QB Index

NFL QB Index, Week 12: Patrick Mahomes slips out of top four after Bills hand Chiefs first loss

Published: Nov 21, 2024 at 03:06 PM

Nick Shook

Around The NFL Writer

NOTE: Up/down arrows illustrate movement from the Week 11 QB Index.

Rank

Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens · Year 7

Well, it's probably good the Ravens encountered a stiff defensive challenge now instead of in the conference title game. Jackson had an incredibly rough afternoon, firing passes over the heads of his intended targets early and seemingly struggling to find comfort when dropping to throw. His scrambling was limited by the Steelers' disciplined pass rush, and his teammates occasionally disappointed him, too (SEE: Zay Flowers' drop of an on-target missile fired down the middle of the field). Jackson did a great job leading a fourth-quarter touchdown drive, but it felt as if he and the Ravens woke up far too late. For the first time in quite a while, Jackson appeared human. It will be up to Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Monken to ensure it doesn't happen again the next time they meet the Steelers.

Rank

Joe Burrow

Cincinnati Bengals · Year 5

What a tale of two halves for Burrow and the Bengals. He led a couple of quality scoring drives early against the Chargers on Sunday night, but the offense failed to reach the end zone, and things seemed dire for Cincinnati, with the Bolts running out to a 27-6 lead. Those who counted the Bengals out either forgot they had Burrow or haven't been paying attention to his performance this season. He proved his doubters wrong incredibly quickly, tossing a fourth-down touchdown pass Cincinnati absolutely needed to stay in the game. Burrow then followed that up with a 42-yard scoring strike to Tee Higgins and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase, his second of the half. He moved the Bengals into scoring range twice after that, but kicker Evan McPherson missed both of his attempts wide left, keeping the game deadlocked at 27-27. As has been the case far too often in 2024, Burrow paid the price for his compatriots' errors, suffering another heartbreaking defeat after almost single-handedly carrying this squad back from the dead and into contention. It's a true shame, because he's having a fantastic year -- and it might be lost to time, thanks to the Bengals' overall record.

Rank

Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills · Year 7

The Bills have found a number of different ways to win in 2024, but I don't think anyone had Allen scrambling for a decisive 26-yard fourth-down touchdown against the Chiefs on their bingo card. Buffalo's latest regular-season triumph over its postseason foil felt different, because of the plays Allen made with his arm and legs, staying a step ahead of Kansas City's defense all afternoon. He threw two gorgeous passes down the sideline to Amari Cooper, including one that required the QB to step up into the rush before releasing a rainbow toss to his veteran teammate. He also led two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, keeping the Bills in front of the Chiefs in a tight game before officially putting them to bed with his wild touchdown jaunt. Allen is cooking right now, and he has a strong case to be the NFL MVP as we near Thanksgiving.

Rank

Justin Herbert

Los Angeles Chargers · Year 5

Herbert was surgical in the first half Sunday night, lighting up Cincinnati's defense with an assortment of outrageously precise throws. He threw a perfect ball down the seam to Will Dissly for the Chargers' first score, continued dotting the field with accurate passes and ripped a marvelous pass to Quentin Johnston for a touchdown, running forward in the pocket and using his cannon to whip an on-the-move rocket to the receiver. As he has been for the last month-plus, Herbert was completely dialed in, making all of the right reads and decisions with complete comfort. He encountered a lull in a wild second half but awoke in time to connect on a couple of huge throws, setting up a final-minute J.K. Dobbins touchdown run to send the Chargers home as winners. Herbert is playing at an elite level right now, plain and simple.

Rank

Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs · Year 8

We've seen in the past two weeks what an effective pass rush can do to Kansas City's offense. Mahomes still tried to piece together drives with short completions, but everything -- including the trademark inside shovel pass along the goal line -- was difficult to execute against Buffalo. He made a mistake early with a hurried throw that resulted in an interception and failed to escape the rush on key downs. He was still able to find his clutch gene, leading a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown march capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to Noah Gray (their second scoring connection of the day). Mahomes remained the pesky passer Buffalo knows all too well for most of the game, but the Bills made him look human. Will that result predict the outcome of a potential postseason meeting? No. We know better than to believe that by now. But Mahomes and the Chiefs were shown they have things to correct (including Xavier Worthy's awareness of his location on the field).

Rank

Jared Goff

Detroit Lions · Year 9

It looked like Goff and the Lions were playing Madden NFL 25 on rookie difficulty against the Jaguars. Whatever offensive coordinator Ben Johnson dialed up, it worked. Goff had all day to throw and took full advantage, carving up Jacksonville's defense on his way to seven straight touchdown drives. No, that is not a typo. At one point, Johnson reached back into his bag to pull out the hook and ladder for a second time this season. This might have been the easiest outing for Goff in the 2024 season, and that's with their runaway win over Tennessee included in consideration. This Lions offense is scary when everything goes right, and Goff is at home as the conductor.

Rank

Kyler Murray

Arizona Cardinals · Year 6

Murray's standing in the QB Index has been somewhat volatile, because he's had some quiet outings. That was not the case in Week 10, as he was nearly perfect in a romp over the Jets, completing 22 of 24 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown (plus two more rushing touchdowns). As one of the NFL's most dynamic quarterbacks, Murray is always a threat, and he seems to be building toward a strong finish for one of the NFL's pleasant surprises in the 2024 season. If he puts together performances like his most recent, he'll find a permanent home in the top 10 -- and the Cardinals will discover a playoff game awaiting them in January.

Rank

Brock Purdy

San Francisco 49ers · Year 3

Although the 49ers' offense remains disjointed, Purdy deserves a ton of credit for his showing in Week 11. Purdy completed 75 percent of his passes despite operating without George Kittle, relying on a receiving corps led by Jauan Jennings (10 catches, 91 yards, one touchdown). Purdy didn't shy from the veteran wideout, turning to him for 11 targets on a day when the San Francisco offense converted 7 of 11 third downs but fell short of 300 total yards. Purdy appeared to position San Francisco for a close win thanks to a 14-play, 70-yard march during which he ripped a rocket through traffic to Jennings, then turned to the trusted target two more times, including on a panicked rollout to the left when, with pressure bearing down on him, Purdy moved away from an unblocked Jarran Reed and flipped his hips just enough to whip a pass to Jennings in the flat for a score. Yes, the Niners lost, but Purdy once again carried the offense.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Purdy has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Packers with shoulder soreness. Brandon Allen will start in his place.

Rank

Baker Mayfield

Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Year 7

Mayfield has played his tail off for most of 2024. There's no questioning his effort or willingness to sacrifice for the cause. He's played hero more often than not and might exceed his career-high marks set a season ago -- and he's done that despite spending the past three games without his top two targets (Mike Evans and Chris Godwin). Tampa Bay's record is misleading as it pertains to Mayfield, and it sounds as if he's getting Evans back very soon, setting up a possible late-season push for the ages. If we've learned anything about Mayfield, it's that we should never count him out. I certainly won't.

Rank

Jayden Daniels

Washington Commanders · Rookie

For a second straight week, Daniels was largely confined to the pocket. That would've been fine had the passing game found a rhythm, but drops and timely defensive plays by the Eagles limited Washington's aerial verticality all night. Daniels did enough through the air via checkdowns and intermediate completions, but the running element was missing once again. When the pressure was turned up by a Saquon Barkley touchdown run later in the fourth quarter, Daniels showed his youth, staring down Noah Brown and telegraphing a throw that was picked off by Reed Blankenship. Washington has encountered two strong defensive game plans in two weeks and has two losses to show for it. Now is the time for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to huddle with his rookie quarterback and find a new angle for success down the back stretch of this season.

Rank

Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams · Year 16

I'm at a loss when attempting to pin down Stafford in 2024. One week, he struggles significantly, missing a range of different throws and failing to elevate his team. The next week, he throws for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns, doing his best football Picasso impression when slinging the pigskin. I know this to be true: Stafford still has a cannon for an arm. He can complete long passes to the sideline and make exquisite attempts beyond the vertical limits of defenses. Sometimes, he releases off-platform and puts the ball right on the money. I just can't predict how he'll perform on a weekly basis, which explains his volatility in the QB Index this season. For one Sunday, he was fantastic and the primary reason the Rams left Foxborough victorious.

Rank

C.J. Stroud

Houston Texans · Year 2

If you only caught small glimpses of Monday night’s game, you might come away with vastly different reviews depending on when you tuned in. If you saw the Texans' first drive of the game, you'd think they were primed to blaze a path to the Super Bowl. If you checked in a drive later, you'd likely have watched Stroud miss an intended target significantly, resulting in an interception. That's been the story of Stroud's performance of late, but luckily for him, the return of Nico Collins helped fill out the receiving corps, giving him more options. Speaking of options, Stroud was excellent at spreading the ball around even when he wasn't protected consistently, connecting with eight different pass catchers. He went without a touchdown, but still completed 67 percent of his passes and helped Houston finish with 391 yards. He and the offense will need to be better against tougher competition ahead.

Rank

Jalen Hurts

Philadelphia Eagles · Year 5

The Eagles' balanced offense has been their saving grace during this winning streak. With Philadelphia struggling to put drives together and find a rhythm in Week 11, Hurts still managed to have some success on underneath throws. He continued to avoid holding onto the ball for too long and occasionally took off for positive gains. Things didn't really get going until the second half, when Hurts found A.J. Brown for a gain of 17 yards. His pass to Dallas Goedert on their next drive stood as his longest completion of the night (32 yards), opening the door for Saquon Barkley to bury the Commanders with two touchdown runs of 23-plus yards. Hurts didn't need to be the hero, but he still managed to play a clean game, throw for more than 200 yards and tally yet another rushing score from a yard out.

Rank

Geno Smith

Seattle Seahawks · Year 12

Seattle’s Week 11 win over the 49ers was a good representation of Smith's career. He completed some courageous throws, took wild risks and missed occasionally (including an ugly interception on a ball that sailed well over the head of Jaxon Smith-Njigba). However, when winning time arrived, Smith knew what to do. He calmly led a controlled but quick scoring drive that saw him find DK Metcalf for a key completion along the sideline, complete a tight-window throw over the middle on third down -- one of two third-down conversions on the drive -- and then take off for a rushing score, risking the remaining time because a win was in sight. Smith achieved that victory, pulling his team back into the mess that is the NFC West race, and authoring another career highlight in the process.

Rank

Jordan Love

Green Bay Packers · Year 5

Love only threw 17 passes against the Bears, but he still made some fantastic plays. His best throw of the day came on third-and-11 early in the second quarter, when Love held the ball for more than five seconds, kept his eyes downfield and launched a missile from deep in the pocket to Christian Watson for a gain of 17 yards. Love made a few throws like that (e.g., a second-and-10 throw to Romeo Doubs down the sideline on the game's opening drive), completed a precise hole shot to move the Packers into the red zone and used his pro experience to recognize Chicago had too many defenders on the field, quickly snapping the ball and firing a touchdown pass down the seam to Jayden Reed. Love took a couple of concerning risks, like when he threw a ball up for Watson in double coverage, but his teammate came down with the catch. If anyone was questioning whether Love would sacrifice his body in an effort to win, just watch his 13-yard scramble late in the fourth quarter, which required him to weather a crushing blow from Kevin Byard and set up the go-ahead score. Yes, his red-zone interception was ugly, but the rest of his performance was excellent.

Rank

Sam Darnold

Minnesota Vikings · Year 7

Unlike Week 10’s dreadful outing, Darnold minimized risks in Week 11. He calmly surveyed from the pocket for most of the day, picking apart Tennessee's defense. His touchdown pass to Jordan Addison might have stood out as the most productive toss, but in my opinion, his most impressive throw came on a third-and-6 early in the second quarter in which Darnold sensed the walls of the pocket closing in on him, escaped left, kept his eyes downfield and fired a pass between a corner and safety to Justin Jefferson for a 31-yard gain that set up a Darnold rushing score. He still fumbled away possession once, but he kept the Vikings steadily ahead of the Titans in a good bounce-back performance.

Rank

Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins · Year 5

The Dolphins decided to take a few pages out of Andy Reid's book in Week 11, taking everything the Raiders gave them underneath all afternoon. That effectively described Tagovailoa's day, in which 22 of his 28 completions came either behind the line of scrimmage or at a depth of nine or fewer air yards. He dinked and dunked to near perfection, piling up 288 yards and three touchdowns, including two in goal-to-go situations. His best long throw was set up by wily play design that freed Jonnu Smith into the open field for a 57-yard touchdown. If the Dolphins can move the ball that effectively while still threatening to rip off the explosive plays, they'll leave their offensive woes in the distant past. Tagovailoa is the one who makes it work.

Rank

Derek Carr

New Orleans Saints · Year 11

It might be only temporary, but Carr and the Saints have rediscovered their rhythm as an offense. For the third straight week, Carr threw for 225-plus yards, firing sharp passes all over the field against the Browns. He did an excellent job of extending a play early in the second quarter and throwing behind the nearest defender (Grant Delpit) to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 71-yard touchdown. He capped his day with another nice throw, executing a run fake before tossing a perfectly lofted pass away from the defense to Juwan Johnson for a score. Carr benefitted from a lot of help from Taysom Hill, who had a career day, but Carr was steady all afternoon, bringing stability to the Saints' passing game.

Rank

Kirk Cousins

Atlanta Falcons · Year 13

Denver made the going tough for the Falcons, who found themselves stuck in the muck offensively, leading to an unproductive afternoon that included a steady rate of pressure on Cousins. His immobility is becoming a bit of a glaring issue. Cousins still launched a few accurate throws downfield that were broken up by Denver's secondary, but he also threw a truly awful interception in the middle of the third quarter, piling onto what had already been an avalanche of negative outcomes for the Falcons on a generally no good, very bad offensive day. The Falcons need more balance and must stay on schedule to get back on track. It would be wise to figure it out quickly, especially with the Buccaneers lurking in the NFC South race.

Rank

Russell Wilson

Pittsburgh Steelers · Year 13

If there's one thing I've learned from Wilson's time with the Steelers, it's this: He'll gladly take what opposing defenses give him. Wilson did that all afternoon in Week 11, completing 20 of 24 passes of less than 10 air yards for 126 yards, per Next Gen Stats. He found the longer throws to be much more challenging (save for one long toss to George Pickens in single coverage). Still, he played within himself, executed Pittsburgh's offense as intended and consistently moved the Steelers into Chris Boswell's kicking range on a day in which the Steelers failed to reach the end zone. Speaking of which, when Wilson tried to force them into the end zone, he threw a pick. That will happen occasionally; the most important thing, though, is that Wilson isn't making these errors consistently. Keep on guiding that ship, captain.

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Amid near-blizzard conditions, Wilson completed 21 of 28 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown, leading the Steelers back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter and throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass through the snow to Calvin Austin to cap the comeback. His last-ditch drive came up short, but Wilson put together an impressive night amid unfavorable conditions in a 24-19 loss to the Browns in Cleveland.

Rank

Anthony Richardson

Indianapolis Colts · Year 2

Colts coach Shane Steichen spoke of the club's need for Richardson to become a pro during his time out of the starting lineup, and upon restoring his role as the team's top quarterback, Steichen suggested Richardson had improved significantly in that department. It showed in Week 11. Richardson handled the job quite well, improving in his accuracy on most throws and proving to be a weapon as a runner, barreling through defenders for two rushing scores. He engineered a wildly impressive final drive by firing strikes to Alec Pierce and Josh Downs, capping that drive with his second rushing score. In between, there were lulls, but Richardson looked vastly improved when compared to how he looked before he was benched.

Rank

Bo Nix

Denver Broncos · Rookie

Opposing passers have to be grinning whenever they see Atlanta on their upcoming schedule, because the Falcons' lack of an organic pass rush has provided quarterbacks with a rare luxury: plenty of time to throw. Nix was the beneficiary last week and took full advantage of it, absolutely shredding the Falcons defense. He had a few near-misses, but still completed 28 of 33 attempts, enjoyed a ton of success in the short/screen game and continued to thrive out of play-action, making a great throw over A.J. Terrell out of a run fake. His final touchdown pass (to Lil'Jordan Humphrey) was a splendid example of Nix's athleticism -- rolling out left, keeping his eyes downfield, swiveling his hips and firing on the run for an easy score. When they make Nix's rookie highlight reel, it will be peppered with plays from this victory. We'll see if he can sustain it against better defenses.

Rank

Aaron Rodgers

New York Jets · Year 20

For essentially an entire half, the Jets treated their offense as if it was led by a rookie under center, filling most downs with short passing attempts. Unsurprisingly, it only produced more frustration. It wasn’t until they decided to commit to the running game that Rodgers was able to work, thriving in play-action and even escaping the pocket and rolling right to complete a pass that looked like it came from 2014, not 2024. Rodgers was effective in this setting, even establishing a connection with Davante Adams. But it took too long to get going in a loss to the Colts, which was a microcosm of the Jets' entire 2024 season.

Rank

Drake Maye

New England Patriots · Rookie

Things aren't great in New England right now, but for the first time since Tom Brady's departure, the problem isn't the quarterback. In fact, Maye is the Patriots' best player and is continuing to improve with each week. He processes at an unusually fast rate for an inexperienced signal-caller, takes what defenses give him with quick decisions, rips a handful of nice throws per game and keeps defenses honest with his running ability, which has sustained drives on a weekly basis. I was most encouraged to see him not resort to running immediately against the Rams, which stood as a sign of improvement, as did his completion percentage (75.0), 282 pass yards and two touchdown passes. He's going to be the guy in New England for a long time; now, it's up to the Patriots to surround him with a quality supporting cast.

Rank

Jameis Winston

Cleveland Browns · Year 10

If Browns fans received the productive Winston in his first start of the season and the destructive version of him in his second outing, they found the middle ground in Week 11. Winston piled up a ton of passing yards against the Saints, doing a good job of occasionally extending plays in order to find open targets for positive gains. He ripped a few tight-window throws down the sidelines for first downs. But he also had some ugly misses and struggled to sense the rush at times, leading to three sacks. Cleveland's pass-heavy attack didn't do him many favors, but Winston tried his best, finding Elijah Moore open behind the defense for a score. It wasn't enough to keep up, but it was much better than his showing in the loss to the Chargers. It's also still not quite enough to meet the level of starter in this league, unfortunately.

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: After throwing for 395 yards in a loss to the Saints a week earlier, Winston embraced the snow on Thursday night and managed to lead two courageous touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, scrambling for a score and converting a key third-and-7 to keep a game-winning touchdown drive alive amid blizzard-like conditions. Winston finished with a line of 18 of 27, 219 yards, one interception and one rushing touchdown in the Browns' 24-19 win.

Rank

Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears · Rookie

Statistically, Williams didn't light up Green Bay's defense. The visual experience, however, was a different story. In his first game under interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, Williams played as if he was freed from the previous offensive approach, firing passes to Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Keenan Allen with accuracy and velocity. His improvisational display was even better, with Williams scrambling for positive gains and avoiding sacks before showing off his arm strength, rocketing passes to open targets while under duress. Chicago dominated time of possession in large part because Williams managed the game well, helping the Bears convert nine of 16 third downs. He even overcame two late sacks to move Chicago into range for a potential game-winning field goal. Final result aside, Bears fans should feel much better about their rookie quarterback's outlook. This was much closer to what they should expect.

Rank

Bryce Young

Carolina Panthers · Year 2

Recent performances have convinced me Young might have a future with the Panthers. He's finally demonstrating some notable growth and doesn't look overwhelmed like he did as a rookie. He’s starting to use his athleticism to make plays in and out of structure. It seems as if the Panthers are feeding off the newfound good vibes, too, playing with more energy. He's far from a finished product, but I've shifted from being a doubter to being an optimist regarding Young's future. Plus, it's fun to see him hit Xavier Legette for a touchdown and watch the rookie wideout ride an imaginary horse.

Rank

Will Levis

Tennessee Titans · Year 2

Levis threw two fantastic deep balls against the Vikings, with both going for touchdowns. One counted -- and was at least somewhat the product of a deep defender making a poor read on the ball -- for a 98-yard score, while the other was wiped out by penalty. Both mattered to me because they demonstrated Levis' ability to find targets downfield, something we haven't seen much in 2024. As for the rest of the game, it was a mixed bag. I thought Tennessee drew up too many designed runs for a passer who is still less than a month removed from an absence related to a shoulder injury, but that's Brian Callahan's prerogative. Despite throwing an interception in the game's final two minutes on a pass primarily launched out of desperation, Levis is steadily improving in the possession protection department. That's a good sign, but he's still inconsistent on a per-down basis. I'm intrigued to see where he goes from here because I feel as if he's quietly taking steps in the right direction. I'm just not sure he'll get there before the end of the 2024 season -- or before the Titans' patience runs out.

Rank

Gardner Minshew

Las Vegas Raiders · Year 6

Considering the depths to which this Raiders season has sunk with Minshew in the fold, Week 11 wasn't so bad. He was generally accurate, threw for nearly 300 yards, tossed a couple of touchdown passes, leaned heavily on his best weapon (rookie tight end Brock Bowers) and had the Raiders in position to at least compete for a win in the fourth quarter. Sure, his interception doomed their chances of pulling off a comeback, but closing a 12-point gap in the final three minutes wasn't likely for this fading team anyway.

Rank

Cooper Rush

Dallas Cowboys · Year 7

The Cowboys lost (again), but this time around, Rush was competent. Dallas asked him to throw 55 times against the Texans, an absurd expectation for a backup quarterback but a necessity for a one-dimensional, low-ceiling Cowboys offense that doesn't have many options. Rush benefitted from ample time to throw early, tossing a touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin -- who did the work with his route running and top speed after the catch -- and ended up spreading the ball among 11 different pass-catchers. He sustained drives, but struggled to finish them, which is symptomatic of the current state of the Cowboys. Still, Rush is a low-level backup who doesn't inspire much confidence as Dallas trudges toward a dark December.

Rank

Daniel Jones

New York Giants · Year 6

It appears the Danny Dimes era has come to an end. New York pulled the plug on the quarterback after a Week 11 bye, turning back to Tommy DeVito -- known affectionately as "Tommy Cutlets" -- for a spark. GM Joe Schoen said after the team’s last game that any change at QB entering Week 12 would be about “football decisions” and not tied to the injury guarantee in Jones’ contract. Regardless of the reason, that deal now looks like a huge mistake and this offseason the Giants will most likely be going back to the drawing board at QB, where they were when they selected Jones in 2019.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: On Friday, the Giants released Daniel Jones at the quarterback's request.

Rank

Mac Jones

Jacksonville Jaguars · Year 4

Week 11 wasn't as ugly as Week 10 was for Jones, but that was an incredibly low bar to clear. Jones at least looked like he was prepared to handle starting duties against the Lions, but the mismatch between the teams became painfully obvious by the middle of the second quarter, specifically when Jones dropped to pass and launched two throws downfield well beyond any feasible target. He managed to settle into something of a rhythm late in the first half, connecting a few times underneath, but by that point the Jaguars were trailing by 25 and forced into a one-dimensional approach. Jones moved them into field goal range for a second time before it became clear he never had a chance of getting the Jaguars back into the game, missing an open Gabe Davis downfield early in the third quarter. That play represented the entire day for the Jaguars, who never really had a chance to keep up.