The quarterback injuries keep mounting.
Justin Herbert is now out for the season after fracturing the index finger on his right hand. In Seattle, Geno Smith missed Sunday’s start against the 49ers due to a groin injury, and he could miss Monday’s game at home against the Eagles.
All told, the following NFL quarterback rankings have seen a stunning 10 signal-callers who weren’t their teams’ initial starter in Week 1 (excluding Kyler Murray, who was rehabbing from a torn ACL).
So how does it all shake out? Let’s dive in.
32. Easton Stick, Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: N/A)
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Who is Easton Stick? Let’s start with his collegiate days, where he attended North Dakota State from 2014 to ’18 before joining the Chargers as a fifth-round pick in ’19.
Since entering the NFL, Stick has thrown 25 passes, completing 14 without an interception or a touchdown. At 28 years old, he now steps in for Herbert over what will almost certainly be the final four games of coach Brandon Staley’s tenure with the Chargers.
Stick will have a tough task ahead of him, including games against the Chiefs and Bills, along with a road game at Mile High against the Broncos, and a short-week tilt against the Raiders on Thursday.
31. Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers (29)
30. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (28)
29. Zach Wilson, New York Jets (32)
28. Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks (N/A)
27. Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders (23)
26. Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots (31)
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After struggling against the Chargers in his first start this season, Zappe got things rolling Thursday in Pittsburgh.
The Patriots scored 21 points and Zappe threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns, helping New England win its third game of the year.
For his career, Zappe has thrown eight touchdowns against six interceptions, wih a record of 3–1. This week, he takes on the Chiefs, who have arguably the league’s top corner duo in Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed.
If Zappe can find a way to lead the Patriots in an upset win at home over Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City, he’ll be viewed as a conquering hero, if only for a short while.
25. Nick Mullens, Minnesota Vikings (N/A)
24. Tommy DeVito, New York Giants (30)
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There may be better players than DeVito, but there’s no better story.
DeVito is living at home with his parents, where he gets fed and his laundry is handled. He then drives to the Giants’ complex, goes through practice and on Sundays (or Mondays), wins a game for Big Blue.
This was the case under the lights against the Packers, where the undrafted rookie free agent completed 17 of 21 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown while adding another 71 yards on the ground.
All told, DeVito is now 3–1 across his four starts and is seemingly getting better with every rep. Furthermore, the Giants are on a three-game winning streak after beginning the year 2–8, giving fans something to be excited about with Daniel Jones out for the season.
Chicken cutlets. Italian cookies. Cannolis. Tommy DeVito. Bring it on.
23. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns (26)
22. Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons (24)
21. Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals (25)
20. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20)
19. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (18)
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The Saints were thrilled this offseason to sign Carr to a four-year, $160 million deal. The thought was he would take New Orleans from a playoff contender to an NFC South favorite, and perhaps make the Saints dangerous come the postseason.
Instead, the Saints are locked in an uninspiring three-way tie atop the division with the Falcons and Buccaneers at 6–7, and are currently outside the playoff picture.
Much of this is due to Carr’s lackluster play, which has drawn the ire of Saints fans in the Superdome. Through 13 games, he has thrown for 2,880 yards on 6.9 yards per attempt, with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Certainly not the numbers most were hoping for from the four-time Pro Bowler.
Carr is in his 10th year and is yet to win a playoff game. If he doesn’t step up soon, that streak will continue.
18. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (22)
17. Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts (19)
16. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears (21)
15. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders (17)
14. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos (15)
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Wilson is in the process of having a quality season and a redemption season after the Broncos started 1–5.
In his second year with Denver and first under coach Sean Payton, Wilson has thrown for 23 touchdowns against only eight interceptions.
During the Broncos’ run to contention that has seen six wins across seven games, Wilson has amassed 200 passing yards only twice and never more than 259 yards, yet he’s doing the job by avoiding turnovers.
Is Wilson playing at the level we once saw with the Seahawks, when he went to two Super Bowls and was a perennial Pro Bowler? No. But is Wilson doing enough to be a net positive for the Broncos? Yes.
13. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (14)
12. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (13)
11. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (11)
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Tagovailoa has some good numbers this season, but the problems with his game were on full display Monday night against the Titans.
With Tyreek Hill limited by a bad ankle, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ offense struggled to score points. While Miami notched 27, it scored three times via turnovers inside the 25-yard line, including a pick-six.
Tagovailoa went 23-of-33 for 240 yards in the shocking 28–27 loss, putting Miami at 9–4. If the Dolphins are going to thrive in their three-game stretch to end the season (Cowboys, at Ravens, Bills), they’ll need Tagovailoa to play elite football, whether Hill is fully healthy, limited, double-covered or otherwise.
All that said, Tagovailoa still leads the league with 3,697 passing yards on 8.5 YPA while throwing 24 touchdowns.
10. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (10)
9. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (12)
8. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (6)
7. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (8)
6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (5)
5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (9)
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At some point, the narratives around Purdy need to become based in reality, not whatever the original stance was when he burst onto the scene in 2022.
Purdy has a spectacular cast around him with the 49ers, including four Pro Bowl or All-Pro–caliber weapons. He also has the most quarterback-friendly scheme in football. And guess what? He’s dominating in a way Jimmy Garoppolo—an average quarterback during his time in San Francisco—never did.
So if Purdy is far superior to an average player, doesn’t that make him something between very good and fantastic? He’s leading the NFL in yards per attempt (9.9) and QBR (74.7), ranks tied for second with 25 touchdown passes and is third in passing yardage with 3,553.
Say whatever you want about Purdy, but he’s playing lights out.
4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (3)
3. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (4)
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (2)
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Allen and the Bills had their playoffs start at Arrowhead on Sunday, and while he wasn’t spectacular, he was good enough.
Against one of the best pass defenses in the league, Allen averaged 5.5 yards per attempt and threw another interception, giving him a league-worst 14.
So why did he move up? Although he was sacked three times, Allen consistently avoided pressure, made throws under duress and made a couple of huge throws to help Buffalo win 20–17 over the Chiefs.
Up next? The Cowboys, who have won five straight and are trying to hold on to the NFC East lead. If the Bills are going to stave off Dallas, it’ll be because Allen has one of his best efforts of the season.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (1)
