26. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Jacoby Brissett operated the Arizona Cardinals offense pretty well in Week 6, but the Indianapolis Colts appear to be a juggernaut and have not lost a game at home this season, so Brissett and the Cardinals did respond quite well after their massive letdown in Week 5.
Kyler Murray was hurt in this game and did not play, but some are wondering if Murray is even the correct fit for this offense, seeing as how Brissett was able to open things up a bit more. I get the sense that Brissett could remain the starter here over the next few weeks, as the Cardinals could potentially slow-play Murray’s return to the lineup.
If nothing else, Jacoby Brissett is a battle-tested veteran QB who is about as good of a backup passer as a team can get, so if he’s called to start a game, that team still does stand a chance. Brissett comes in at no. 26 in our QB rankings, as we obviously can’t rank him mugh hig
25. Michael Penix Jr, Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr hasn’t been very good for the Atlanta Falcons this year, but he’s still early on in his career and is still a de-facto rookie. He got a handful of starts near the end of the 2024 NFL Season after Kirk Cousins declined in real-time.
The Falcons did improve their defense this offseason which has certainly been a bit of a story, but you’d ideally love to see more from Penix as the year goes on. There are a ton of examples of young quarterbacks beginning to put things together as they get further into their early NFL careers.
Penix was one of six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and four of these QBs already look like franchise cornerstones. Michael Penix Jr and the Falcons could really get the franchise a massive win for this new era in beating the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.