QB Index

NFL QB Index, Week 11: Joe Burrow vaults ahead of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes

Published: Nov 14, 2024 at 02:56 PM

Nick Shook

Around The NFL Writer

NOTE: Up/down arrows illustrate movement from the Week 10 QB Index.

Rank

Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens · Year 7

What a game we witnessed last Thursday night. The rematch between the Bengals and Ravens lived up to the hype, but we only reached the climax because of the struggles Jackson and Co. experienced through the first two and a half quarters. At one point, Ravens fans booed their offense off the field, which might have been exactly what Jackson needed. He pulled off an outrageous scramble in the third quarter, walking the tightrope on the sideline and dancing through traffic as if he was late for his connecting flight. That set up a Derrick Henry touchdown, and Jackson officially was back in the groove two possessions later, lofting an easy TD pass to Mark Andrews to give the Ravens a 28-21 lead. Jackson’s artistry was on full display on the next possession, too, which ended with him breaking from the pocket and finding Rashod Bateman -- who had planted his foot in the ground and followed Jackson in the scramble drill -- with a lofted jump pass that was so pretty it deserved the prolonged follow-through Jackson displayed in celebration. The win was a great example of how an efficient Jackson can still power the Ravens to victory, even when the running game isn’t cooking. He’s one of one in this game.

Rank

Joe Burrow

Cincinnati Bengals · Year 5

Judging by his 56 pass attempts, Burrow might have felt like he was left on an island against the Ravens. With little running game to speak of, Burrow was once again asked to carry his team to victory. He nearly did so, helping the Bengals run out to a 21-7 lead before Baltimore mounted a furious comeback. Undeterred, Burrow loaded up and fired to Ja'Marr Chase late in the fourth quarter, connecting on a 70-yard touchdown strike -- their second TD connection of 67 yards or more in the game -- to tie things up at 28. He and Chase were Cincinnati's offense, and thanks to a jaw-dropping throw over two defenders to Chase in the back corner of the end zone late in the fourth quarter, they nearly pulled off the upset.

Rank

Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs · Year 8

Mahomes and the Chiefs rarely win in pretty or spectacular fashion these days, but Week 10 was different because of the pressure rate Mahomes faced (40.8 percent). It disrupted Kansas City's offense, bought time for Denver to build a lead and forced the Chiefs to mount a comeback. Mahomes engineered an 11-play drive that covered 70 yards in 4:55 and ended in a TD pass to Travis Kelce late in the second quarter. That connection has been renewed, by the way. Kelce led all pass-catchers with eight grabs for 64 yards in the game, trailing running back Kareem Hunt by only one yard. Mahomes wasn't quite as sharp, missing Kelce in the end zone in the fourth quarter, forcing the Chiefs to settle for a field goal and preserving Denver's chances of winning via a field goal. The explosives are only going to be occasional for this team, even if Mahomes tries a few times a game (he and Xavier Worthy missed another deep opportunity against Denver). He's still among the very best at making something out of nothing, and has proven to be an incredibly frustrating matchup for every defense that has encountered him in 2024.

Rank

Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills · Year 7

Allen wasn't exclusively explosive with his play in Week 10, but he sure did a good job of defining his play style over four quarters. He missed a wide-open Dalton Kincaid on an early attempt, then threw an unsightly interception after the Colts tied the game, returning possession to the opposition in quick fashion. Allen then followed that up by hitting Dawson Knox with a beautiful throw over a defender to move the Bills into the red zone, where he capped the drive with a touchdown run. Riding the wave of momentum, he continued to let it fly, firing a trademark Allen pass on the run downfield to Mack Hollins to set up a field goal. There were highlights, lowlights and everything in between for Allen, who telegraphed a throw on a run-pass option for another interception, then bounced back by mounting a wildly impressive drive that saw him scramble for 21 yards to dig the Bills out of a field-position hole. Later in that drive, he checked down to Ty Johnson while stumbling to keep the possession alive, which ended in a game-sealing TD. It wasn't as scintillating as some of his other performances, but Allen got the job done in his own unique way.

Rank

Justin Herbert

Los Angeles Chargers · Year 5

Week 10 was a day to run for Herbert, who carried the ball nine times for 32 yards and showed off a host of flashy moves to evade Titans defenders. His touchdown run was all Herbert, scoring on a play that initially appeared doomed, and he even drew some oohs and aahs from those in attendance at SoFi Stadium with his elusiveness later in the game. Oh, Herbert was great as a passer, too, completing 14 of 18 attempts for 164 yards and a beautiful TD in which he surveyed the entire field, kept his composure and tossed a perfect pass to Quentin Johnston for six points. It was an all-around wonderful day for Herbert, who is among the NFL's best quarterbacks over the last month.

Rank

Jared Goff

Detroit Lions · Year 9

I'm not one to make excuses, but Goff's five interceptions in Week 10 require some context. His first pick was the result of an athletic play by Jalen Pitre to disrupt a short pass, tipping it into the air for the taking. On Goff's second interception, he was hit as he was throwing, freeing the ball to get pinballed around before being caught by Henry To'oTo'o. The third came on a Hail Mary at the end of the half. The last two, however, were simply bad decisions on Goff's part. Now that we've gotten those out of the way, it's time for the good. Goff threw a beautiful touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta on a rollout in the second quarter, connected with LaPorta again during their frantic second-half comeback to set up another touchdown, and simply needed to sling the ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown on a well-timed screen to cut Houston's lead to three. Five interceptions would have sent many quarterbacks to the showers in disbelief, aimlessly searching for their elite abilities like the cleaned-up version of Rick Vaughn in the first half of Major League II. Not Goff. He kept firing, and eventually, the Lions emerged as winners because of it.

Rank

Jayden Daniels

Washington Commanders · Rookie

The Steelers boxed Daniels in with their pass rush in Week 10, forcing the rookie to step into interior pressure instead of escaping laterally, which explains why he finished with a mere five yards on three rushing attempts. With Daniels unable to escape to extend plays, things became a little more difficult for him. He missed his placement on a few throws, managed to hit a few others in stride and still put together a solid day, but largely lacked the explosive plays that have powered Washington’s offense. When the Commanders regained possession deep in their own territory in a one-score game late, Daniels had a chance to throw them into a much more advantageous position. Instead, he underthrew his pass to Noah Brown, who had a step on Pittsburgh's James Pierre. That bought time for Pierre to recover and break up the pass. In the end, Daniels was close on many plays, but he fell short of lifting the offense and propelling the team to victory. For the first time since perhaps Week 1, he didn't make all of the timely plays.

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: For a second straight week, Daniels was confined to the pocket for much of the game, completing 22 of his 32 passes for 191 yards, one touchdown and one back-breaking interception in a 26-18 loss to Philadelphia.

Rank

Brock Purdy

San Francisco 49ers · Year 3

Purdy has had a bit of a tumultuous season, but in Week 10 he almost single-handedly kept the 49ers in the game against the Buccaneers. He threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns despite being under constant attack from a blitz-happy defense that pressured him at a rate over 42 percent. He spread the ball among his pass-catching corps, hooking up with rookie Ricky Pearsall for his first score, a 46-yard catch-and-run trip to the end zone. He also extended a second-down play, rolled left and lofted a perfect pass into the back corner of the end zone for George Kittle, who made a gorgeous toe-tapping grab for a TD. Purdy's production should have resulted in more points (and a more comfortable win), but because Jake Moody missed half of his six field goal attempts, he had to work through the final minute to push the 49ers into winning position. It might have been a different outcome for San Francisco if not for Purdy.

Rank

Baker Mayfield

Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Year 7

Mayfield’s production was lacking in Week 10 (18 of 29 for 116 yards, TD), but what are we supposed to expect from a quarterback playing with a bunch of backup receivers and relying on one newly emergent tight end? Despite the unimpressive stat line, Mayfield produced a heroic effort against the 49ers, leading a couple of touchdown drives. He nearly led a third, completing an incredible fourth-down pass while holding Nick Bosa off with his left arm to keep their last-ditch drive alive. That possession ended with Tampa Bay getting stonewalled along the goal line and settling for a field goal. Despite the odds being stacked against them, Mayfield kept the Bucs in the game. He should get Mike Evans back from injury soon, which figures to open things up a bit. If nothing else, though, we've learned Mayfield's determined disposition is not an act. He's going to give his maximum effort to keep the Bucs in every game for the rest of the season.

Rank

Kyler Murray

Arizona Cardinals · Year 6

Murray was outrageously sharp at all depths against the Jets in Week 10, checking down when necessary, ripping a perfect pass to Trey McBride between three defenders and dropping a dime on Marvin Harrison Jr. beyond the reach of a defender for a touchdown. Murray ran well, too, taking a naked bootleg for a TD and dancing through traffic for another score. It was one of those days in which it seemed as if Murray could do nothing wrong. Even his trademark back-foot heave ended in the arms of a wide-open McBride. When Murray plays like that, Arizona's offense is incredibly difficult to stop.

Rank

C.J. Stroud

Houston Texans · Year 2

The 2024 season has certainly tested Stroud's perseverance, but for one half in Week 10, we were returned to 2023, a campaign in which the Texans protected Stroud well enough to allow him to cook. He donned his chef's hat again in the first two quarters, slinging darts to John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson and Tank Dell as the Texans ran out to a 23-7 lead. Stroud was sharp for most of the half, looking comfortable and decisive while threading the needle through Detroit's defense, especially on the final drive just before the break. But in the second half, things broke down. Stroud recognized a wide-open Dell too late, rushed a deep throw and left too much air under it, allowing Carlton Davis to sneak underneath the pass to pick it off for his second interception of the second half. Houston's offense entered a rut, leaving the door open for the Lions to mount a comeback. When Ka'imi Fairbairn missed a 58-yard field goal try in the final two minutes, we all felt the Texans' great night crumbling beneath them. Stroud played well enough to win for at least 30 minutes, but that's not enough in this league.

Rank

Kirk Cousins

Atlanta Falcons · Year 13

A Week 10 loss to the Saints showed Cousins' mettle, but it also gave the Falcons a lesson on the importance of capitalizing on scoring chances. Sticky coverage made things quite difficult for Cousins through the air early, but eventually he overcame it, firing strikes to Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Ray-Ray McCloud to move the offense into scoring position. The result wasn't Cousins’ fault, frankly, but it was an example of how wasting promising possessions can result in a loss. Cousins was sharp for most of the game, and it wasn't until he trusted his arm too much in a high-pressure moment that Cousins hurt his team, firing a pass into a tight window for a Tyrann Mathieu interception. The ending was ugly, but that shouldn't sully a generally positive day for Cousins.

Rank

Jalen Hurts

Philadelphia Eagles · Year 5

Hurts and the Eagles offense had the privilege of welcoming the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons back from injury in Week 10, and for the first 16 minutes, they were reminded of how he can wreck an opponent's game plan. Eventually, though, Hurts and Co. settled in, mounting three seven-play scoring drives that each ended in Hurts-involved touchdowns. His TD pass to Dallas Goedert was his best play of the day, as he avoided a free rusher and rolled right before firing a bullet to his tight end in the end zone. Hurts' TD pass to rookie Johnny Wilson was almost as good, as Hurts dropped to pass, surveyed the entire field, stepped up to shake a rusher and ripped a rocket to Wilson, who had reversed course in the scramble drill and sprinted toward open space in the end zone before making the grab. Hurts finished with four TDs (two rushing), powering an Eagles offense that enjoyed its Sunday drive on fresh pavement. The cruise was so smooth, Hurts didn't even have to play for most of the final quarter.

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: A slow-moving, quiet night finally came to life in the second half for Hurts, who completed a few downfield passes to jump-start a ground-reliant offense, finishing 18-of-28 for 221 yards in a 26-18 win over Washington.

Rank

Sam Darnold

Minnesota Vikings · Year 7

If Minnesota's win over the Jets in London was a precursor, Week 10 was the realization of Vikings fans’ lingering fear that Darnold might eventually run out of pixie dust. He reverted to the Darnold of old in Jacksonville, turning it over with reckless play that included too many examples of the QB locking onto Justin Jefferson and paying the price when Jacksonville was there to pick him off. He still racked up 241 passing yards on the day, but some of his forced throws numbed the mind. He'd have finished with four interceptions had one not been wiped out by a penalty, and the Vikings were lucky to win. Perhaps this is the lesson Darnold needed to earn in 2024: While Jefferson is quarterback-proof, it’s not impossible to dedicate vast resources toward eliminating him from a quarterback's options.

Rank

Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins · Year 5

Monday night's game against the Rams was rife with turnovers on both sides, and Tagovailoa found himself among those responsible for the giveaways, throwing an off-balance pass over the middle that was picked off by Rams linebacker Christian Rozeboom. That was the worst of it, though, as Tagovailoa used his mobility and improvisation to keep enough drives going to allow the Dolphins to build a lead and walk away a winner. I was admittedly surprised to see Tagovailoa struggle with pocket awareness. His navigation within the pocket and decisions to bail were rather slow and disjointed, which could be an indication of some lingering rust from his time away. Ultimately, Tagovailoa made enough plays to sustain drives and keep the Dolphins ahead. Plus, he perfectly executed a run fake along the goal line and fired a dart to Tyreek Hill for a score. It wasn't pretty, but it was enough, and that's all the Dolphins can ask for after trudging through a woeful month without the QB.

Rank

Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams · Year 16

I've moved Stafford around a lot in these rankings because of the volatility of his performances this season. I'd blamed much of it on the absence of his top two receivers earlier in the season, but Monday night's loss to the Dolphins told a different story. Stafford threw a few gorgeous passes (e.g., the one-handed snag by Cooper Kupp along the sideline), but he was ineffective for long stretches, missed some easy completions and struggled to adjust pass protections effectively, setting himself up for three third-down sacks. For the first time in a while, Stafford couldn't elevate his teammates, and when he finally got a quality chance to score a touchdown, he made the wrong read and decision, forcing the Rams to settle for yet another field goal. It just hasn't been a great year for Stafford, and this time, there weren't really any legitimate excuses for the result.

Rank

Geno Smith

Seattle Seahawks · Year 12

Pinning down Smith's performance this season is a bit challenging because the good performances have been really good, but the rest have been somewhat destructive. His three interceptions thrown against the Rams opened the door for Los Angeles' comeback, and his two picks thrown in Seattle's loss to the 49ers doomed them. This is the GenoCoaster, though, and the Seahawks will ride it as it rises and falls. It could be much worse.

Rank

Russell Wilson

Pittsburgh Steelers · Year 13

The sequence that ended in the Steelers' game-winning touchdown can almost perfectly explain Wilson's day in Washington. Wilson found Calvin Austin III for a tight-window completion after scrambling from left to right and throwing on the run. Then he hit Pat Freiermuth over the middle for 6 yards and a fresh set of downs before handing off to Najee Harris for a gain of one. Finally, he missed Darnell Washington over the middle, and desperately lofted a pass to Mike Williams on third down, placing it perfectly over Williams' outside shoulder for the score. That was the story of the game for Wilson, who missed some throws, connected on a handful of other highly accurate attempts, continued to rely on George Pickens and repeatedly managed to give his receivers chances to win one-on-one matchups. As I wrote last week, it's not perfect with Wilson; there is good and bad. But the good continues to outweigh the bad, and it tipped the scales in the Steelers' favor in Week 10.

Rank

Jordan Love

Green Bay Packers · Year 5

Love has already suffered two injuries that have limited one of his key strengths -- his mobility -- and as a result, we've only seen him at his full strength in a few games. If he gets healthy, I'm sure he'll live up to expectations, and coach Matt LaFleur deserves a ton of credit for managing the offense throughout these challenges. I just want these guys to be at their best, and I know that when it comes to Love, his health has gotten in the way.

Rank

Derek Carr

New Orleans Saints · Year 11

Carr generally looked much like the quarterback who threw for 236 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Panthers in Week 9, but this time around, he and the Saints finished drives with authority. A big reason: Marquez Valdes-Scantling's unexpected emergence as a big-play target. Carr shares a lot of the credit for this, firing a couple of dimes to MVS for a touchdown and a long gain to set up another touchdown pass to the former Packer and Chief. Carr's second scoring toss to Valdes-Scantling was classic Carr, a quick drop and back-foot bullet to an open receiver in the back of the end zone. Carr was in rhythm for most of Sunday's game and reaped the benefits, helping end New Orleans' agonizing losing streak.

Rank

Aaron Rodgers

New York Jets · Year 20

It's been 10 weeks and they've changed coordinators, but the Jets still can't figure out this offense. Rodgers delivers on short passes, and when he has time to survey, he generally makes the right decision. But his connection with Davante Adams is still off. In Week 10, he missed Adams with a throw that was five yards wide on third down, and even when he put it on target in the end zone, a defender's attempt to pick it off affected Adams' tracking of the ball, leading to a drop. This offense seems to be on a steep climb every week, and it's one that Rodgers alone cannot accomplish. Unfortunately, I expect more of the same from here on out.

Rank

Bo Nix

Denver Broncos · Rookie

Though it's not a sharp increase, Nix is steadily ascending in overall performance as this season enters its second half. He's growing more comfortable, and Sean Payton's staff has learned to put him in situations that best utilize his strengths. Those exist on the perimeter, where Nix is able to buy time to survey and fire or take off as a scrambler. It's keeping opposing defenses on their toes, which helps explain his early accuracy and two touchdown passes in the first half against the Chiefs, including a beautiful throw to Courtland Sutton in one-on-one coverage. Nix's inexperience will remain a weakness at times, though, as seen in his second-half struggles when the Chiefs ramped up the pressure. That's fine; this is about the long play for Nix and the Broncos, and he's doing enough to convince Denver to continue investing in him.

Rank

Drake Maye

New England Patriots · Rookie

Through 10 weeks, we've learned where Maye's strengths lie: in improvisation (primarily with his scrambling ability) and in quick decision-making. When the picture gets complicated, Maye becomes hesitant, which is typical of a rookie. He also has a penchant for taking unnecessary risks, likely borne out of his trust in his arm. But when plays are designed and blocked well, Maye thrives. And when things break down, if Maye can find open space, he usually figures out a way to make a positive out of a negative. His accuracy varies at times (like when he missed Hunter Henry in the end zone late in Sunday's win), but the tools are there. He's a gamer equipped with talent necessary to succeed at this level. He just needs more support, which should come with time.

Rank

Bryce Young

Carolina Panthers · Year 2

Young is slowly settling in as a starting quarterback and showing enough incremental improvement to make me think this will be his job the rest of the way. He began Week 10's action in Munich with a really impressive completion via an off-platform pass thrown away from his momentum into an open window for a nice gain. He navigated the pocket well and showed off some of his growth when he recovered from a slip during his dropback, stepped up and found rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders for a touchdown. Young's improvisation has improved rather drastically in the last couple of weeks, and he's demonstrating a rising level of confidence that could carry him to the next stage of development if given the chance. His rapport with rookie Jalen Coker is fun to watch, too. For perhaps the first time in his career, I'm on board the Bryce Train.

Rank

Will Levis

Tennessee Titans · Year 2

Levis returned to action for the first time in nearly a month in Week 10 and surprisingly engineered a strong first drive, covering 77 yards in seven plays and capping it with a perfectly lofted strike to Calvin Ridley for a touchdown. That was the peak of his day. Levis' internal clock seemed a bit slow at times, especially when he stepped up into the pocket, almost appearing to momentarily freeze before being sacked or attempting a doomed pass. This is to be expected from a young quarterback who's been on ice for a bit, but also contradicts the strengths he demonstrated earlier this season. I also found it interesting that the Titans designed a few runs for him, considering he'd been injured previously. To his credit, he finished the day with another great touchdown pass to Ridley, but never quite found the groove needed to win. At least he didn't turn the ball over!

Rank

Joe Flacco

Indianapolis Colts · Year 17

Well, we may have seen the last of Flacco's career as a starter in the NFL on in Week 10. He began the day with a horrid interception that was returned for a touchdown, threw another awful pick by leaving a screen pass behind Jonathan Taylor, then settled in to help the Colts climb back into the game, rolling left and completing a pretty throw to Tyler Goodson for a touchdown. Unfortunately for Flacco, the bad outweighed the good. His passes came out a little too hot at times, including when he overshot Alec Pierce downfield on an attempt that ended in his third interception of the day. He's also showing his age when under pressure, appearing hesitant while struggling to evade rushers. I understand why Shane Steichen went back to Anthony Richardson after two weeks of Flacco starts: He's just not capable of elevating the offense anymore.

Rank

Daniel Jones

New York Giants · Year 6

Jones has moments where you see the arm talent and potential, especially when he's protected well. He'll rip a few pretty passes over the middle for nice completions, then finish off a drive with a rushing score that keeps us wondering what might be. But the total product isn't good enough; he hasn't found the consistency most NFL teams need from their starting quarterback. In the Week 10 loss to the Panthers, he threw a ball behind Tyrone Tracy that was intercepted, and he missed a pass over the middle late when things were close. Having said that, he also led a scoring drive to send the game to overtime. Then again, would the Giants have needed to try for overtime in the first place if Jones had just capitalized earlier? That sums up my sentiment on Jones.

Rank

Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears · Rookie

To understand the biggest issue with the Bears right now, all one needs to do is take a look at the sack total. Williams was sacked nine times in the Week 10 loss to the Patriots, falling victim to a New England defense that learned it could blitz Chicago with no fear. A-gap blitzes, overload blitzes; they all worked against a Bears offense that was unprepared to handle the pressure and certainly wasn't capable of protecting the rookie. When the offense shrank down to a short game, Williams was good, firing quick passes on target. But with the odds stacked against them in terms of down and distance (and, eventually, on the scoreboard), this group had little chance of success. The Bears simply aren't doing right by Williams right now, which is a shame, because it's not hard to see his potential.

Rank

Jameis Winston

Cleveland Browns · Year 10

In just two games, Browns fans have already been subjected to the full Jameis Winston Experience. The highs of a starting debut in which he threw three touchdown passes and led the Browns to an upset win over the Ravens were quickly brought back to earth with his three-interception outing in a loss to the Chargers. Frankly, that's what Winston is and has been throughout his career. He's a solid backup who is playing because the Browns don't have their starter (who was significantly worse than Winston in every aspect), and they haven't yet decided to give Dorian Thompson-Robinson -- whose finger injury in Week 7 helped pave the way for Winston to start in Week 8 -- another shot. I expect the latter to change before the end of the season.

Rank

Gardner Minshew

Las Vegas Raiders · Year 6

At this point, I'm just waiting to see how long it takes Antonio Pierce to bench Minshew again. He's done it three times this season and was desperate enough to turn to Desmond Ridder in the most recent instance, underscoring the current state of the Raiders. Minshew isn't a victim here, of course, but there's little upside to pulling a veteran for a less-experienced option in the middle of the game. This whole situation will continue to be a mess until (and likely after) Aidan O'Connell returns from injured reserve.

Rank

Mac Jones

Jacksonville Jaguars · Year 4

Jones mounted exactly one worthwhile drive Sunday, which came midway through the first quarter and ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by the QB. That was it for the positives, save for a frantic late-stage drive in which he managed to advance the ball 40 yards (15 via penalty). Predictably, that possession ended in a Jones interception on a pass that never had a prayer of being caught by a teammate. He looked as rusty as a beach cruiser left outside for 50 years. Brian Flores' defense -- which has made life tough for most every quarterback facing Minnesota this season -- certainly increased the difficulty for Jones' first start, but even steel wool and elbow grease weren't going to save him Sunday.

Rank

Cooper Rush

Dallas Cowboys · Year 7

Well, this sure felt like a waste of time. Rush lacked velocity on his passes, rarely looked confident and essentially did a whole lot of nothing Sunday, completing 13 of 23 throws for 45 yards. No, that is not a typo. Math wizards will note that made for 3.46 yards per completion and less than 2 yards gained per attempt. He didn't complete a single pass more than 10 yards downfield (0 for 6 on such attempts). A Dallas offense that already lacked an explosive element outside of CeeDee Lamb regressed significantly with Rush under center. And the Cowboys already announced they're running it back with Rush in Week 11. Yikes.