In the NFL, you either have a quarterback or you don’t. There are teams still trying to figure it out, and there are teams that simply have a chance in every game because of the guy they have under center.
The power of the quarterback is more and more prevalent every year in the NFL, it seems, but there have been some fascinating and unexpected developments at that position all over the league this season.
Our latest NFL QB Power Rankings will rank every quarterback in the NFL based on who actually played this past week, their overall body of work this season, as well as a little bit of name value factored in. It's important to remember that this is not a typical ranking of top QBs. These guys are going to be ranked largely based on performance and not just abilities. Who are the biggest risers and fallers at QB after a stellar Week 8 slate of action?
NFL QB Power Rankings, Week 8: Patrick Mahomes on top, Bo Nix rising fast
32. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers
I think it’s safe to say that the Carolina Panthers felt like they had one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL, but the way Andy Dalton played against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, it looked like he didn’t know where he was half the time. Dalton not only couldn’t get anything going with the Carolina offense – which had been humming during their winning streak – but made egregious mistakes you would not expect from a veteran.
He took a sack right before the end of the first half that cost the Panthers points. With an interception and two lost fumbles on top of it, I’m not even sure the Panthers can justify this guy being their No. 2 going forward. He was worse than atrocious on Sunday.
31. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
We only have one game to gauge how well he’s played this season, but if this was Kirk Cousins’s final audition before the NFL trade deadline, then he’s probably not getting the part of “starting quarterback” elsewhere in the league.
Cousins is the highest-paid clipboard holder in the NFL, and as up-and-down as the Falcons’ offense has been for a large portion of this season, you would have at least though Cousins could come in and just spread the ball around to the playmakers. I mean, this guy had a 500-yard game just last season.
But he didn’t exactly knock the rust off against the Dolphins. It was a rough 2025 debut for Cousins.
30. Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
Marcus Mariota will start for the Commanders on Monday vs. Chiefs
The Commanders don’t play until Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, and it will be a huge test for backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is once again taking reps with Jayden Daniels injured.
Mariota has had some decent outings over the past two seasons, but he was awful a week ago in a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
On the season, Mariota is completing just over 60 percent of his throws and when the Commanders can steal him extra possessions and run the ball well, he’s serviceable out there. But Mariota isn’t doing what Jayden Daniels can do when he’s fully healthy for this Commanders offense. Playing against the Chiefs on Monday night is going to be a brutally tough test for him, and I can’t say I’m overly confident.
29. Spencer Rattler/Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Well, there was a point there this season where it looked like the New Orleans Saints might have a little something with Spencer Rattler. It’s wild how quickly things can change in the NFL, especially at the quarterback position.
Rattler looked like he’d bought himself plenty of runway, maybe even into next season, but the Saints turned to Tyler Shough and he provided nearly identical results to what Rattler was providing. It was a brutal outing for both guys in a blowout loss against the Buccaneers.
The Saints are now really keeping pace with the Jets for that #1 pick after the Jets got a come-from-behind win against the Bengals in Week 8. It looks like a big QB change is coming for New Orleans, and maybe some trades before that.
28. Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns
There’s only so much you can do when you’re trying to matriculate down the field on every play. At some point, Kevin Stefanski is going to have to start opening up the playbook for Dillon Gabriel, or he’s really doing him (and the organization) a disservice.
Gabriel completed 21 passes, only took one sack, but was only able to average 4.5 yards per completion. He had two touchdown passes on the day and no running game to speak of behind him, either. The Browns are trying to get a good look at a lot of different young players on the roster, and Gabriel is obviously playing the most important position.
This team’s playmakers just aren’t helping give him the best look, outside of the tight ends. Both Harold Fannin Jr. and David Njoku caught touchdowns from Gabriel on Sunday.
27. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
There’s only so much Cam Ward can realistically do on a week-to-week basis. For example, he had a nice drive at the end of the 1st half against the Colts to set up a possible field goal to make it 17-10 at the time, but was robbed of points by his own kicker.
We see Ward making throws out there, and we can see that he’s going to be a viable option for the Titans moving forward, but this Titans roster is just so depleted of talent and has no supporting cast for the young QB. You have to feel for him after a game like this, where the talent discrepancy that is the Indianapolis Colts just forces this game to quickly get out of hand.
Ward had some rookie moments in Sunday’s game as well, but he’s one of the few that will be part of the solution on that team beyond this season.
26. Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings
Slowly but surely, teams have kind of just “figured out” Carson Wentz, haven’t they? The Vikings got a little bit more out of Wentz than anyone really expected for the first two games, as he threw four touchdown passes and helped them to a win in his first start. That start came against the hapless Bengals, and since then, Wentz’s efficiency has decreased just about every week.
And it came to a bit of a boiling point against the Los Angeles Chargers. Wentz and the Vikings were dominated from start to finish by the Chargers’ defense, and he didn’t even complete 56 percent of his passes in the Thursday night matchup. What’s even worse is that Wentz has taken at least three sacks in all but one of his games this season, and has fumbles in three of his last four.
Still, the Vikings have been in one score games the majority of the last month, so we’ll see how much of a leash he has going forward.
25. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
Geno Smith/Raiders on a bye in Week 8
When the Las Vegas Raiders traded for Geno Smith, it was assumed by many out there (present company included) that they had raised the proverbial floor of their offense significantly. That has been anything but the case.
In the month of October, Geno Smith had 1 touchdown pass compared to three interceptions and seven sacks taken. He only threw 16 passes in a blowout loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.
To say that Smith has been a disappointment for the Raiders would probably be an understatement at this stage, and obviously, this is a guy whose reputation was as a solid veteran who could raise the tide in the harbor a little bit. The injury status of a guy like Brock Bowers hasn’t helped, but Smith hasn’t been good at all.
The Raiders have not even been competitive in a handful of their games this season. Smith has 10 interceptions in his first seven games and looks like he might have bamboozled the Raiders this offseason with the contract he received after the trade. Chalk another one up for John Schneider of the Seahawks, I suppose.
24. Snoop Huntley, Baltimore Ravens
Unlike some of the other veteran backup quarterbacks on this list, Snoop Huntley was ready to play on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. And while the Ravens were coming off of a bye week, the Bears were one of the hottest teams in the league and their defense has played really well this season.
Well, most of the time.
The Bears couldn’t deal with Huntley and the Ravens’ offense, as Huntley was an efficient 17-of-22 passing with no interceptions and a touchdown. He also added 53 rushing yards. The Ravens are expecting Lamar Jackson back in the near future, but as bad as Cooper Rush had been as the team’s primary backup, it was a huge relief for them to see Huntley come in and play well enough to beat a solid team rather handily.
And that Ravens’ defense played with a chip on its shoulder as well…
23. Justin Fields, New York Jets
The New York Jets came screaming back in a game that looked like it was completely over for a good amount of time. But Justin Fields and the Jets’ offense never quit, and they found a way to come back and win. And while Breece Hall made one of the more memorable throws in the game, Fields showed outstanding poise in this one.
This was some solid progress from the efforts we’ve seen from Fields earlier this season, like the game in which he took nine sacks against the Denver Broncos. This is a player who is flirting with “journeyman” status right now and really has struggled a good chunk of this year.
Fields got a good amount of help from Breece Hall in this one, but the Jets didn’t have Garrett Wilson, either. Considering that Fields was called out by the owner of the team earlier in the week, this was an impressive response.
22. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
I think it’s fair to say, after he took six sacks last week against the Packers, that there’s still a bit too much “statue” in the way Jacoby Brissett plays, but is it also fair to say that he’s done better operating Drew Petzing’s offense this year – so far – than Kyler Murray? Even though the Cardinals were 0-2 in the first two starts Brissett made, I wonder if he’s not their best option moving forward.
But it really doesn’t matter, because the Cardinals wouldn’t make a move like that…would they?
Brissett had four touchdowns in his first two starts, and nearly averaged 300 yards per game. And the Cardinals were competitive, losing by four points to two of the better teams in the NFL (Packers, Colts). There are no moral victories in the NFL, but Brissett might be this team’s ticket to turning things around, at least for this season.
21. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Boy, you almost couldn’t help but let a tear roll down your cheek on Sunday if you’re a Miami Dolphins fan. Tua Tagovailoa has been getting called out for his leadership at the media pulpit, fans are wondering if he’s even going to be around after the year, and he led the NFL with 10 interceptions coming into the week.
With the Dolphins down and seemingly out, Tagovailoa responded the way a franchise quarterback should. He absolutely put together a nostalgic performance (if we can call it that) against the Atlanta Falcons. The way Tua was getting the playmakers involved was reminiscent of the way it used to be when the Dolphins had one of the best offenses in the league. The question at this point is whether it’s too little, too late. The Dolphins might already be completely out of the mix and sellers at the trade deadline.
20. Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals
There are times over the past few weeks I’ve been watching the Bengals and been shocked by the way Joe Flacco is playing and then at other times, not surprised at all.
It feels like every time you watch Flacco play over the past couple of years, you’re waiting for the clock to strike midnight and he’ll turn back into a pumpkin. Now, in some games – like we saw against the Steelers – it doesn’t happen. In other games, like we saw against the Jets, he makes a bunch of plays and can’t make just one more.
The Bengals did the right thing by bringing him in to see if he could keep the ship afloat, but the blown lead against the Jets looms large with the trade deadline just over a week out.
19. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
I almost wonder if we’ve been grading Trevor Lawrence on too generous of a curve at this stage. In some ways, the progression he showed back in the 2022/23 seasons carried a lot of weight with his reputation and what he’s “capable” of. But at what point do we stop talking about a player’s potential when he’s already got one of the biggest contracts for a quarterback in league history?
Lawrence simply hasn’t been good enough since the Jaguars beat the Chiefs on Monday Night Football and he didn’t finish the month of October well. He was absolutely awful in London against the Los Angeles Rams, completing less than 48 percent of his passes and just simply not leading that offense well the past two weeks.
In the two games since the victory over the Chiefs, the Jaguars’ offense has only scored 19 points total. Lawrence has to be a lot better.
18. Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
The major concern after Sunday’s ugly loss to the Philadelphia Eagles has nothing to do with Jaxson Dart, but his teammate Cam Skattebo, who suffered an injury that was unbearable to see happen in real time.
Dart has been very solid for the Giants this season, but each week, you see opportunities for growth. His physical talent is there. He’s got what it takes to last in the NFL as a starter. But the biggest issue for him right now is hanging onto the ball a little too long and maybe being even a bit reckless with it in the pocket.
He finished the game against Philadelphia with 14 completions for 193 yards and a touchdown, but took five sacks. The rookie is showing signs of growth each week, and the bottom line is that the Giants feel they have their guy.
17. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Well, it was a really disappointing finish to the month of October for the Chicago Bears, who had been one of the hottest teams in the league. And in their four-game winning streak, we undoubtedly saw some nice moments from Caleb Williams.
The reality of the matter is, Williams had just one touchdown pass in the month of October, and just hasn’t quite been efficient enough.
Progress and development are not always linear in the NFL, and there’s a ton of pressure on Williams because of the fact that he’s a former #1 overall pick. The success stories of guys like Drake Maye of the Patriots are rare, although Bears fans would undoubtedly love to see Williams ascending at the same rate, especially with Ben Johnson calling plays.
16. Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers
I’m not sure what happened on Sunday for the 49ers, but it’s rare that you see one team in the NFL with nearly 42 minutes in the time of possession department. But that’s exactly what happened for the Houston Texans in their matchup against the 49ers.
While Mac Jones didn’t play his best game of the season, you also can’t really do much with just 44 plays offensively. And to Jones’s credit, he made throws to keep his team in the game. It was the San Francisco defense that couldn’t get off the field.
Over the course of the season, Mac Jones has actually been quite good for the 49ers, who have been way more competitive given their injury issues than anyone could have expected. He’s looking like he could be someone’s starter in 2026.
15. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
After a completely dismal start to the 2025 season, CJ Stroud has bounced back nicely over the past month. In the last four weeks, he’s got three multi-touchdown games. In the first three weeks of the season, he had just two touchdown passes compared to three interceptions.
Yes, the Texans had some “get-right” games against both the Cooper Rush-led Ravens as well as the hapless Tennessee Titans, but Stroud has hit his stride. Sorry for the corny pun.
Houston already has one of the best scoring defenses in the NFL, so if Stroud can figure out a way to play at the level we’ve seen from him against the 49ers, Titans, and Ravens, this team could be a factor, even at 3-4 right now. If he plays like we saw against the Seahawks, and frankly the majority of the past two seasons, the Texans could be in trouble with AFC powerhouses on the schedule in the next six weeks.
14. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
I don't think we can sit here and say that Aaron Rodgers has found the "fountain of youth" with the Steelers, or anything like that, but he is playing much more like the guy we saw in Green Bay than the guy we saw with the Jets.
Rodgers has put together a quality year so far in 2025, but going up against his old team on Sunday night, he just didn't have enough.
All of a sudden, Rodgers and the Steelers are doing a little more than just leaving the light on for the Ravens in the AFC North. They're almost giving them the garage code. And Rodgers has to be the guy they signed him to be. He has to come thrugh in big moments. We'll see how he bounces back after that outing against the Packers that ended in disappointment.
13. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
For a player like Justin Herbert, the interception numbers over the last five or six weeks have been a little out of character. Especially with the number of weapons at his disposal, seeing Herbert be more reckless with the ball than we saw from him last year is not exactly the most positive development of the year.
But after a tough month where the Chargers went 1-3, Herbert needed the bounce-back performance we saw from him on Thursday night against the Vikings. It wasn’t perfect, but he had three touchdown tosses and a 72 percent completion rate while showing how dynamic he is with 62 yards as a runner as well.
Herbert is still one of the most dangerous, dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL but there is a bit of streakiness to his game.
12. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Even without AJ Brown out there on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense was humming. They had two guys run for over 100 yards (Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby), and Jalen Hurts only needed 15 completions to completely dismantle the Giants’ defense.
On 15 completions, Hurts had four touchdown passes. He takes a lot of heat at times for the way he plays the position, but Hurts throws an exceptional deep ball and comes up with big plays in big moments.
Over the last handful of seasons, the story has been relatively the same for Hurts. People criticize the way he plays, sometimes justifiably, for stretches. Then he comes out and seven touchdowns in two weeks on only 34 completions. The guy can turn it on when he needs to.
11. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
It’s probably time to have some really uncomfortable discussions about Bo Nix. And when I say uncomfortable, I mean people are going to have to eat a ton of crow regarding Nix, because he’s been arguably the most unfairly scrutinized QB in the league since he was drafted.
Nix has not been perfect, but there are a number of things he does really well. He doesn’t take sacks. He rarely turns the ball over. And when he’s on? He’s tough to defend, because he has dynamic athletic talent and the ability to beat you with his legs.
Nix and the Denver Broncos have won five straight games and he’s accounted for 18 touchdowns with just 5 interceptions so far this season. He’s been outstanding, especially late in games, but he was dominant against the Cowboys. Completely locked in after throwing an early (ugly) INT.
10. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold/Seahawks were on a bye in Week 8
If not for a late interception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we might be talking about Sam Darnold and the Seahawks having won six straight games going into their bye week this week. The performance of Darnold so far this season, and especially during the six-game stretch following a rough Week 1 outing, has been outstanding.
He’s getting Jaxon Smith-Njigba involved consistently every week, and operating Klint Kubiak’s offense to perfection. So far this year, he’s got 12 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions, and it seems he’s answered the questions about whether or not Kevin O’Connell was just a great puppet master last year when Darnold was with the Vikings.
It looks like he’s really turned a corner as an NFL quarterback, and at the perfect time. He’s got four multi-touchdown performances already this season.
9. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s hard to really be too upset about the way Baker Mayfield played on Sunday when the defense does all the work for you, and simultaneously, Mayfield is missing so many of his targets.
The Buccaneers only issue right now is the fact that they might be missing too many guys over the long haul, but they’ve got young players like Tez Johnson stepping up and getting really meaningful reps right now.
Mayfield needs his guys back to be operating at full capacity, but what we’ve seen from him for the majority of this season is definitely up there among the best quarterbacks in the NFL, especially when it comes to playing well in clutch moments. Mayfield has been arguably the most clutch QB in the league this season.
8. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
On the whole this season, you really can’t overstate how well Dak Prescott has played. Prescott has played at an MVP level, but the concerns about the way this Cowboys offense plays on the road are being amplified week after week.
Prescott has gotten everyone involved in that Dallas offense, and the presence of a running game has made him even scarier, but the way he played in Denver on Sunday has happened a couple of times now this season, which gives us reason for pause.
To say Prescott was on fire heading into that game against Denver, however, would be a massive understatement. He was the hottest QB in the league for a full month, with 13 TD passes in his previous four games. He’s got to bounce back quickly after Denver got the better of him with 0 TDs and 2 INTs.
7. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
The Packers needed Jordan Love to come through with a big performance on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers (and his old pal Aaron Rodgers), and he delivered in a big way.
Love got the better of Rodgers in a big way and made some really clutch plays late in this game, leaning on his playmakers like Tucker Kraft and Christian Watson en route to a nice win for the Pack.
What we have seen from Love all year up to this point is everything we expected out of him during the offseason. He's taken that next step in his progression as a player, and is operating Matt LaFleur's offense to near perfection. The Packers have to feel like they can win it all if Love can play the way we saw on Sunday night in a hostile environment.
6. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Another week, another notch on the belt for Daniel Jones. Jones continued his Comeback Player of the Year campaign with three more touchdown passes and zero interceptions for the Colts in a blowout win over the Titans.
Even if Jones isn’t playing great, which has been rare this season, he can just give the ball over to Jonathan Taylor, who can take it the distance from any point on the field.
Jones has so many weapons at his disposal, and he got into a great situation with Shane Steichen, who has been able to maximize his talent and minimize his weaknesses without “hiding” him in the offense. It’s truly been a remarkable turnaround considering this guy was averaging a turnover a game with the Giants. He’s been a really fun player to watch this season.
5. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford/Rams were on a bye in Week 8
Aside from a tough loss against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football a handful of weeks ago, Matthew Stafford has been absolutely locked in. When you look at the NFC right now, there are actually a number of players who are putting up MVP-caliber numbers, but Stafford’s 17 touchdowns compared to two interceptions?
If that ratio holds throughout the course of the season, it will be Stafford’s highest TD percentage and lowest interception percentage ever in the NFL.
Not bad for a guy who seems to consistently come into the season with retirement questions and injury concerns these days. Stafford’s five touchdowns against the Jaguars in London were the perfect send-off for this team into the bye week and when they come back, they’ll keep firing on all cylinders.
4. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff/Lions were on a bye in Week 8
When Jared Goff has been on, he’s like the best distributing point guard at quarterback in the NFL. And sometimes that carries a negative connotation, but it’s not negative whatsoever. Goff is one of the most accurate and on-time passers in the NFL. He’s one of the best in the NFL at distributing the ball all over the field to his wide variety of weapons.
He’s on time, he’s accurate, he runs the offense well, and the Lions might even sneak in a target to him with his strong hands. Goff is simply one of the best pocket passers in the NFL right now and he proves it week after week.
The Lions don’t have the most passing yards in the NFL, but one of the most efficient? You bet. Goff has 15 touchdown passes already this season along with a completion rate of 74.9 percent. He’s playing at a level that could win the Lions a Super Bowl.
3. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
The second-year product out of North Carolina just continues to impress. Drake Maye was considered a possible #1 overall pick candidate for so long, and now everyone is wondering how the Patriots were able to get him with the 3rd overall selection.
And New England isn’t complaining.
Even taking a whopping five sacks just from Myles Garrett on Sunday, the ridiculous arm talent of Maye was on display, and so was his ability to operate Josh McDaniels’s offense. And on four carries, he added another 53 rushing yards.
Maye is not only one of the best passers in the league right now, but he’s one of the league’s most well-rounded and dynamic quarterbacks. It’s amazing to see the progression he’s made this season, especially because expectations were high. He’s exceeding them all.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
The broadcast during the Bills-Panthers game made a note that Josh Allen now has 46 games in which he both throws for and runs for a touchdown in the same game. That is absolutely bonkers production from the reigning MVP over the course of his NFL career.
There are many reasons why Allen is considered arguably the best player in the entire NFL, but this game (coming off of a bye) was another great reminder.
It was also a great reminder of just how good James Cook is, and how awesome the Bills can be when everything is clicking. Josh Allen doesn’t always have to be Superman for this team, but we all know that he can be when necessary.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes/Chiefs on a bye in Week 8
Over the past handful of games, we’ve gotten a glimpse of the Kansas City offense everyone feared before the start of the 2024 season. The Chiefs have been a middle-of-the-road offense in terms of points per game over the past two seasons, and while that hasn’t stopped them from contending in January, it’s obviously been a talking point.
Patrick Mahomes has taken the brunt of scrutiny, but we’re seeing how dynamic he and the Chiefs’ offense can be with a full complement of pass-catching options. With Rashee Rice back last weekend, it was almost unfair, at least for the Raiders.
Mahomes has 11 of his 14 touchdowns this season in the past four games, including at least three touchdowns against the Raiders, Lions, and Ravens. He’s playing at an MVP, cheat code level.