
Stafford had another four touchdowns as the Rams just sliced right through the San Francisco 49ers, as they have done every game they’ve played over their last three games. Stafford is on another level right now. No other QB in NFL history has had three straight games with four or more TDs and no interceptions.