Bean's Week 3 QB Power Rankings: Brady in tight battle for No. 1 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Through two weeks of NFL action it feels like the injury bug is spreading and the rookie quarterbacks are terrible. That all equals an interesting task of trying to sort out the league's best signal-callers thus far.
Here's our ranking the league’s starting quarterbacks entering Week 3:
32. Zach Wilson, New York Jets
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Last week’s ranking: 29
Week 2 stats: 19-of-33, 210 yards, 0 TD, 4 INT, 19 rush yards
Season stats: 468 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT
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Absolute calamity. Zach Wilson most likely isn’t the worst of the rookie quarterbacks, but we should never underestimate the power the Jets have when it comes to ruining a QB.
31. Davis Mills, Houston Texans
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Week 2 stats: 8-of-18, 102 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 8-of-18, 102 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
With Tyrod Taylor injured, Mills will make his first NFL start this week on Thursday Night Football. The good news is that nobody will put unfair expectations on the rookie since he’s on the Texans and nobody ever expects anything from them.
30. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Last week’s ranking: 18
Week 2 stats: 14-of-33, 118 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 21 rush yards
Season stats: 450 yards, 4 TD, 5 INT
Lawrence was unquestionably bad in his second NFL start. He needs a layup to get some momentum going. That probably won’t come this week against the Cardinals.
29. Jacoby Brissett, Miami Dolphins
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Week 2 stats: 24-of-40, 168 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 169 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Tua Tagovailoa is out with fractured ribs. I’m higher on Brissett than most, but perhaps things will get interesting in Miami now. Is it really outside the realm of possibility that Brissett is the better QB between the two?
28. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Last week's ranking: N/A
Week 2 stats: 6-of-13, 60 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 31 rush yards
Season stats: 70 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 34 rush yards, 1 rush TD
As the Bears had made abundantly clear, it would take Andy Dalton being unavailable for Fields to start at this point. Here goes nothin'.
27. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Last week’s ranking: 31
Week 2 stats: 35-of-46, 300 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Season stats: 464 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
The best thing we can say for Ryan at this point is that he nearly led a comeback last week against the Bucs. Instead he threw two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter and it ended up being a blowout.
26. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Last week’s ranking: 21
Week 2 stats: 31-of-41, 338 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Season stats: 675 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
The stats and eye test don’t agree so far. Herbert made some incredible plays Sunday, but the numbers aren’t there yet this season.
25. Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Last week’s ranking: 23
Week 2 stats: 22-of-30, 186 yards
Season stats: 467 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Jones has been the best rookie QB thus far, which is a tough look for the draft class given that Jones hasn’t been particularly good. He’s shown promise, though.
24. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Last week’s ranking: 24
Week 2 stats: 27-of-40, 295 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 483 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Roethlisberger is dealing with a pectoral issue. As long as that doesn’t hamper him too much, he should have a relatively easy time this week against the Bengals.
23. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Last week’s ranking: 19
Week 2 stats: 27-of-40, 347 yards, 27 rush yards
Season stats: 559 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 44 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Playing without Taylor Lewan, Tannehill threw it a bunch in Week 2 but wasn’t overly productive. Hopefully his banged-up offensive line (the Titans also lost their left guard, Rodger Saffold) is healed for Week 3.
22. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Last week’s ranking: 28
Week 2 stats: 19-of-21, 213 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 rush TD
Season stats: 534 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1 rush TD
Mayfield was solid against the Texans. That’s a disappointment. The good news is that the team is downplaying the severity of his non-throwing-shoulder injury.
21. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Last week’s ranking: 16
Week 2 stats: 19-of-30, 207 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Season stats: 468 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT
I know I was excited about Ja’Marr Chase like everybody else, but JOE BURROW HAS BEEN SACKED NINE TIMES THIS SEASON. They really needed to do a better job of improving the offensive line in the offseason.
20. Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team
Last week’s ranking: 30
Week 2 stats: 34-of-46, 336 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 458 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Filling in for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick, Heinicke led the Football Team to a win in Week 2. Fine: The Giants led the Football Team to the win.
19. Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts
Last week’s ranking: 17
Week 2 stats: 20-of-31, 247 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 37 rush yards
Season stats: 498 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 60 rush yards
Wentz sprained both ankles on the same play! Not to be mean, but that’s the most interesting thing he’s done in like three years.
18. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
Last week’s ranking: 27
Week 2 stats: 22-of-30, 189 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 20 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Season stats: 503 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 1 rush TD
For someone who’s a sure thing to lose his job at some point, Garoppolo hasn’t really looked like a QB who should be replaced. How the 49ers handle the QB situation will be very interesting.
17. Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints
Last week’s ranking: 7
Week 2 stats: 11-of-22, 111 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 19 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Season stats: 259 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT, 56 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Winston predictably came back to earth after his five-touchdown Week 1. As long as he can find the middle ground between that and his ineffective Week 2 play, the Saints will be in business.
16. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Last week’s ranking: 15
Week 2 stats: 17-of-33, 179 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 35 rush yards
Season stats: 449 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 79 rush yards
It’s been a mediocre start for Allen after being one of the best quarterbacks in the league last season. He’ll reach another gear soon.
15. Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers
Last week’s ranking: 26
Week 2 stats: 26-of-38, 305 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 584 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 1 rush TD
Boy, who would have thought a quarterback would be a lot better once they left the Jets? Darnold’s got to be in heaven these days, as it appears his career is finally starting in Year 4.
14. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Last week’s ranking: 11
Week 2 stats: 22-of-32, 244 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 35 rush yards
Season stats: 595 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT, 35 rush yards
Cousins is off to a good start and the Vikings are on the verge of 0-3 facing a matchup with the Seahawks. Minnesota took Kellen Mond in the third round, but if this season falls apart, would they target a QB even if this isn’t Cousins’ fault?
13. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Last week’s ranking: 3
Week 2 stats: 23-of-27, 237 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 640 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Prescott didn’t repeat his Week 1 performance Sunday against the Chargers, but that level of play would be pretty tough to sustain. The important thing is that he appears to be himself again.
12. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Last week’s ranking: 25
Week 2 stats: 22-of-32, 249 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 95 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Season stats: 516 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 122 rush yards, 2 rush TD
I would hate to root for a team with Daniel Jones as its QB. The flashes of brilliance are so tantalizing. You’ve just got to wonder whether the inconsistency is on him or his situation. That said, he’s off to a pretty good start in his third season.
11. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Last week’s ranking: 10
Week 2 stats: 26-of-36, 246 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 46 rush yards
Season stats: 584 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT, 60 rush yards
Goff has looked awesome at points through his first two games in Detroit. Sure, they’re 0-2, but that was going to happen no matter what.
10. Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos
Last week’s ranking: 9
Week 2 stats: 26-of-34, 328 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 592 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Bridgewater had four touchdowns over his first four games with the Panthers. He’s got that through two games with Denver and is second in the league in total QBR. The change of scenery has been a very good thing.
9. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 8
Week 2 stats: 12-of-23, 190 yards, 82 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Season stats: 454 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 144 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Hurts’ first season as a starter is off to a pretty good start. It’ll likely get better when he faces Dallas' defense Monday night.
8. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
Last week’s ranking: 13
Week 2 stats: 28-of-37, 382 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 817 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Carr is off to a strong start, but we’ll see if it gets interrupted by injury. He had an MRI on his ankle Monday and his status for Week 3 is up in the air.
7. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Last week’s ranking: 6
Week 2 stats: 19-of-30, 278 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 599 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT
It took Stafford three games last year in Detroit to accumulate the number of touchdowns he’s gotten in two games this season. That should not be a surprise.
6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Last week’s ranking: 20
Week 2 stats: 28-of-26, 239 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 107 rush yards, 2 rush TD
Season stats: 474 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 193 rush yards, 2 rush TD
If this were baseball, Jackson would have earned both the win and the save Sunday night for putting that game away on fourth down. We overreact when he has so-so performances. He’s still an absolute stud.
5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Last week’s ranking: 14
Week 2 stats: 22-of-27, 255 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 388 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
In an extremely predictable turn of events, Aaron Rodgers went off and alleviated concerns that he and/or the Packers were toast. They’re not. He’s still really, really good.
4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Last week’s ranking: 5
Week 2 stats: 22-of-31, 343 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 597 yards, 6 TD, 0 INT
Like last year, Wilson is off to a very strong start. Will he keep it up or fall off like he did over the course of 2020? Hopefully the former, as we could watch him connect deep with Tyler Lockett all day.
3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Last week’s ranking: 1
Week 2 stats: 24-of-31, 343 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 680 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT, 21 rush yards, 1 rush TD
He fell to Lamar Jackson, but Mahomes was still Mahomes Sunday night. With seven total touchdowns thus far, he figures to be squarely in the MVP race again this season.
2. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last week’s ranking: 4
Week 2 stats: 24-of-36, 276 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 655 yards, 9 TD, 2 INT
This is as close to a tie at the top as it gets, as there’s a good case for Brady being No. 1. He’s had easier competition and trails Kyler Murray in total QBR, so that will be the tie-breaker for now.
1. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Last week’s ranking: 2
Week 2 stats: 29-of-36, 400 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 31 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Season stats: 689 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT, 51 rush yards, 2 rush TD
We know Murray is a star, but has he truly broken out yet? I would say not to the level we expect, but this could be the season.
He’s already got nine touchdowns; his career high is 37 (26 passing, 11 rushing) from last season. As long as he’s healthy, he’ll blow that out of the water.
