��QB Index, Week 14: Josh Allen rises to No. 1 after Bills wallop 49ers

QB Index

��QB Index, Week 14: Josh Allen rises to No. 1 after Bills wallop 49ers

Published: Dec 05, 2024 at 03:09 PM

Nick Shook

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NOTE: Up/down arrows illustrate movement from the Week 12 QB Index.

Rank

Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills · Year 7

Of course a snowy Sunday night in Buffalo was what vaulted Allen up the QB Index and into the top spot for the first time since Week 4. Allen was only asked to throw the ball 17 times against the 49ers, yet he still managed to toss two touchdown passes -- including one to himself, thanks to a wild lateral from Amari Cooper -- and threw remarkably well, considering the conditions. Surprisingly, Allen didn't have to run much, taking off just three times for 18 yards and a touchdown. Overall, he played like the star he is, firing accurate passes and keeping the Bills moving on a night when their top two running backs rushed for a combined 170 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. He and Buffalo remain white hot.

Rank

Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens · Year 7

Jackson's fall here was not sparked by Baltimore's Week 13 loss to the Eagles (remember: wins aren't a QB stat). Jackson was still effective, completing 23 of 36 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns, but only one of those scores ended a drive that truly mattered (the other came in the final minute of a two-score game). He also missed a couple of crucial throws, one of which seemed to result from a bit of miscommunication with tight end Isaiah Likely, and he tossed a couple behind Zay Flowers, including one that resulted in a turnover on downs that essentially ended Baltimore's hopes of a comeback. I've dropped Jackson because while he and the Ravens are still just as powerful as ever, he hasn't quite been the game-breaking MVP we saw earlier in the season. This is partly due to the fact Derrick Henry has carried the load, though Jackson has been relatively contained in two of his last three outings (the loss to the Eagles and Week 11's loss in Pittsburgh). Granted, those two defeats came against stellar defenses, but there's been a slight dip from Jackson's stratospheric standard.

Rank

Joe Burrow

Cincinnati Bengals · Year 5

Week 13 provided yet another instance of Burrow playing very well, slinging the ball all over the field for three touchdowns and nearly throwing the Bengals to their latest comeback. He fell short because a pass deflected at the line ended in an interception, and he also lost two fumbles. At this point, I can't even dock him for those turnovers. He and his pass-catchers were the sole reason the Bengals weren't sent home as pretenders weeks ago. After this loss, it's impossible not to give them that designation; they've effectively wasted a fantastic season from the star quarterback. What a shame.

Rank

Jared Goff

Detroit Lions · Year 9

Chicago gave the Lions quite a challenge on Thanksgiving, forcing them to settle for field goals to end productive and creative drives that would usually result in touchdowns. Goff was still good in his strong areas, working out of play-action effectively, converting a pair of red-zone opportunities in different fashion. On the first, we saw a great example of Goff dropping to pass, trusting his offensive line and scanning before using his strong arm to hit Sam LaPorta in the back of the end zone. On the second, excellent play design made for a layup of a touchdown. The rest of Goff's production came between the 20s, though, and while the Lions still broke 400 yards of offense and only punted twice, the scoring total fell short of the sky-high expectations we have for them. That was fine on Thanksgiving, but a 21-of-34 game might not cut it against the Packers and Bills.

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Goff put together an excellent performance in a tight win over the Packers, delivering sharp passes and converting in high-pressure moments all night. Sure, he helped Green Bay back into the game by tossing an interception. Ultimately, though, Goff propelled the Lions to a victory over their division rivals with his 32-of-41, 283-yard, three-touchdown outing.

Rank

Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs · Year 8

Mahomes displayed obvious frustration in the Chiefs' Black Friday win over the Raiders because of the opportunities they left on the field. Kansas City's offense remains a slow-moving outfit, and even when Mahomes made his typically heroic plays, the player on the other end couldn't quite hold up (SEE: DeAndre Hopkins' drop of a pass Mahomes released while falling down after escaping a Maxx Crosby sack attempt). He's still having a hard time connecting with Xavier Worthy, whom he overthrew on a third-down attempt late in the game. Mahomes led scoring drives, because he's still a quarterback who is going to keep this offense going, regardless of a lack of explosive plays. He's also still comfortable relying on tight ends and lesser-known pass catchers, but the final score (19-17) tells a good portion of the story: Kansas City was good between the 20s and couldn't figure out how to finish drives otherwise.

Rank

Jordan Love

Green Bay Packers · Year 5

Love was excellent for much of the Packers' Thanksgiving win over the Dolphins, proving he could place the ball wherever he wanted if afforded time to throw. He carved up Miami's defense for much of the night, completing 75 percent of his passes and running a streak of completions to 11, tying his career high before it ended in the second half. Love made the most of nearly every situation, hitting Christian Watson on a streak down the sideline, finding Jayden Reed along the goal line and connecting with Reed later along the boundary for a second score. Love looks comfortable and isn't pressing, and that's made possible by a relatively balanced and well-schemed offense. It feels as if he's ascending at the right time for a second straight season.

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Love had a quiet first half but rose to the occasion after the break, launching a 59-yard deep completion to Christian Watson, then zipping a fireball of a touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft. Love went 9-of-13 in the second half for 175 yards, helping Josh Jacobs keep the Packers' offense going and provide the viewing audience with a thrilling game in their narrow loss to Detroit.

Rank

Russell Wilson

Pittsburgh Steelers · Year 13

We've reached a new peak in Wilson's career with the Steelers. A week after he performed remarkably well in driving snow, Wilson enjoyed a ton of success under clear skies in Cincinnati, breaking 400 passing yards by doing a little bit of everything: completing short passes underneath, accurate passes near the numbers and making occasional hero plays, like when he slid right, stepped up, changed his arm angle and fired a pass to Pat Freiermuth for a touchdown. Wilson has definitely fine-tuned the lofted pass over the middle to Calvin Austin, hitting almost the exact same throw to the speedy receiver that he did in Cleveland for another touchdown in this game. He's officially cooking, folks, and the rest of the AFC now has something new to fear.

Rank

Justin Herbert

Los Angeles Chargers · Year 5

Herbert was a secondary character in the Chargers' win over the Falcons in large part because of Los Angeles' inability to protect him. In a game played against the NFL's worst defense when it comes to sacking the quarterback, the Bolts surrendered five sacks -- half of Atlanta's season-long total entering Week 13. Herbert was never afforded the chance to get comfortable, which helps explain his low statistical output. He did a good job of moving the Chargers into field goal range on a few first-half drives, but the offensive attack lacked juice all day. The Chargers can flush this game because they won it, but they need to fix protection issues to allow their star quarterback to cook. He was a chef without a kitchen in Atlanta.

Rank

Jayden Daniels

Washington Commanders · Rookie

After a few weeks of limited production and frustrating finishes, Daniels and the Commanders rolled in Week 13. Most importantly, Daniels and Terry McLaurin renewed their connection, hooking up for two touchdowns before halftime, including a laser fired to McLaurin along the goal line. The Commanders allowed the large lead to lull them into a brief slumber, but Daniels eventually awoke in time to lead two more TD drives, finding Zach Ertz for the veteran's 50th career TD reception. Daniels also ran for a score, which was good to see from a quarterback who finds himself in a battle to secure the Offensive Rookie of the Year award after it once looked like he would run away with it. If he continues to play like he did against the Titans, he will take home the trophy and Washington will make the playoffs.

Rank

Sam Darnold

Minnesota Vikings · Year 7

Darnold was under an unusual amount of pressure (53.8 percent), especially from free rushers against the Cardinals, which hampered his ability to push the Vikings into Arizona's red zone in the first half. That didn't last for the full four quarters, however, as Darnold navigated the chaos of frequent pressure well in the second half, leading two touchdown drives and firing a few courageous passes in key spots (e.g., fourth-and-5 with the game on the line). Defenses try their best to eliminate Justin Jefferson from Darnold's available targets, and it worked until the streaky Darnold started finding him in the second half, hitting Jefferson to convert the aforementioned fourth down, which set up his 5-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Jones to take a late lead. While Darnold took the league by storm with big numbers early in the season, I'm enjoying this recent stretch even more because he's proving he still has that clutch gene that made him famous during his USC days. Sunday's win gave us yet another example of it.

Rank

Baker Mayfield

Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Year 7

The duality of Mayfield could be seen in one two-play sequence just before halftime against the Panthers. On the first snap, he spun out of pressure, extended the play and fired a rocket out of desperation to Cade Otton, who muscled his way across the line to gain. On the next play, Mayfield refused to accept he'd missed his throwing window, attempted to check it down toward the sideline and threw an interception. Because of his extreme competitiveness, Mayfield still doesn't quite know when to give up on a play. But that same nature propelled him to overcome a second (and even uglier) interception to lead the Buccaneers on a clutch drive to tie the game late. Overtime gave him one more opportunity to lead them into field goal range for the win. This wasn't a great game for Mayfield, who struggles to avoid throwing passes to underneath zone defenders, but he's also a big reason why the Buccaneers are still in contention in the NFC South. They'll take the bad with the good.

Rank

Kyler Murray

Arizona Cardinals · Year 6

The Week 13 loss to the Vikings truly showed us the range -- both in positive and negative ways -- of the Cardinals with Murray behind center. Murray reached halftime with a 19 for 25 passing line for 149 yards, but Arizona repeatedly struggled to finish drives, often succumbing to the hyper-aggressive Brian Flores defense, which sent blitzes after him frequently. That's part of how the Cardinals reached the break with just nine points. Then for a stretch in the third quarter, Murray was pretty dialed in, capping a five-play, 73-yard drive with a dime of a toss to Marvin Harrison Jr. -- with whom Murray is still struggling to find on a consistent basis -- for a touchdown that gave the Cardinals a 19-6 lead. From there, things fell apart. Murray threw an interception early in the fourth quarter after a Vikings touchdown drive cut Arizona's lead to six. He then tossed a second pick out of desperation in the game's final minute. I've seen Murray struggle to create with his legs as frequently as he did earlier in the season, which is fine when the running game is working. But all of these elements are interdependent, and when one falls apart, the other tends to struggle to keep up. Murray is a better quarterback than that, but I'd like to see fewer third downs in which he's forced to resort to desperate heaves -- especially in winnable games.

Rank

Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams · Year 16

In what was a weird game in terms of flow, Stafford and the Rams reached halftime scoreless versus the Saints. He found a bit of a rhythm in the second half, though, stringing together two touchdown drives that included a long pass to Demarcus Robinson and ended in a short toss to Robinson for a score. That sequence gave the Rams a sudden lead, and Stafford kept it rolling later in the fourth quarter, leading the Rams on an eight-play, 56-yard drive that included an excellent throw to Tutu Atwell outside the numbers and ended in a bubble screen touchdown pass to Puka Nacua. It wasn't a complete game by any means, but when it was winning time, Stafford came through as a veteran should.

Rank

Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins · Year 5

A disjointed first half against the Packers evolved into a very sharp second half in which Tagovailoa settled into a rhythm and regained his accurate, quick-firing form, nearly propelling the Dolphins back from a 21-point deficit into contention. Red zone failures hampered the Dolphins, but Tagovailoa deserves plenty of credit for getting them there, dotting the field with bullets to Jonnu Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill and even Odell Beckham Jr. His to De'Von Achane was classic Dolphins execution, but ultimately, the effort wasn't enough to keep up with Green Bay on Thanksgiving night.

Rank

Geno Smith

Seattle Seahawks · Year 12

A strangely wacky Week 13 game meant Smith didn't quite need to push the Seahawks to victory. He completed nearly two-thirds of his passes, threw a touchdown pass and also fired a few gorgeous throws through coverage. His connection with Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to grow, and we already know he's going to rely on DK Metcalf. But Smith wasn't the main character against the Jets. He didn't have to be thanks to a big defensive effort. Smith deserves credit for steadying the ship during Seattle's comeback and scoring a win over one of his former employers, but he wasn't too heroic, which is fine.

Rank

Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears · Rookie

A quiet outing quickly became a noisy one in the second half for Williams, who injected life into Chicago's offense with excellent creation, pocket presence, occasional scrambles and a handle on the moment that is typical of a veteran, not a rookie. Williams' navigation of the pocket was tremendous in the final two quarters against the Lions. He dropped back, sprung forward to avoid rushers, escaped the pocket and found open receivers in what ended up being a flurry of offensive production. His first touchdown pass seemingly broke the dam that was limiting Chicago's offense, and Williams' second TD toss was a perfect example of Williams resetting in the pocket and keeping his composure before connecting with his intended target. The third score of the half was delectable: Williams dropped to pass, saw DJ Moore run a route right around Brian Branch, and lofted a perfect pass over Branch to Moore. We all know how this game ended, of course, and Williams will learn from the loss. But the talent and potential is crystal clear.

Rank

Jalen Hurts

Philadelphia Eagles · Year 5

The beauty of the Eagles' current state (and their eight-game winning streak) is that Hurts doesn't have to play the hero in order to help the Eagles win. They can attack you from a number of different angles, all while Hurts plays within the scheme. Hurts is playing an essential role, consistently executing RPOs in Sunday's win over Baltimore to keep the Ravens on their heels, and he's found this knack for leaning on one player on a specific drive to push the Eagles down the field. On one particular possession Sunday, that player was A.J. Brown, who caught three passes of 14 or more yards on the Eagles' second touchdown drive. That possession followed an earlier up-tempo march that Hurts capped by finding Dallas Goedert underneath for a catch-and-run score. He's still racking up rushing touchdowns on sneaks from a yard out, and he has to be thanking general manager Howie Roseman for signing Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia's most valuable player.

Rank

Brock Purdy

San Francisco 49ers · Year 3

It was a bit unfair to compare Purdy to the opposing quarterback in Week 13, given that the 49ers were playing on the road against a team built to thrive amid a snowstorm. Having said that, Purdy struggled, completing 11 of 18 passes for 94 yards, fumbling away possession once and failing to sustain drives once Buffalo took a significant lead. Purdy and the 49ers did a decent job of moving into scoring range in the first half and even strung together a quick scoring drive in the third quarter, but once the game script called for a more aggressive approach, it was clear the banged-up team wasn't going to get the job done. I'd chalk it up to the elements more than anything in what has been a trying season for the 49ers.

Rank

Bo Nix

Denver Broncos · Rookie

Week 13 didn't quite match the recent performances produced by Nix. After all, he had to come back to earth after throwing eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in his previous three games, but he was still productive against the Browns. He completed just over half of his passes for nearly 300 yards while also throwing two interceptions, including a bad decision on a deep shot. Early in the contest, Nix was rolling out and finding wide open receivers for chunk plays, but he took more risks than usual and suffered for it. He set everyone up for a thrill when he encountered some second-quarter struggles, then took a shotgun snap on third-and-11 deep in Broncos territory, stepped up from his short drop and fired a perfect strike over the middle to Marvin Mims Jr., who snatched a ball just out of Browns CB Denzel Ward's reach for a 93-yard touchdown. That was the highlight of Nix's night, as he benefited greatly from an improved running game in the second half, fired a few timely passes to keep the Broncos moving and enjoyed the fruits of the defense's labor in the fourth quarter, emerging victorious from a wild game that might serve as a bit of a reset for the rising rookie.

Rank

Jameis Winston

Cleveland Browns · Year 10

Winston delivered the ultimate Jameis game on Monday night. He threw 58 passes with zero fear, making throws that were out of the flow of designed plays and surprisingly completing many of them. He teamed up with Jerry Jeudy to produce a career night for the former Bronco in Denver, connecting with him on a 70-yard touchdown after missing him on a similar attempt earlier in the game. Winston also helped Elijah Moore break 100 receiving yards, tossed two TD passes to David Njoku and led some impressive drives to keep the Browns in the thick of a crazy game. He finished with four TD passes, but also threw two pick-sixes, including one that doomed Cleveland's comeback chances. To cap it off, he finished a last-ditch effort by throwing his third INT in the end zone, sending him to a somber press conference in which he asked the lord to . He didn't need divine intervention to set the Browns' single-game record for passing yards, but he might need it to prevent him from taking wild risks like the ones that cost his team on Monday night. Still, Jeudy is very much benefiting from Winston's involvement in the offense, and Winston makes this team watchable. At 3-9, that's all they can ask for right now.

Rank

Derek Carr

New Orleans Saints · Year 11

It was an inconsistent day for the entire Saints' offensive operation in Week 13, but we must also consider Carr’s supporting cast. His top two pass-catchers were tight ends Taysom Hill (five catches for 37 yards) and Juwan Johnson (five catches, 36 yards). The explosive plays for Marquez Valdes-Scantling aren't as frequent as they were a few weeks ago, but Carr still found the veteran for a 28-yard touchdown. The ending, though, was unfortunately too predictable. Needing a touchdown, Carr led a promising drive that covered 61 yards and reached the Rams' 9-yard line with less than two minutes to play, but Carr couldn't get the Saints into the end zone, hesitating on fourth down before failing to convert. He's fine as a veteran bridge quarterback, but the Saints must know he isn't a long-term solution.

Rank

Bryce Young

Carolina Panthers · Year 2

I'm starting to see some shades of Drew Brees in Young's game. He throws with remarkable anticipation to varied results, but when it works, it's magical. So too is his proficiency when on the run, where Young has become quite comfortable, firing passes while rolling away from pressure to power productive drives. Young had his first truly clutch moment of this next phase in his career against the Buccaneers, leading the Panthers on a key drive in the fourth quarter's final minutes and capping it with a beautiful touchdown pass to Adam Thielen to give Carolina a late lead. The previous version of Young would have wilted under the pressure, but not this new, more confident Young, who has done a lot to help reclaim his place as the team’s franchise quarterback.

Rank

C.J. Stroud

Houston Texans · Year 2

Stroud isn't playing with the same confidence we saw in his rookie season. He seems to be hesitant in the pocket, almost as if he's fearful of making a mistake, which is limiting the Texans’ passing game. So, too, are the pressures, which throw Stroud out of rhythm. When he is in rhythm, he's sharp and has the same arm talent and elite accuracy, but the positives just don't show up as much. The Texans still played well enough to beat the Jaguars, and Stroud found a wide-open Dalton Schultz for his only touchdown, which ended up mattering a lot. But it's tough to get on board with Houston when seeing Stroud in his current state. Perhaps he'll get back to his elite level of play before the end of the season, but it isn't guaranteed.

Rank

Drake Maye

New England Patriots · Rookie

Hello, it's me, the broken record replaying the same notes about Maye. The rookie is clearly New England's man for the job and played well in Week 13, tossing a touchdown pass to Austin Hooper before halftime to take a 16-14 lead on a day in which he finished with just six incompletions. Maye added 59 rushing yards on five attempts, including a 41-yard scramble on a drive that saw the Patriots reach Indianapolis' 2-yard line before penalties short-circuited the offense, resulting in a field goal. Maye once again played well enough to win and has the tools to play the position in New England for a long time. The Patriots just need to improve the situation around him.

Rank

Will Levis

Tennessee Titans · Year 2

I feel for Levis. By the time the Titans had run 10 plays in Week 13, they were trailing 21-0. After a fumbled kickoff return, the deficit grew to 28-0, detonating whatever game script Tennessee had prepared. Levis wasn't great, missing receivers with off-target throws, but he also had teammates drop open passes. Levis deserves credit for battling, helping Tennessee cut Washington's lead to 15 by the latter portion of the third quarter, and he threw a gorgeous touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to cap their best drive of the day just before the end of the first half, but he was a man asked to lead a battalion out of the desert without so much as a canteen. Levis' downfield production has been a positive sign in the last few weeks, and maybe he'll sustain that momentum in the Titans' final five games. That would be nice for him, given how he kind of needs to prove his worth before the end of this campaign.

Rank

Aidan O'Connell

Las Vegas Raiders · QB

The Raiders did not start strong against the Chiefs, turning it over on downs in Kansas City territory, missing field goals and punting on two of their first four possessions. Luckily, though, O'Connell and the offense woke up at the perfect time, capitalizing on a short field when O'Connell tossed a beauty to Brock Bowers for a touchdown. The QB followed that up with another TD pass to Tre Tucker, giving the Raiders a 17-16 lead early in the fourth quarter. Frankly, O'Connell cooked, especially in the second half, gaining 233 of his 340 passing yards in the final two quarters and doing enough to give his team a chance to win. Operational errors, though -- including a lack of attention to the play clock and even less to the snap -- doomed the Raiders, sending them to another painful loss in a season full of them. I will say this: O'Connell looked much better than I expected, even if he still isn't taking the scramble yards when they are there for him.

Rank

Trevor Lawrence

Jacksonville Jaguars · Year 4

Lawrence returned from a shoulder injury in Week 13 and looked good early on against the Texans. He ripped a few classic Lawrence beauties, but also left too much air under a deep pass intended for Brian Thomas Jr., which was intercepted by Derek Stingley Jr. Lawrence exited the game in the second quarter after he rolled left, scrambled and sustained an illegal hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Al-Shaair was penalized and ejected from the game, while Lawrence was carted off the field. Lawrence suffered a concussion on the play and was placed on injured reserve this week. Al-Shaair has been suspended for three games.

Rank

Aaron Rodgers

New York Jets · Year 20

The loss to the Seahawks looked different from other Jets games early on, and it didn't have anything to do with the special teams madness. For one, Rodgers seemed to be holding the ball longer than he has for most of 2024. The Next Gen Stats backed that up: After averaging 2.52 seconds to throw earlier this season, Rodgers held the ball for 2.84 seconds before firing in Week 13. That made it look more like the Rodgers of old, but his accuracy was inconsistent. He missed Garrett Wilson on what should have been a touchdown pass, struggled early to connect with Davante Adams and just wasn't very reliable overall. When he did connect, it was pretty. He found Adams for a couple of key completions, had another great throw ruled incomplete on fourth down, connected with Adams for a score and seemed to be finding a bit of a groove when he was fooled by Seattle's defensive call on one red-zone snap, resulting in a 92-yard Leonard Williams pick-six. Rodgers got credit for another TD on a well-designed touch pass to Isaiah Davis and finished with a decent stat line, but the Jets' meltdown coincided with a prolonged offensive lull from which Rodgers couldn't rescue his team. It wasn't his worst game by any means, but it was another example of how the Jets can and will tease their fans. Unfortunately, I don’t think Rodgers can overcome such difficulties anymore.

Rank

Anthony Richardson

Indianapolis Colts · Year 2

Richardson finished strong against the Patriots, but it was another scattershot day for the second-year passer. His accuracy remains inconsistent, which is frustrating because when he nails passes, they're often spectacular completions. Too often, though, he throws late into traffic or attempts to make a near-impossible throw over a defender. That said, Richardson absolutely delivered in a huge spot in the fourth quarter, leading an 80-yard touchdown drive in under six minutes. He kept that march alive with a fourth-down conversion and finished it off with a touchdown pass to Alec Pierce. The cherry on top: coach Shane Steichen trusted his quarterback with their season in the balance, going for two and calling for a QB keeper. Richardson handled it expertly, reaching the end zone to give the Colts the lead. He's still far from a finished product, but the Colts are right in proceeding forward with him.

Rank

Cooper Rush

Dallas Cowboys · Year 7

Yes, the Cowboys made the right call by sticking with Rush over Trey Lance. After a dreadful first start, Rush has now strung together a few encouraging outings, posting a 3:0 TD-INT ratio in his last two starts (both wins). He didn't rack up a ton of passing yards against the Giants, but he made a handful of nice throws (e.g., his touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks and a long toss to Jalen Tolbert). He looked the part of a veteran backup, avoiding turnovers and keeping the offense afloat. That's all the Cowboys can ask of Rush.

Rank

Kirk Cousins

Atlanta Falcons · Year 13

Folks, it's time to have this talk. I know Raheem Morris has not given any indication he is entertaining the idea of a change at quarterback, but Cousins is holding the Falcons back. Look no further than his four interceptions in the loss to the Chargers, including a crushing pick that ended Atlanta’s best scoring opportunity in the second half on a pass that never had a chance of being completed. Cousins still isn't moving around much, the Falcons refuse to implement play-action in their offense and they're all suffering for it. Cousins still has a strong arm, but his decision-making has regressed, especially when pressured. He's not the effective quarterback he was earlier in the season -- his six interceptions and zero touchdowns over his last three games support this notion -- and I can't help but wonder if Michael Penix Jr. might give them the spark they need to end this losing streak.

Rank

Drew Lock

New York Giants · Year 6

Lock made a few good throws against the Cowboys and ripped off some exciting runs, including one that ended in a touchdown. He also appeared hesitant in the pocket at times. He nearly did the classic Lock thing when he attempted to throw away a backwards pass, but his knee slammed into the AT&T Stadium turf and saved him from what would have been his third turnover of the day. It's not difficult to see why Brian Daboll initially chose Tommy DeVito to start over Lock this season, but it's also easy to understand why Lock is getting backup jobs in the NFL. He has the tools. He just doesn't meet the level of consistency required to keep a starting job.

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