There have been a ton of very surprising quarterback performances thus far in 2024, so let's try to sort all starting QBs out in the latest NFL power rankings. If I told you that in the year 2024, Sam Darnold would be quarterbacking the Minnesota VIkings and would be the MVP front-runner, you'd probably laugh at me, right?
Well, that's what happened thus far in 2024. It's been quite the year to experience, and we are just now beginning the second quarter of the season. Most NFL teams still have 13 games remaining. The Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers squared off on Thursday Night Football, and Week 5 also begins some bye weeks for a handful of teams.
Before the bulk of Week 5 begins, let's roll out our latest QB power rankings.
NFL power rankings: Ranking all starting quarterbacks ahead of Week 5
32. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Let's not over think this gang; Deshaun Watson is just bad, awful, terrible, and everything in between. It's been a dumpster fire for the QB since becoming a Cleveland Brown, and this move to trade for the former Houston Texans' QB is turning into the worst trade in the history of professional sports
I have no idea how the Browns get out of this, but they need to make a QB change to at least send a message. This team may also end up being sellers at the 2024 NFL Trade Deadline.
31. Tyler Huntley, Miami Dolphins
I guess Tyler Huntley is gong to remain as the Miami Dolphins' starting QB until Tua Tagovailoa is eligible to come back. Huntley is a fine backup, I guess, but isn't in an ideal situation in Miami, and all of a sudden, the Dolphins may be headed toward a lost season. I am not sure they should put Tagovailoa back out there if they can't start stacking some wins. It may not be worth it to bring him back.
Miami could perhaps shop a veteran player or two at the deadline to get some cap relief and perhaps get younger and rest around "Touchdown Tua."
30. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson struggles to do the simple things as a quarterback in the NFL, and that’s a huge problem. Richardson has completed just over 60% of his passes for three touchdowns and six interceptions, and it’s weird that we don’t talk about just how bad he’s been. Sure, he’s still just 22 years old, but this is getting ridiculous. Richardson left the Colts’ Week 4 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This team may have been heading for a loss had Richardson played the entire game, but in came Joe Flacco to save the day. Flacco may end up playing more than we think in the 2024 NFL Season, but I guess as long as Richardson is healthy enough to suit up, the Colts will probably give him the entire 2024 season to prove that he can be a franchise QB.
It would not shock me to see the Colts again go QB hunting after this season if Richardson does not prove his worth. It’s not looking great thus far, as he’s been one of the worst starting QBs in the NFL this year.
29. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Will Levis is another QB who just hasn’t been good, and he’s similar to Anthony Richardson in that both are just a bit too reckless. The Tennessee Titans hired Brian Callahan to be their new head coach this year, so he was not with the organization when they took Levis in the 2023 NFL Draft.
This causes me to believe that unless Levis can turn it around this season, the Titans are probably going to move on and have a hard rest at the position. If Levis keeps playing poorly, the Titans could be in line for a very high pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is currently slated to have a less-than-ideal QB class, but the Titans may be left with no choice but to take a QB next April.
28. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots
At some point we may see Drake Maye get some starts for the New England Patriots, right? Well, I am not so sure. The situation on offense for the Patriots is arguably the worst in the NFL personnel-wise. It’s just simply not at an NFL level, and if the Patriots throw Maye out there, you wonder just how badly he’ll get beaten up. If I were the Patriots, I’d simply keep Maye on the bench for his safety.
Jacoby Brissett hasn’t been good this year, but I’m not sure that’s his fault. The Pats have the worst offense in the NFL and it probably won’t get any better until de-facto GM Eliot Wolf can bring more talent in the building. This is most definitely a long process for the Patriots. Former head coach and de-facto GM Bill Belichick left the team in a horrible spot.
Years of swings and misses in the NFL Draft have left this team with virtually no long-term talent. You can’t blame Brissett for not being able to produce in this current situation. The Pats are just dreadfully bad and I guess have nowhere to go but up. They may win a few more games this year.
27. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence has completed 53.3% of his passes this year for four touchdowns and one interception. His TD:INT ratio is great, but he isn’t throwing for a ton of yards and is obviously struggling to complete passes. The issue in Jacksonville may be a bit of both; head coach Doug Pederson is just totally lost it seems and I am not sure Lawrence has played well, either.
Given that Lawrence is still young and they just signed him to a long-term deal, he’s not going anywhere, but Pederson is probably on his way out. The Jaguars are 0-4 to begin the season and don’t really have many wins in view. This team could be the first to make a head coaching change this season.
Hiring the right coach and fixing the offensive line could be all that the Jags need to get back on track and finally build on what they did in the 2022 NFL Season when they won the AFC South and a playoff game.
26. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix has not been as bad as some of the outsiders have thought he’s been. He finally threw his first career touchdown pass in the Denver Broncos’ Week 4 win over the New York Jets. It went to Courtland Sutton, but that was the third total TD of Nix’s career. He actually leads the Denver Broncos with two rushing touchdowns.
Nix is also dealing with a below-average situation with the Broncos’ playmakers. The Russell Wilson trade sent a plethora of draft picks out the door, so that has clearly prevented Denver from bringing in some missing talent that they could make up next offseason.
Two big things to note with Bo Nix is that he has not been sacked in two games and has been sacked just four times in four games, which is an outstanding mark, even for veteran QBs. He’s also not thrown an interception in two games, so this is a player who just does not have many negative plays.
With Denver getting three of their next four at home while having three of their first four at home, it’s likely that Bo Nix strings together some decent performance and begins to prove to the organization why he was drafted with the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
25. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams is beginning to stack performances, folks. He was very good in Week 4, finishing with a 106.6 passer rating. He’s now got back-to-back games with touchdown passes and has completed at least 63.5% of his passes over the last two games as well.
Williams and the Chicago Bears are now 2-2 and have not lost at home since the 2023 NFL Season. With some winnable games coming up on their schedule, it would not shock me to see Williams and the Bears’ offense to start stacking even more positives. Williams tends to get a bit erratic and tries to create off-schedule when he does not need to, and he’s been sacked 16 times, so that part of his game may take some time to clean up.
However, you can help but be encouraged with Caleb Williams watching the last two games. The right move was and is still moving on from Justin Fields and resetting with Caleb Williams.
24. Gardner Minshew II, Las Vegas Raiders
Gardner Minshew II was probably not supposed to win the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting QB job. My guess is that they hoped that Aidan O’Connell would have done enough to earn the job, but alas, he did not. Minshew is a fine backup and has not played poorly, but it’s just an overall disaster situation for the Raiders.
Minshew may now be without Davante Adams, who wants traded and probably is not going to play another game for the Raiders. The team is insanely banged-up on both sides of the ball, and they’ve struggled to run the ball this year. This team may have to rely more on the right arm of Minshew to move the ball, which is a recipe for disaster.
He’s been a fine backup at his several stops in the NFL and is going to have a very long NFL career as a top backup option. The Raiders starting Minshew in 2025 means something very wrong happened.
23. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
I mean, Daniel Jones has not been a total disaster in 2024, but he’s still largely been Daniel Jones. The New York Giants are 1-3 on the season and probably don’t have many wins in sight. To give credit where credit is due, their defense has been solid, but that’s about it.
Jones being able to make it into year six as the New York Giants’ starting QB tells me that the front office just has no idea what they are doing. Jones getting that $160 million extension two offseasons ago was straight-up malpractice, and the Giants should quickly admit their mistake and cut him when the 2025 offseason begins.
They’ve been burning money with Daniel Jones and need to get another QB in the building. The Giants could target someone like Jalen Milroe, Shedeur Sanders, Quinn Ewers, or Carson Beck in the 2025 NFL Draft, but it’s not clear if this current front office and coaching staff will be able to survive into next season.
22. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
I am sick and tired of Jalen Hurts, man. He’s been a poor QB since the start of the 2023 NFL Season and needs to get more pushback than he currently gets. Hurts’ breakout year in 2022 seems to be more of an outlier than anything else, as this is now year five for him, and he’s now on pace to have four below-average years and one notable year.
Hurts has never thrown for 4,000 yards in a season and has never thrown for more than 23 touchdown passes in a season, either. Since the start of the 2023 season, Hurts has thrown for 27 touchdowns against 19 interceptions and has been sacked 49 times over those last 21 games.
He’s also added 14 fumbles during that time, and his five fumbles this year rank as the most in the NFL. What am I missing here? Jalen Hurts is a bad quarterback, let’s not call it anything but what it is and what it has been.
The Philadelphia Eagles have huge questions with their head coach, Nick Sirianni, and their starting quarterback.
21. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game and is again on pace to have another one of his “ho-hum” seasons. I struggle to see why Justin Herbert is held in such a high status as one of the best QBs in the NFL. In my opinion, Herbert has never really left his mark and isn’t much of a winner. He’s now in year five and has a career record of 32-34. At some point, we have to stop making excuses for Herbert, right?
Yes, he is a franchise QB, but it’s becoming increasingly likely that this is someone who racing toward a career arc of guys like Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr. Herbert just so happens to be big with a huge arm, so that’s why I think he’s seen closer to a top-10 QB, but he’s not been anything special thus far in the 2024 NFL Season.
The Los Angeles Chargers lost their last two games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs after starting 2-0 against the Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers.
20. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love has actually not completed 60% of his passes in 2024, and the Green Bay Packers are 0-2 in Love’s two starts this season. They are 2-0 in Malik Willis’ two starts, so that’s interesting. The Packers lost to the Minnesota Vikings, but they did give them a run for their money at the end.
With Love surely getting healthier as time goes on, him simply being able to stack starts together and regain his footing should help him rise up these rankings. Love had an insane mid-season turnaround in 2023, which helped lead the Packers to a 9-8 record and a trip to the NFC Divisional Game, where they gave the San Francisco 49ers a run for their money.
Jordan Love also inked a long-term extension this past offseason, so he’s certainly not going anywhere. Can Love string together some solid performances in the coming weeks?
19. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
The New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers are not off to a great start. This team is 2-2 on the season after failing to score a touchdown in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos. It’s been tough-sledding for the Jets in 2024, who are now set to play the red-hot Minnesota Vikings in London for the entire world to see.
Recent rumors indicate that WR Davante Adams could be on the way, which is one of the least surprising things that could happen. Rodgers has not played super well, but he’s been efficient enough for the Jets to have won at least three of these games. The offensive line still seems to be a work in progress, and I am sure that Nathaniel Hackett is not doing the offense any favors.
Rodgers has basically forced the Jets to be all-in all the time. They lost the entire 2023 NFL Season due to his torn Achilles, so the urgency for General Manager Joe Douglas has ticked up a little bit. Can the Jets figure something out in Week 5 against the Vikings?
18. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Let’s not beat around the bush here; Patrick Mahomes has not been playing that well for weeks now despite the Kansas City Chiefs winning a ton of games. They have become a defensive team more than anything else, and that has been the case thus far in the 2024 NFL Season. The Chiefs have an average offense through four games but a top defense.
Patrick Mahomes has thrown six touchdowns against five interceptions for a poor 89.7 passer rating. Since the start of the 2023 NFL Season, he’s thrown 33 touchdowns against 19 interceptions. Why can’t we say he’s played not all that great? He’s not close to the best QB in the NFL at this point and will need to clean up some of these interceptions if the Chiefs hope to three-peat, which no team in the NFL has done.
The Chiefs had the 15th-best scoring offense in the NFL in 2023 and currently have the the 14th-best in 2024. This is an average offense by all accounts and a QB that has been very close to average since the start of last year, period.
17. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Justin Fields has not lost games for the Pittsburgh Steelers but has not really won them, either. He’s done what has been asked him of and nothing more. The cool thing with Fields is that he helps the Pittsburgh Steelers do what they have done in recent years; win games with their defense.
Fields is far from a long-term option but has not turned the ball over much and has just barely been good enough for them to win games. He’s throwing just 207.5 yards per game and has already fumbled four times. It’s been more of the same for Fields, but he has played in a more stable situation in Pittsburgh than he did in Chicago. Make no mistake; this Justin Fields has been no different than what he was in Chicago.
I would not be surprised if Russell Wilson did get some starts after all in 2024.
16. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints raced out to a 2-0 start in 2024 but have since lost the last two games. They’re an important lesson to not put too much into the first couple weeks of a season as teams are still figuring themselves out. The Saints being 2-2 feels just about right, and so does Carr being ranked 16th in these power rankings.
He’s been a relatively average QB for a majority of his career and probably has several more years left in the NFL as an average passer. On the 2024 NFL Season, Carr has thrown for six touchdowns and three interceptions, earning a passer rating of 103.9. However, over the last two games, he’s thrown for one touchdown against two picks.
Carr is still completing 72% of his passes, but it feels like the high they were on in Weeks 1 and 2 was just that. The Saints should again win around nine games this season and could compete for the NFC South division title if all goes well. I am not sure Carr is better than Baker Mayfield or Kirk Cousins, but he’s fine.
15. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff has lit it up in the stat sheet for the Detroit Lions, but the team is now 3-1 on the season after a huge victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4. The Lions still need to get their defense situation, and I would argue that Goff needs to play a hair better as well.
Goff and the Lions are trending up. They went 12-5 last year, won the NFC North, and made a run all the way to the NFC Championship Game. I personally believe they have the best roster in the NFL and have predicted them to go to the Super Bowl this season.
But I do wonder deep down if the duo of Dan Campbell and Jared Goff is indeed good enough to make a Super Bowl run. We’ll see, but Goff has played in a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams before. To a degree, I feel a bit icky putting Goff this low in these power rankings, but this is where it feels like he belongs thus far.
I would not be surprised to see Goff go on a run and stack some high-end performances after the bye week.
14. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
I’m a bit lower on Geno Smith than most QBs and think he’s nothing more than an average player at best. He’s thrown at least one interception in three of four games this year and has thrown four touchdowns against four picks in 2024. His passer rating has gradually declined from his breakout 2022 season where he apparently didn’t write back.
The Seattle Seahawks are 3-1 but have played three easy opponents thus far and lost against their first true test of the 2024 NFL Season. Geno Smith’s ceiling will keep Seattle from reaching where every team ultimately wants to go, but he’s good enough for the new coaching staff to get a good reading on what players they feel comfortable keeping around for the long-term.
I would not be surprised to see Seattle target a QB in the 2025 NFL Draft, and some rumblings indicated they wanted a first-round QB in the 2024 NFL Draft. Smith is well into his 30s and is in that tier of guys like Derek Carr and Andy Dalton. He’s fine; he’s capable enough to sometimes help his team to victory but isn’t going to be much more than that, so him being 14 in these power rankings feels accurate.
13. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott is not the issue for the Dallas Cowboys. He’s still a very good QB and is always going to throw for a ton of yards and touchdowns. Dallas simply cannot stop the run and don’t have an efficient run game themselves. They also don’t really have a viable WR2 option behind CeeDee Lamb, so this team is extremely top-heavy.
Both Lamb and Prescott got long-term deals this offseason, so I guess that’s a good team, but Dallas feels more average than anything else, and if they ultimately fail to field a competent rushing attack in the 2024 NFL Season, that’s going to put a ton of pressure on Prescott, so I would not be shocked to see his numbers take a hit a bit simply because they are too Dak-reliant
12. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers
Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons have played five games. They scored an overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, and Kirk Cousins threw for 509 yards. Yes, 509 yards. The Falcons put up 36 points and Cousins tossed four touchdowns in the win. Cousins has been elite here and there during some stretches, but he’s never been an unquestionably elite player.
However, he’s been one of the most consistent QBs in the NFL for years now and is going to lead the Falcons to a winning record in 2024. Cousins’ ceiling is not very high, but his floor is extremely high, and that’s probably why the Falcons signed him in free agency. Teams know what they’ll get with Cousins under center, and his steady presence is going to keep this team on the right track.
11. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons have played five games. They scored an overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, and Kirk Cousins threw for 509 yards. Yes, 509 yards. The Falcons put up 36 points and Cousins tossed four touchdowns in the win. Cousins has been elite here and there during some stretches, but he’s never been an unquestionably elite player.
However, he’s been one of the most consistent QBs in the NFL for years now and is going to lead the Falcons to a winning record in 2024. Cousins’ ceiling is not very high, but his floor is extremely high, and that’s probably why the Falcons signed him in free agency. Teams know what they’ll get with Cousins under center, and his steady presence is going to keep this team on the right track.
Cousins tore his ACL about halfway through the 2023 NFL Season with the Minnesota Vikings and signed a $180 million deal with Atlanta in free agency.
10. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray is a very good quarterback, folks, but may not get a ton of attention this season given how shaky the Arizona Cardinals’ defense has been. That’s been their undoing in 2024, but this team still needs one more offseason to load up on talent. I believe this team is trending in the right direction with their QB and coaching overall.
Murray has thrown six touchdowns this season for a very strong 104.6 passer rating, which would be the highest of his career. He’s one of the few legitimate dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL and is absolutely playing like a top-10 QB.
I’ve said for a while now that the Arizona Cardinals are going to be better than people think in 2024 and firmly believe they can breakout in a big way in 2025. To me, they have the head coach and QB, and those two people are the most important for the on-field product of an NFL franchise.
Do not sleep on the Cardinals, and if this team had a legit defense, they’d be 3-1 and Murray would be getting some of this early MVP chatter.
9. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
CJ Stroud might get to a point where he continues to produce at such a high level that we all just assume that’s what he’s going to do for the most part. He’s thrown six touchdowns against two interceptions this year, and the Houston Texans are 3-1 on the season. They figured some stuff out after getting blown out in Week 3 and won an intense game in Week 4.
I have predicted Stroud to win the NFL MVP award in 2024 and the Texans to win the Super Bowl, so I am still very much all-in on this team, but their one notable issue this season has been their defense. I mean, what is going on with DeMeco Ryans’ unit? That’s a shock to me, but the Texans do have a pretty tough schedule this season, so maybe they are in store for a regression.
8. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
You just have to feel bad for Matthew Stafford at this point. He’s throwing to deck furniture and lawn chairs on offense and is just doing what he can for the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams do not have Puka Nacua or Cooper Kupp in the lineup, as both players are injured, and they don’t have much of a threat at tight end.
The way I see it is the LA Rams should trade Matthew Stafford at the 2024 NFL Trade Deadline if the fit is out there. This could help the team kickstart a rebuild on offense. To me, this team has a very talented young foundation, and with Stafford being in his age-36 season, he doesn’t have a lot of time left.
Stafford’s numbers don’t jump off the page in 2024. He’s thrown for two touchdowns, two interceptions, and has an 89.2 passer rating. The NFL is in a better place when Matthew Stafford is healthy and balling out.
The Rams should do right by their QB and see if he’s got any interest in going to a new team at the NFL Trade Deadline. This would be the right move for the franchise to make
7. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson has thrown five touchdowns against one interception this season for a strong 102.3 passer rating. He’s off to another great start in the 2024 NFL Season, and the Baltimore Ravens have won two games in a row after shockingly starting 0-2.
He won his second NFL MVP award in the 2023 NFL Season, but it was not nearly as dominant as his first MVP in 2019. Oddly enough, Patrick Mahomes won the NFL MVP in 2018, Jackson won it in 2019, Aaron Rodgers won it in 2020 and 2021, Mahomes won it again in 2022, and Jackson won it in 2023.
Can one of those three again come home with the NFL MVP award? The Ravens feel like they are back on the right track, so I guess the only thing stopping Lamar Jackson from winning his third MVP is the player himself. He’s still among the best in the entire NFL and is off to another great start this season.
6. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels is insane. The Washington Commanders have more scoring drive than punts on the 2024 NFL Season. I am not sure how that is a real stat, but it is. Daniels is barreling toward the Rookie of the Year, and if he keeps this up, he could be a legitimate candidate to win the NFL MVP. I’m not kidding, Daniels has been that good. Washington is 3-1 on the year and is unquestionably the best team in the NFC East at this point.
They fired Ron Rivera and hired Dan Quinn. This is Quinn’s second head coaching stop in the NFL. His first came with the Atlanta Falcons, and he’s off to a wicked-hot start with the Commanders. Can Jayden Daniels keep this up?
5. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
How about Baker Mayfield? He has been a legitimate top-10 QB since the start of the 2023 NFL Season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 3-2 on the season after a very intense loss to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime in Week 5. The Bucs went 9-8 in 2023, so they’ve gone 12-10 in Mayfield’s 22 starts, which is pretty solid if you ask me.
While we can question whether the Buccaneers can win a Super Bowl with Mayfield, you can’t question his efficiency. He’s thrown 11 touchdowns on just two interceptions and has thrown 39 touchdowns against 12 interceptions for the Buccaneers. His 98.3 passer rating with the Buccaneers is very good, and it doesn’t seem like the 2023 season was at all a fluke for Mayfield.
The Buccaneers seemed to luck into Mayfield a bit when they signed him during the 2023 offseason. They inked him to an extension in the 2024 NFL Offseason, and it’s turned into one of the feel-good stories of the NFL in recent years. Baker Mayfield almost seems universally liked in the NFL world at this point after being thrown away by the Cleveland Browns.
4. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy has played very well this year and still, for some reason, has some doubters. Purdy isn’t overly athlete and does not have the biggest arm, but neither did Drew Brees. Purdy has been able to keep the San Francisco 49ers afloat thus far despite a shockingly less-dominant defense than in prior seasons and with some notable injuries on offense.
The Niners are still probably one of the best teams in the NFL, but the 49ers need to definitely start stacking some wins. This could some once some of their star players get healthy, but Purdy is the least of their worries. In fact, he is in line to ink a mega contract extension next offseason, as that’s the first year he is eligible for one.
It’ll be interesting to see how San Francisco navigates this with how many other big-time contracts they have on their roster. Make no mistake here, Brock Purdy is playing some insane football right now.33
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
The least of the Cincinnati Bengals’ worries thus far in the 2024 NFL Season is Joe Burrow, who has played extremely well. The main issue with the Bengals is their weak defense, which I am not sure can stop a nosebleed. The Bengals are 1-3 because of that and play the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, so them dropping to 1-4 would not at all surprise me.
That could spark some type of major change within the coaching staff. And it could even spark the Bengals to be sellers at the 2024 NFL Trade Deadline, but there isn’t anything major that needs changed on offense. Burrow has thrown seven touchdowns against just one interception and is completing over 70% of his passes. If the defense was simply average, the Bengals may be undefeated and we’d be talking about Burrow being an early MVP favorite.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills has not yet thrown an interception in the 2024 NFL Season, which was the big question mark about his game. However, Buffalo did get blown out in Week 4 by the Baltimore Ravens and will have the Houston Texans in Week 5, so it would not surprise me to see Buffalo suffer their second loss in a row. If Buffalo does end up playing like their Week 1-3 self, Josh Allen may cruise to his first NFL MVP award.
Allen and the Bills have turned into playoff regulars, but they have failed to get over the hump, and with how weak the Chiefs look in 2024, this could be the year for the Buffalo Bills to make a run, but if you ask me, I am not sure Buffalo can do it with the head coach/quarterback duo of Sean McDermott and Josh Allen.
1. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
No quarterback in the NFL has played as well as Sam Darnold through four games in the 2024 NFL Season. It’s actually insane to think about, but it’s the truth. We have seen some lesser-though-of quarterbacks breakout in recent years like Geno Smith in 2022 and Baker Mayfield in 2023. Sam Darnold doing this in 2024 may be this year’s feel-good story at the position.
The Minnesota Vikings play the New York Jets in Week 5 in London, and I am sure the Jets will come into this game quite desperate and may simply want to win more. I could see Darnold not having the best game ever, but it’s hard to not pick the Vikings in this one. If Darnold keeps this high-end play up, we may need to have more serious conversations about him being the MVP favorite.
I also struggle to see how the Vikings let Darnold hit free agency if he plays well the entire year and helps lead the team into the postseason.