It’s not easy playing quarterback in the NFL, and it’s even tougher when your own team seems to have it out for you.
Welcome to the life of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes needs no sympathy, all things considered. He has played his entire career with a Hall of Fame tight end and a Hall of Fame coach. He has two Super Bowl rings, three appearances in the big game and two MVP awards. He also had Tyreek Hill throughout his first four years as a starter.
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But this season, Mahomes is essentially piloting a plane without wings. The Chiefs are 9–6 but limping toward the finish line, appearing doomed for an early postseason exit.
Through it all, Mahomes has put up excellent numbers, albeit with 14 interceptions. It’s been the year from hell for Mahomes, who will almost certainly enter the offseason begging general manager Brett Veach to find receivers who can run the correct routes and catch the football.
With that said, let’s look at the Week 17 NFL quarterback rankings.
32. All Their Quarterbacks, New York Jets (Last week: 32)
31. Easton Stick, Los Angeles Chargers (31)
30. Case Keenum, Houston Texans (N/A)
29. Nick Mullens, Minnesota Vikings (26)
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Mullens faces a crisis point in his career, and the Vikings season.
In last week’s 30–24 loss to the Lions, Mullens threw four interceptions, including one in the final moments to seal the defeat. Still, Minnesota had a chance to win against a good team despite the turnovers, perhaps giving hope over the final two weeks.
It starts Sunday in primetime at home against the Packers, who are also 7–8 and know a loss ends their season.
For the year, Mullens has a 44.4 QBR with two more interceptions (six) than touchdown passes (four). If he starts poorly against Green Bay, coach Kevin O’Connell should consider other options in a must-win showdown.
28. Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders (25)
27. Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers (30)
26. Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots (27)
25. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (28)
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Although it came in a loss, Young had his most impressive performance to date last weekend.
Young executed the Panthers’ offense consistently, resulting in a 30-point showing against the Packers. For the first time, Young eclipsed the 300-yard mark while averaging north of 8.0 yards per attempt.
While this season has been abysmal, Young can lift expectations for 2024 by having two more strong games to close out the regular season, with the Jaguars and Buccaneers on deck.
Of course, the big question is where Carolina goes from here. The Panthers are in dire need of skill-position players, an improved offensive line and a new coach. How they fill those holes will determine Young’s ceiling moving forward.
24. Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants (N/A)
23. Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals (21)
22. Taylor Heinicke, Atlanta Falcons (23)
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In what has been a rollercoaster of a season for Heinicke, he finds himself back as the starter with Desmond Ridder benched for a second time.
Against the Colts, Heinicke kept Atlanta’s faint playoff hopes alive, completing 23-of-33 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown, earning a 29–10 win.
Most importantly, Heinicke didn’t turn the ball over while getting the ball to Falcons’ stars Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson. The trio combined for 13 receptions on 18 targets.
For the moment, it’s clear Heinicke gives Atlanta the best chance to win out and perhaps find its way into the postseason.
21. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans (N/A)
20. Gardner Minshew II, Indianapolis Colts (19)
19. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders (15)
18. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns (22)
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Flacco has been a revelation in Cleveland.
The 38-year-old is the fourth starting quarterback for the Browns this season after going through Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and PJ Walker.
Given the opportunity to come off his couch and play once more, Flacco has thrived. In four games, the veteran has thrown for 300 yards three times while leading Cleveland to a 3–1 mark with wins over the Jaguars, Bears and Texans. All told, thrown 10 touchdowns, but he also has seven interceptions.
The Browns (10–5) are the AFC’s fifth seed with an outside shot of still winning the AFC North. In the postseason, Cleveland will be a tough out with one of the league’s best defenses, and a quarterback who has experience and confidence.
17. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears (18)
16. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos (14)
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We might have seen the last of Wilson with the Broncos.
Wilson will be benched to ensure he goes into the offseason healthy, and therefore cuttable, with coach Sean Payton deciding to start Jarrett Stidham for the final two games.
Wilson, who signed a five-year extension worth $242.5 million in September of 2022, has a $37 million salary for the ’25 season that vests in March of ’24, when it would become fully guaranteed if he cannot pass a physical at that time. All signs point toward Denver cutting ties with Wilson during the offseason before that date in order to preserve some financial flexibility for the future.
Wilson’s career in Denver was a failure. He’ll finish with a record of 11–19, while throwing for 42 touchdowns against 19 interceptions.
The Broncos will be starting anew once more with Payton as the lead figure, while Wilson looks to latch on with his third team in four years.
15. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (13)
14. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (17)
13. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (N/A)
12. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (12)
11. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (8)
10. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16)
9. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (4)
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Purdy went into Christmas evening as the MVP favorite. He came out of it battered and beleaguered.
Against the Ravens, Purdy was dominated throughout before leaving with an injury in the second half. He threw four interceptions, including two to Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton, shattering any realistic hope he had of winning the prestigious award.
Purdy is still having a fantastic season. He’s thrown for 4,050 yards and 29 touchdowns, both figures ranking second in the league. He also leads the NFL averaging 9.7 yards per attempt.
The 49ers remain the NFC’s top seed and on track to reach the Super Bowl. If that happens, nobody will be concerned about Purdy’s rough night against the Ravens.
8. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (6)
7. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (10)
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Tagovailoa and the Dolphins have faced the same question all year. Can they beat a good team?
Miami did exactly that on Sunday, taking down the Cowboys, 22–20. Tagovailoa was a driving force, throwing for 293 yards and a touchdown while avoiding interceptions that have, at times, plagued him this year.
At 11–4, Tagovailoa and Miami now face their stiffest test yet. The Dolphins head to Baltimore, where they play the Ravens and MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson. Additionally, Baltimore’s defense leads the league in multiple categories, including sacks. If Tagovailoa can bring down Baltimore, Miami will have control of the AFC’s top seed with one week remaining.
Tagovailoa won’t win MVP, but he’s had an excellent season and Miami’s best moments could be ahead of it.
6. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (9)
5. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (7)
4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (5)
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (2)
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (3)
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (1)
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The Chiefs have typically supported Mahomes with a wealth of talent, but this year has been far from that. While Travis Kelce is on pace for another 1,000-yard season and second-round rookie Rashee Rice has been terrific, the remainder of the group has been awful.
Kansas City leads the NFL in drops and drop percentage, while the offensive line has the league’s most penalized player in Jawaan Taylor, who has often resembled a turnstile. Then there’s Kadarius Toney, who has shown the inability to understand that he must line up behind the football, costing the Chiefs a potential victory over the Bills a few weeks ago.
Despite it all, Mahomes ranks fourth with 3,938 passing yards and is tied for sixth with 26 touchdown tosses. His QBR is also seventh at 63.1.
The fact that Kansas City only needs one more win to earn an eight consecutive AFC West title, and Mahomes is still putting up top-tier numbers, earns him the top spot.
