��QB Index, Week 15: Joe Burrow vaults Lamar Jackson; Bryce Young eclipses Jalen Hurts

QB Index

��QB Index, Week 15: Joe Burrow vaults Lamar Jackson; Bryce Young eclipses Jalen Hurts

Published: Dec 12, 2024 at 03:25 PM

Nick Shook

Around The ��Writer

NOTE: Up/down arrows illustrate movement from the Week 14 QB Index.

Rank

Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills · Year 7

We didn't need a record-setting performance (three rushing touchdowns, three passing scores) to know it, but I'll say it again: Allen is one of the rarest talents around. His combination of arm strength, accuracy, improvisation and rushing production has made him into a unicorn, and he left it all out on the field in a shootout in Los Angeles. Allen was the reason Buffalo remained in the game, matching wits with Matthew Stafford by hitting big plays and carrying his team back after trailing by 17 points entering the fourth quarter. He's the new front-runner for ��MVP, and he'd have been a winner in Week 14, too, had his team's defense been able to stop a nosebleed.

Rank

Joe Burrow

Cincinnati Bengals · Year 5

Burrow's Week 14 performance fits right in with most of his year. He completed 75 percent of his passes, torched an opposing defense with Ja'Marr Chase (14 catches, 177 yards, two touchdowns), threw an awkward interception that appeared to be a misunderstanding with his intended target, evaded pass rushers by escaping the pocket and keeping his eyes downfield before finding open receivers, and made a handful of clutch plays. That's been the story of his 2024 campaign. The difference in this one, though, is that the Bengals finally caught a break and capitalized. Burrow continues to play at a near-MVP level in a year that will ultimately be wasted by his team. That doesn't diminish my view of him at all.

Rank

Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens · Year 7

Jackson's MVP case has dimmed slightly over the last few weeks because of some narrow misses in tight games. It's also because he's benefited from the production of Derrick Henry, who has removed some of the pressure to carry the Ravens to victory. We're also judging Jackson by an incredibly high standard he set with two previous MVP seasons, including last year's showing. Jackson has still been excellent and is one of the handful of elite quarterbacks currently commanding the ��spotlight. His Ravens need to finish strong, and I expect Jackson to play a key part in that finish.

Rank

Jared Goff

Detroit Lions · Year 9

After struggling to finish drives in their Thanksgiving win over Chicago, the Lions got back on track in Week 14, thanks in large part to a sharp night of passing from Goff, who once again feasted on the middle of the field, completing 20 of 25 passes thrown between the seams for 187 yards and three touchdowns. He operated almost exclusively from the pocket, attempting 39 of his passes from inside the tackle box, making for a classic Goff performance that saw him help the Lions take a 17-7 lead into halftime and hang on with two clutch touchdown passes to Tim Patrick in the second half. His only mistake -- an anticipatory throw that resulted in an interception -- allowed the Packers back into the game. Goff was able to overcome the mistake, earning a key win in the tight NFC North race.

Rank

Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs · Year 8

Yes, the Chiefs continue to find ways to win games, sometimes benefitting from good fortune, but let's not use that as an excuse to downplay the prowess of Mahomes. He tortured the Chargers' defense late in a Week 14 win, keeping Kansas City's last drive alive by rolling out to draw defenders toward him, pump-faking to make one miss and firing off-balance passes to targets open beyond the line to gain. He made a few phenomenal throws in this contest, too, including a wrist-flicked toss to JuJu Smith-Schuster for a big gain in the first half, a throw through traffic to Travis Kelce for a crucial first down and a quick bullet to DeAndre Hopkins in the soft spot in zone coverage for a touchdown. He does things only a select few can accomplish. I'll continue to praise him for his excellence, even if it doesn't whet the appetite of numbers-obsessed folks.

Rank

Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams · Year 16

It's been incredibly difficult to get a handle on Stafford this season, but in Week 14, the veteran put together his best performance of the year against one of his team's toughest opponents. It began with a statement of an opening drive, during which Stafford found Puka Nacua twice for a total of 29 yards, and the QB only got better from there. Stafford threw for 320 yards by relying heavily on Nacua, capitalizing on manufactured mismatches and striking in key spots. He's a great example of an excellent quarterback thriving with equally fantastic receivers; his touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp down the seam -- Stafford placed the ball beneath the converging defenders for Kupp to leap and grab -- demonstrated how upper-tier players can make each other better. This was the Stafford I've long thought I knew, and it was glorious to see him work.

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Four days after lighting it up in a shootout win over the Bills, Stafford came back to earth on a rainy night in Santa Clara. He hit halftime with just 23 passing yards, struggling with accuracy amid the wet conditions, before finishing with a final line of 16-of-27 for 160 yards in an ugly win over the 49ers.

Rank

Jordan Love

Green Bay Packers · Year 5

Love overcame a quiet first half last Thursday, leading an explosive final two quarters for the Packers, who scored 24 points in the second half and briefly took a fourth-quarter lead by capitalizing on a Detroit turnover on downs. He found Tucker Kraft for a 21-yard completion, setting up Josh Jacobs for the go-ahead rushing score. In the second half, Love looked much like he did a week earlier, delivering a performance worthy of a heavyweight title bout. Unfortunately for Green Bay, he never got the ball back after helping the Packers tie it up inside the final four minutes.

Rank

Sam Darnold

Minnesota Vikings · Year 7

Darnold showed no fear in Week 14, hunting long completions all afternoon. He was excellent in all facets -- on the move, under duress, from within the pocket and at every depth of target. His ability to avoid the rush before finding a wide-open Justin Jefferson for a score reminded me of his USC days, and he earned all five of his touchdown passes. This was a peak Darnold game in a season with plenty of good results.

Rank

Brock Purdy

San Francisco 49ers · Year 3

With so many injuries hampering San Francisco, I was worried we would never see Purdy at his best again this season. I was wrong. The 49ers took their blowout loss to Buffalo personally and unleashed their frustrations on Chicago, storming out of the gate with a few haymakers, including a great ball to George Kittle to set up their first score, a deep pass to Isaac Guerendo to set up their second score and a rope ripped over the middle to Jauan Jennings for their third score. Before the Bears knew it, they were down 21-0 and clear victims of Purdy's passing prowess. Purdy throws one of the prettiest intermediate-to-deep passes in the NFL. Those tosses powered a runaway win over lowly Chicago.

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Purdy produced one of his best outings of 2024 in Week 14, then followed it up with an unsightly one on Thursday night, completing just 14 of his 31 passes for 142 yards and throwing an ill-fated pass under pressure that was easily intercepted in the end zone. Wet conditions didn't help Purdy, who missed out on a great scoring opportunity when Deebo Samuel dropped an on-target pass on the edge of the Rams' red zone, capturing the difficulties of the night in a 12-6 loss to Los Angeles.

Rank

Russell Wilson

Pittsburgh Steelers · Year 13

Unlike the previous week's 414-yard performance, Wilson didn't erupt for a ton of passing yards against Cleveland. In fact, the Steelers' offense had a tough time getting going in the first half. Wilson found his rhythm in the third quarter, completing 6 of 8 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns, including a nice toss on the run to Van Jefferson for a score, and a fireball launched between two defenders down the seam to Pat Freiermuth for six. Wilson’s third quarter created the distance necessary to put away the Browns and move the Steelers to 10-3.

Rank

Geno Smith

Seattle Seahawks · Year 12

Zach Charbonnet commanded the headlines with his performance in Week 14, but Smith deserves plenty of credit for what he did in Seattle’s win. The veteran was incredibly steady against Arizona, standing and firing accurate passes all afternoon. He found ways to extract positive plays from chaotic scenarios. His best throw was his only touchdown pass of the day, on a corner route run by Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks have become a fun team to watch because of their ascending defense, and guys like Smith-Njigba, Charbonnet and, of course, Smith.

Rank

Justin Herbert

Los Angeles Chargers · Year 5

Herbert and the Chargers endured one of the most frustrating halves of football you'll ever see from a team with a winning record, finding themselves in an offensive drought until the third quarter against the Chiefs. A stubborn commitment to the run seemed to wedge open the door to offensive success for the Chargers in the second half, allowing Herbert to go to work. He finally found success in the third quarter, connecting on all seven of his pass attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown that gave Los Angeles a 14-13 lead entering the fourth. Herbert can use his cannon of an arm to make magic out of plays that looked like they were doomed, and he even turned to tight end Stone Smartt -- who posted a Sunday night receiving yards total that exceeded his season-long production -- to move the football in the absence of Ladd McConkey. He did enough to put the Chargers in position to win a game they ultimately lost in the final seconds.

Rank

Jayden Daniels

Washington Commanders · Rookie

Once seen as a runaway favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, Daniels fell back to earth during Washington's three-game losing streak from Weeks 10-12. He struggled to propel the Commanders' offense in a period that drew fresh criticism for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Those complaints have quieted since Daniels led the Commanders to a blowout win over Tennessee prior to the bye, but the month ahead will be a true test of Daniels and the upstart Commanders. Regardless, I think the future is bright with Daniels, a quarterback who is well equipped to succeed in today's NFL, presenting threats with his arm, legs and uncanny composure as a rookie.

Rank

Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins · Year 5

There were some rough patches for the Dolphins in Week 14, but Tagovailoa continued to play efficient football, completing 70 percent of his passes and tossing two touchdowns. He's done a great job of keeping the offense moving with short and intermediate throws, and he stepped up in a few high-pressure situations. He led a scoring drive that ended with a courageous fourth-down touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill and followed it up with an identical throw to Jaylen Waddle for a crucial two-point conversion. That was just the beginning for Tagovailoa, who led another quick, short drive late to help the Dolphins tie the game and send it to overtime. He leaned on Jonnu Smith to move down the field in eight plays in OT, capping the comeback effort with a walk-off touchdown toss to Smith. Tagovailoa has been excellent in protecting possession and largely avoiding risk, going without a turnover in each of his last four games while keeping the Dolphins in the fight every week with his arm. He’s keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Rank

Baker Mayfield

Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Year 7

Mayfield’s unwillingness to give up on a play is becoming a bit of an issue. On one Week 14 snap deep in Raiders territory, Mayfield dropped back to throw, pump faked to set up a double move, saw Cade Otton breaking into a small amount of open space, and with the pocket collapsing in on him, attempted to loft a pass over a safety to Otton. He ended up missing everyone but Jack Jones, who snagged the interception in the back of the end zone, marking Mayfield's fourth pick in his last two games. Mayfield managed to settle in, though, leading a couple of touchdown drives to seal the win. The Buccaneers tend to start fast under offensive coordinator Liam Coen, and Mayfield plays an essential part in that effort. He just needs to cut down on the risks that end up hurting Tampa Bay.

Rank

Kyler Murray

Arizona Cardinals · Year 6

Murray got off on the right foot in Week 14, leading a touchdown drive that ended in a very pretty 41-yard scoring toss to Michael Wilson. That was the high point, though. Murray thought he'd found a crease to fit the ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. behind spot-dropping linebacker Ernest Jones IV, but Jones' ability to spin around and track the ball resulted in an interception. The negative plays snowballed when Murray hesitated in the pocket on the next possession before trusting his arm too much when releasing a pass that had too much air under it, leaving the ball hanging for Seattle's second takeaway in as many possessions. That started a sequence of disjointed offensive possessions, which the Cardinals didn't overcome until late in the third quarter when they were down 27-10. Murray finished on a fairly positive note, leading one final touchdown drive, but his early miscues cost his team dearly.

Rank

Bryce Young

Carolina Panthers · Year 2

Young continues to impress me. Week 14 was always going to be a difficult matchup against Philadelphia's ascending defense, but Young found a way to make his mark. He improvised and threw on the run to keep the chains moving, ran a few times for positive gains and delivered in key moments (e.g., his touchdown pass to Tommy Tremble on fourth-and-goal). Young's greatest error -- an interception on a pass he sailed beyond his intended target -- led to an Eagles score, but once again, I felt as if Young handled the moment well. He's also proving he has a clutch gene. Much like he did in Week 13, Young made a couple of excellent throws with the game on the line. His second -- a perfect ball dropped in behind the safety to Xavier Legette -- should have gone for a touchdown, but Legette didn't fully secure the ball as he tumbled to the ground. That's not on Young, and neither is the Panthers' record. He just keeps proving why he's once again the face of the Panthers' future.

Rank

Jalen Hurts

Philadelphia Eagles · Year 5

If you'd only listened to the postgame comments following the Eagles' win over the Panthers, you'd have thought Hurts couldn't connect with any of his teammates. Wrong. Hurts wasn't a prolific passer, but he did make a handful of excellent throws, including both of his touchdown passes. As a unit, Philadelphia's offense encountered some roadblocks, especially on designed Hurts runs. But his creation was a big reason why the Eagles won the game. Hurts' 15-yard scramble up the middle of the field pushed the Eagles into the red zone, setting up his eventual rocket of a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. Hurts made an even bigger play later in the game, taking off for a 35-yard scramble to position the offense inside Carolina's 10. Two plays later, he fired another rocket over the middle to Grant Calcaterra for a touchdown. Sure, Hurts isn't a high-volume passer right now, and A.J. Brown and Smith aren't seeing a ton of targets. But Hurts is still leading the Eagles to victory without committing major mistakes.

Rank

Bo Nix

Denver Broncos · Rookie

Nix has steadily improved from an uneven start to his ��career, so much so that Broncos fans are now aggressively pounding the table for his Offensive Rookie of the Year candidacy (if you need proof, just check my mentions). He's at his best outside of the pocket, where he can rely on his athleticism to make plays, but he's also finding more success from within the pocket in recent weeks. His two-interception outing against Cleveland was his first such showing since way back in mid-September, yet the Broncos still found a way to win. He's paired with the right coach in Sean Payton and is on the right track; we'll see what that means for Denver's postseason aspirations.

Rank

Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears · Rookie

If I could give the Bears anything for Christmas, it would be a book of matches -- perhaps someone could use it to light a fire under them at the outset of games. Week 14 gave us yet another example of a slow start putting the Bears well behind their opponent before Williams settled in and started to work his magic. His first touchdown pass to Rome Odunze was special, both for the throw and the catch, and seemed to wake up Chicago's offense, which marched down the field again two possessions later for another Williams touchdown pass to Odunze. The problem, though, is evident in the final numbers: Williams reached the break with just 27 passing yards and finished with 134 in a loss created by their first-half slumber. If Williams can just put together four quarters of quality play instead of two, we'll start to see what the future could hold for him.

Rank

C.J. Stroud

Houston Texans · Year 2

A leaky offensive line, injuries in the receiving corps and a general lack of offensive rhythm have all dragged Stroud down in 2024. He still has razor-sharp accuracy, a quick release and plenty of athletic gifts, but it just hasn't produced the same performance we saw from him during his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign. The Texans are fortunate to exist in the dreadful AFC South, where they have time to figure it out. If they do so, Stroud will play a key part in that late push. For now, though, he's fallen short of the sky-high expectations he carried into his sophomore season.

Rank

Aaron Rodgers

New York Jets · Year 20

Rodgers hasn't yet produced a performance that is on the same level as what we saw from him during his Packers career, but I think his Week 14 showing is a strong candidate for his best game as a Jet. For starters, he finally cleared 300 passing yards, the first time he's done so since the 2021 season. He made a handful of clutch throws against Miami, thrived when targeting Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson, and even ripped a classic rope to Adams along the goal line for a touchdown. New York lost the game, but Rodgers gave the team a chance.

Rank

Jameis Winston

Cleveland Browns · Year 10

Facing third-and-9 in a 3-0 game in Pittsburgh in Week 14, Winston escaped the pocket to his left and appeared determined to scramble for a first down when he found Jerry Jeudy streaking across the field to open space. Winston flipped his hips just enough to loft a pass against his momentum to Jeudy, who caught it and trotted into the end zone for a touchdown. He threw a jump-ball touchdown to David Njoku later on and ended up completing 24 of 41 passes, but as is typical of a Winston outing, he also threw two interceptions, including one that ended the Browns’ last chance to climb back into the game. Winston keeps Cleveland competitive and entertaining, but we know he has his limitations.

Rank

Derek Carr

New Orleans Saints · Year 11

We saw a typical Carr game in Week 14, but in smaller bites. He threw a handful of quality passes dropped between defenders for big gains, and showed a nice, quick release on his only touchdown pass in the win over the Giants. But Carr also threw a typical 50/50 ball that ended in an interception and struggled to sustain drives before injuring his hand on a scramble with a dive attempt. He's essentially the Dalton Line at this point: Not good enough to get you into title contention, but too good to necessarily warrant a prompt change at the position. Now, we'll see Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler battle it out for the prestigious right to fill in for Carr as long as he's out.

Rank

Kirk Cousins

Atlanta Falcons · Year 13

Cousins was better in Week 14 than he'd been in the previous three weeks. He threw some nice intermediate passes, manipulated the defense with his eyes and even mixed in a little play-action, which has been notably absent from Atlanta's offense this year. Despite throwing an interception after hesitating in the first half, Cousins played well enough to keep Atlanta right in the thick of this game through three quarters. His second interception -- in which he missed Kyle Pitts by sailing a pass over him in the wrong direction -- doomed the Falcons' comeback attempt, though, making for a lopsided final score in a game that had been competitive until the final eight minutes. On the bright side, the calls for Michael Penix Jr. might not be as loud this week, but Cousins definitely needs to find a way to throw the Falcons back into the end zone if they're going to salvage this once-promising season.

Rank

Drake Maye

New England Patriots · Rookie

Maye isn't quite there yet, but if he finishes 2024 with a collection of strong performances, he just might find himself in the Offensive Rookie of the Year discussion. Maye has already exceeded expectations in his first season, proving he's capable of handling the starting duties for a team that has plenty of issues elsewhere. Maye should be the Patriots’ long-term quarterback and makes them a squad worth watching.

Rank

Anthony Richardson

Indianapolis Colts · Year 2

Richardson has already experienced getting benched this season and he hasn't yet proven he can be a consistently effective passer, but it sure is fun to watch him operate in high-pressure situations. His efforts in a comeback win over New England prior to the Colts’ bye showed us why the team is pushing forward with him. If he can ever dial in his accuracy, he can be a great quarterback who presents a threat to beat you with his arm and legs on every down.

Rank

Will Levis

Tennessee Titans · Year 2

Levis’ performance against the Jags last weekend was his most frustrating outing to watch since his first month of the season. He wasn't asked to do much early, and perhaps that robbed him of getting into a rhythm. He also had targets drop passes, was clobbered by pass rushers on a few occasions and couldn’t overcome Calvin Ridley’s on a crucial third down late in the fourth quarter. Levis has been better in recent weeks, but he was far from his best versus Jacksonville, which explains how the Titans could waste a 100-yard rushing day from Tony Pollard and lose to one of the worst teams in football at home.

Rank

Aidan O'Connell

Las Vegas Raiders · QB

The Raiders wasted multiple opportunities against the Bucs that might have seen them climb back into the game, and O’Connell wasn’t free from sin. His -- on a pass forced to Brock Bowers that never had a chance of being completed -- ended an otherwise encouraging 16-play drive that had the Raiders knocking on the door. O’Connell was ruled out of the game in the fourth quarter due to injury, ending a day marked by missed chances. On the bright side, he finally scrambled for a positive gain -- the first of his career -- picking up four yards and a first down. Add in his two QB sneaks also from Sunday (one was for a touchdown), and he now has a total of six rushing yards on the year.

Rank

Mac Jones

Jacksonville Jaguars · Year 4

Jones' final stat line against the Titans listed two interceptions next to his name, and both were certainly his fault. One ended up being irrelevant due to when it happened in the game (final seconds of the second half), but the other, on the Jags’ opening possession, stemmed from a throw that into coverage. The look of visible displeasure on Thomas’ face after that errant pass explains where this offense is with Jones at the helm. The former Patriot threw for 220 yards and completed 23 of 31 passes, but he also didn't see much success until the fourth quarter. I'll give him credit for connecting with Thomas on a 31-yard completion that set up Tank Bigsby's game-deciding touchdown, but that's where the credit ends with a quarterback who is a firm backup at best.

Rank

Cooper Rush

Dallas Cowboys · Year 7

Rush didn't have to try to carry the Cowboys for most of Monday night's affair because Rico Dowdle was busy posting a career-best 131 yards on 18 carries. But the 31-year-old passer was asked to convert in a few key spots. His throw to KaVontae Turpin on third-and-2 early in the third quarter might have been his best play of the night, save for his -- their first scoring connection of the year -- on Dallas’ opening possession. That was largely it for Rush highlights, though. We know Rush is an average-or-worse backup -- but we've seen worse.

Rank

Drew Lock

New York Giants · Year 6

The ceiling on this team is low already, and Lock certainly doesn't raise it. In fact, Lock's best value to this offense is probably as a runner rather than a thrower. Although it’s not quite fair to hold him solely responsible for the team’s offensive dysfunction, which existed well before he entered the starting lineup, it's kind of amazing how much the Giants look like a disjointed, sandlot-style unit right now. To Lock’s credit, he made a few nice quick throws against the Saints, as well as an excellent pass on a fourth-and-10 late in the game to keep New York’s hopes alive. He also scrambled for a huge gain to set up their ill-fated game-tying field-goal attempt. But I don't get excited to watch Lock play quarterback for the Giants. It's as simple as that.

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