NFL QB rankings, Week 8: Joe Burrow, Caleb Williams hit season high; Patrick Mahomes slides

NOTES:

1. Up/down arrows illustrate movement from the Week 7 QB Index.
2. Stream live local and prime-time games on mobile with NFL+ .

TIER 1

• Caleb Williams is showing zero signs of limitation after returning from a hamstring injury and is completely in sync with his pass-catchers, returning Ben Johnson’s offense to its glory. If he keeps this up, he’ll be in the MVP conversation.
• The big-play Bengals dropped a bomb on the Ravens in the second half last week, with Joe Burrow precisely releasing the explosives. His second-half outburst powered a 35-0 run to close the game, relying on highlight-reel connections with Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase and even tight end Drew Sample to dispatch Baltimore. It’s not entirely consistent, but when the Bengals need someone to make a play in a key spot, Burrow is largely delivering.
• C.J. Stroud was unable to throw the Texans to victory in a wild overtime affair with the Giants, but for the most part, he looked like the precise, powerful quarterback he’s been this season. Keep an eye on his connection with Marvin Harrison Jr., too; his bullet to Harrison for a touchdown was exquisite and could be a sign of future prosperity for the former Ohio State teammates.
• 49ers fans pining for Brock Purdy to win MVP are going to come at me for this ranking, but I’d like to direct them to the interception Purdy threw into the arms of Jessie Bates down the sideline in Sunday’s loss. It was a throwaway attempt that never came close to being safe and led to an Atlanta touchdown to go ahead by two scores. The play reduced San Francisco’s margin of error enough that a later interception (which was admittedly just a great play made by Kendal Daniels) all but ended the team’s chances of a comeback. Two picks in one game is not great, folks, especially in such a competitive contest.
• Jared Goff was uncharacteristically sloppy and risky in Detroit’s win over Green Bay, but it didn’t show in the box score because the Packers repeatedly failed to make him pay for his ill-advised throws. In a chaotic game, Goff still made enough positive plays to help the Lions emerge victorious, but Detroit better hope his near-misses were just an aberration.

Next Gen Stats insights (via NFL Pro): Jared Goff completed 22 of his 32 pass attempts for 303 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions' Week 7 win over the Packers. Nearly all of his production came against zone coverage, where he completed 20 of 25 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown (+13.5% completion percentage over expected). Man coverage gave him far more trouble, as Goff completed just 2 of 7 passes for 14 yards and a touchdown (-20.8% CPOE).

TIER 2

• Drake Maye did his best to keep pace with Caleb Williams in Week 7, overcoming an ugly throw that ended in an end zone interception by accounting for three touchdowns in the game. He’s not getting support from the ground attack, but he’ll need to improve his connection with A.J. Brown -- who is now two games removed from his injured reserve stint -- to maximize New England’s potential.
• Dak Prescott finally returned to form against the underachieving Eagles defense, airing it out all night to great success and restoring the Cowboys’ reputation as an explosive offense. Javonte Williams’ success on the ground helped, too; we’ll see if this is a sign of things to come.
• Jordan Love threw a crushing interception in a tight contest against the Lions, but he found a way to finish earlier drives and is proving he’s a consistently productive quarterback.
• Patrick Mahomes was overwhelmed and ineffective against the stifling Seahawks defense on Sunday night. The Chiefs’ flaws were exposed for the first time in 2026 because Kenneth Walker III wasn’t able to carry the offense on his back. It’s a bad sign when tight ends Travis Kelce and Noah Gray are leading Kansas City in receiving.
• Michael Penix Jr. looks very comfortable and decisive in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, freely spreading the ball among his many talented targets at a rate I haven’t seen from him previously in his NFL career. Penix's contributions were especially important in a game in which Bijan Robinson fell short of breaking things open on the ground, and a reason to take the Falcons seriously going forward.
• Amid the Rams’ struggles, Matthew Stafford has been fairly steady. He showed signs of his age in their Week 6 loss to Arizona but looked better in Week 7 (save for an unfortunate interception that wasn’t his fault), and it certainly helped that Kyren Williams and Blake Corum steamrolled the Raiders’ defense. Those play-action passing touchdowns to Davis Allen looked especially easy.

Next Gen Stats insights (via NFL Pro): Dak Prescott threw 16 of his 27 pass attempts (59.3%) downfield (10+ air yards) in the Cowboys’ Week 7 win over the Eagles; that’s the second-highest rate by a quarterback this season (Drake Maye) and the highest rate of Prescott’s career (minimum 5 throws). On downfield throws, he completed 10 of his 16 pass attempts (62.5%), completing passes traveling at least 10 air yards at a higher rate than passes that traveled shorter than 10 air yards (50.0%). All three of Prescott’s touchdowns came on throws that traveled at least 10 air yards.

TIER 3

• Kirk Cousins is still being asked to throw the Raiders to victory and might be running out of gas. Las Vegas was ineffective for a half in Week 7 and turned it on too late, wasting some second-half heroics from Cousins. He continues to play competitive football but is in danger of losing his starting job with Las Vegas in freefall and 2026 first overall pick Fernando Mendoza waiting on the bench.
• Bryce Young had a nightmarish Week 7, dealing a significant blow to an otherwise strong season. He was overwhelmed by the Buccaneers’ defense, missed open targets, threw a very ugly interception and accounted for three turnovers in the Panthers’ lopsided loss.
• Aaron Rodgers didn’t rack up huge passing numbers in Week 7, but he’s finally finding his fit in Mike McCarthy’s offense. He has settled in with quicker decision-making and even scrambled for a key first down late in the Steelers’ win over the Saints in Paris.
• Deshaun Watson broke 300 passing yards in Cleveland’s comeback win over the Titans. Can you believe you’re reading that sentence in 2026? It’s true! Rookie receiver KC Concepcion became the latest beneficiary of Watson’s passing, catching eight balls for 129 yards. Watson authored another game-winning drive, too, adding a tally to his ledger in a season that still appears untrustworthy but continues to produce wins.
• J.J. McCarthy played much better than expected in his first start for the Giants, going toe to toe with C.J. Stroud by firing a collection of precise passes to the likes of Malik Nabers and Malachi Fields. It helped that the Giants ran for 188 yards, but we shouldn’t discount McCarthy’s performance. Now he’ll have to do it consistently in order to truly repair his reputation.
• Sam Darnold looked better in Week 7 than he did in Week 6. He made a living off throwing fades to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and still managed to throw one brutal interception, erasing a chance to land a haymaker on the Chiefs just before halftime. Fortunately, it didn’t matter, but the Seahawks’ trade for guard Quenton Nelson wasn’t just a coincidence; Darnold needs to be settled in order to fully return to top form.
• Geno Smith delivers enough positive plays to position the Jets with a chance to win on a weekly basis, but he’s developed a habit of throwing crushing interceptions at the worst time. His latest pick didn’t result in points for the opposition, but it did erase a chance to keep pace with a surprisingly productive Dolphins offense, ending a first-half drive in a game that saw Miami take a 21-7 lead into halftime.

Next Gen Stats insights (via NFL Pro): J.J. McCarthy generated a 19.4% explosive pass rate in Week 7 against the Texans, the fourth-highest of his career (minimum 10 attempts), but he posted a 32.3% success rate (second-lowest). McCarthy was efficient on throws outside the numbers, completing 8 of 13 passes for 169 yards (13.0 yards per attempt). On all other throws, he completed 12-of-14 passes for 83 yards (5.9 yards per attempt).

TIER 4

• Tyler Shough is being asked to carry the entire Saints offense. He threw for 278 yards and led the team in rushing with just seven yards on the ground against the Steelers. So, it did not come as a shock that New Orleans mustered only 10 points in the loss. The Saints are not able to consistently climb out of the holes they dig for themselves, no matter how well Shough performs.
• Jacoby Brissett is another veteran quarterback who is being asked to propel his team’s entire offense with his arm. Another week of chuck-and-pray third-down approaches saw the Cardinals wilt under the constant pressure of a highly productive Denver pass rush that battered Brissett all afternoon.
• Malik Willis and the Dolphins finally won, and Willis had plenty to do with the victory. The quarterback produced the best game of his Miami career, firing a sharp touchdown pass to Caleb Douglas early and scoring on the ground from two yards out. It was fitting that his QB sneak on fourth-and-1 sealed the win.
• Tanner McKee found some success early against the Cowboys’ leaky defense on Monday night, but he couldn’t sustain the production long enough to keep up with the Dallas offense. It’s still clear he’s an inexperienced backup, but he’s playing with an injury-ravaged cast that lowers the ceiling for the entire offense.
• Kyler Murray and the Vikings’ offense produced another game in which they did just enough to complement Minnesota’s elite defense and win a low-scoring affair. He was limited to 150 yards passing against a subpar Indianapolis defense, which doesn’t reflect positively on the quarterback, but the Vikings’ success is at least buying him more time to figure things out.

Next Gen Stats insights (via NFL Pro): Tyler Shough completed 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Steelers in Week 7. He produced a successful play on 59.5% of his dropbacks, the highest rate in a game in his career.

TIER 5

• Tyler Huntley delivered another strong first half that relied heavily on Zay Flowers and earned the Ravens a double-digit halftime lead. He also led an offense that went silent in the second half for the second straight week. Baltimore could certainly benefit from Lamar Jackson’s mobility in adverse situations, which was apparent against the Bengals when Huntley tried to take off and lacked the speed to make a significant difference.
• Bo Nix remembered he’s allowed to scramble! The quarterback ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run through an expanse of open field in Arizona on Sunday, then threw a screen pass that RJ Harvey took 52 yards for a score. It was nice to see Nix at least try to push the ball down the field (he completed just 1 of 7 deep attempts).
• Baker Mayfield’s ranking might raise some eyebrows, but after throwing for a grand total of 64 yards in a 30-point win, it’s difficult to place him any higher. He didn’t have to do much for the run-heavy Bucs to win in his return from a thumb injury. Greater tests await.
• Cam Ward battled the Browns for four quarters, led an encouraging fourth-quarter touchdown drive and positioned the Titans for overtime before their defense failed them. It was a step forward, albeit not a very significant one.
• Daniel Jones doomed the Colts by throwing away their chance of victory in the final minutes of their Week 7 loss. He attempted a throw that was never there and it landed in the arms of Vikings safety Harrison Smith for an interception.

Next Gen Stats insights (via NFL Pro): Bo Nix completed 11 of his 13 attempts under 10 air yards for 114 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals. He completed just 4 of his 12 downfield attempts (10-plus air yards) for 108 yards. Most of Nix's passing yards came after the catch, and Nix has now totaled 64.4% of his passing yards after the catch this season, the second-highest rate in the NFL behind only Jalon Daniels (65.5%).