Throughout the 2021 NFL season, we’ll be ranking all 32 current starting quarterbacks from best to worst. Here’s the breakdown following Week 3.
32. Zach Wilson, New York Jets: What a nightmare. The rookie No. 2 overall pick has seven interceptions and just two touchdown passes. They may have to considering sitting him down soon.
31. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: It hasn’t been much prettier for the No. 1 overall pick. Lawrence has completed barely half of his passes, and he has more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (five). He also has the highest bad throw rate in football by a wide margin.
30. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: He’s injured now, and he hardly outplayed replacement Jacoby Brissett before that.
29. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: Congrats on barely beating the Giants! His 2.4 air yards per attempt is brutal. Hard to believe this guy was league MVP five years ago.
28. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers: The Pittsburgh offense is off to a slow start, and Big Ben has completed just 6-of-19 deep passing attempts. I wonder if he wishes he retired eight months ago.
27. Mac Jones, New England Patriots: The rookie No. 15 overall pick has been brutally ineffective on big throws and is coming off a three-pick disaster.
26. Andy Dalton, Chicago Bears: The veteran wasn’t bad before suffering his current injury and they still insist he’s the starter when healthy. That might be wise for now, because Justin Fields is a walking sack.
25. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: It’s not clicking yet for Goff in Detroit. He’s averaging just 2.3 air yards per attempt.
24. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans: The vet hasn’t been right. He’s a bottom-12 quarterback on paper, but it should come soon.
23. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: The shine has come off a bit, which is to be expected with little support for a young quarterback. But he’s been strong on third down and his legs help.
22. Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts: To his credit, he was played hurt in Week 3 and PFF says he’s yet to commit a turnover-worthy play. Still, he hasn’t been himself this year either.
21. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers: Jimmy G has made zero big-time throws this season. His rate-based numbers are decent, but it soon might be time for more Trey Lance.
20. Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints: We’ll give Winston some time. He’s been under a lot of pressure with limited support and a tough schedule to start the season, and his inconsistency is no surprise.
19. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: It’s been a bumpy start for the sophomore No. 1 overall pick, but he has a top-10 passer rating following a strong performance in a big victory over Pittsburgh.
18. Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers: He’s not being asked to do too much, but the Panthers are 2-0 and Darnold’s been on target on a fantastic 85.1 percent of his throws.
17. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns: He’s thrown just two touchdown passes, but the 2018 No. 1 overall pick ranks fourth in football with a 9.8 yards-per-attempt average for the contending Browns.
16. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: The reigning MVP runner-up got off to a horrible start, but he made a statement with an epic performance against a quality Washington defense in Week 3. Only a matter of time before he’s back in the top-10 here.
15. Daniel Jones, New York Giants: The third-year first-round pick takes a lot of crap, but he actually has the league’s highest passer rating on deep attempts and his legs have been a plus as well. He’s also yet to throw a pick, so there’s hope there.
14. Tyrod Taylor, Houston Texans: He’s hurt now, but the veteran journeyman actually led the NFL with a QBR of 84.6 before going down. He was doing a really done a solid job with little support.
13. Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team: The 28-year-old now has the highest on-target rate in the NFC (85.4 percent). I doubt he gives this job back to Ryan Fitzpatrick.
12. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: His numbers still aren’t quite where he wants them, but he has Dallas in a good spot and his 132.8 passer rating on third down is encouraging.
11. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: The most dangerous dual-threat quarterback in NFL history has been superb in both respects, but his rate-based numbers need to improve.
10. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: The three-time MVP has rebounded nicely from a Week 1 train wreck. He’s posted a 133.7 passer rating in back-to-back wins.
9. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: Brutal start for the Chiefs, but the 2018 MVP remains the league’s seventh-rated passer. He’ll have them there at the end of the year, but for now he has to remain out of the top group.
8. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: The third-year No. 1 overall pick has the highest big-time throw rate in the NFL and is a star with his legs too, but he’s also thrown four interceptions.
7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: The sophomore now leads the NFL with a ridiculous on-target rate of 86.8 percent after leading the Bolts over the mighty Chiefs Sunday.
6. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders: The Raiders are 3-0 thanks mainly to Carr, who according to PFF has made more big-time throws than any other quarterback in the league this season.
5. Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos: The NFL’s fifth-highest-rated passer has again been extremely accurate. He also ranks second to only Lamar Jackson with 5.4 air yards per pass attempt. It’s shocking.
4. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings: Eight touchdowns, no picks and the league’s fourth-highest passer rating? Not sure if the 33-year-old can keep this up because he’s never been consistent, but you can’t argue with the results so far.
3. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs have finally lost a game, but Brady’s thrown a league-high 10 touchdown passes and has committed zero turnover-worthy plays by PFF’s standard.
2. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are struggling, but that has little to do with the NFL’s highest-rated passer. Wilson has yet to make a significant mistake.
1. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: Nine touchdowns, one interception, and a perfect 3-0 record so far for the 13-year veteran in L.A. He’s September’s MVP.
