Quarterbacks… kind of stunk in Week 8?
Whatever’s going on with Patrick Mahomes is still going on, plus Tom Brady, Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert were among a group of QBs to throw multiple picks.
That certainly shakes up the top 10 of the QB power rankings this week and even gives way to a new leader.
32. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
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Last week's ranking: N/A
Season stats: 5-of-7, 68 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Hoo boy. Hopefully Aaron Rodgers is OK, but Love has the opportunity to increase the drama in Green Bay tenfold.
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31. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Week 8 stats: N/A
Season stats: 12 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 77 rush yards, 3 rush TD
Hill probably isn’t a starting QB, but he’ll have the chance to be now as long as he’s healthy after Jameis Winston's season-ending injury.
30. Davis Mills, Houston Texans
Last week’s ranking: 30
Week 7 stats: 23-of-32, 135 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 1,047 yards, 5 TD, 7 INT
Poor Mills. He isn’t ready and the Texans are a mess. If and when they trade Deshaun Watson, can they get some sort of stopgap veteran QB in there?
29. Mike White, New York Jets
Last week’s ranking: 32
Week 8 stats: 37-of-45, 405 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Season stats: 607 yards, 4 TD, 4 INT
After playing the hero in his first NFL start, White gets another go for the Jets. This time it will be on Thursday Night Football against the Colts. If he wins in prime time, the Jets' QB situation will officially be a story.
28. Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team
Last week’s ranking: 24
Week 8 stats: 24-of-39, 270 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 10 rush yards
Season stats: 1,928 yards, 11 TD, 9 INT, 232 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Now would be the time if Washington wanted to make a change at quarterback, but Ron Rivera says the 2-6 Football Team is sticking with Heinicke.
27. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Last week’s ranking: 31
Week 8 stats: 19-of-27, 175 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 103 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Season stats: 991 yards, 3 TD, 7 INT, 243 rush yards, 2 rush TD
The numbers don’t jump off the page, but Fields looked really good for stretches of the Bears’ loss to the 49ers. Fields has a ways to go, but he’s improving.
26. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Last week’s ranking: 28
Week 8 stats: 22-of-32, 222 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 12 rush yards
Season stats: 1,949 yards, 7 TD, 5 INT, 241 rush yards, 2 rush TD
It’s tough to tell whether the Giants are bad because of Daniel Jones or the other way around.
25. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Last week’s ranking: 25
Week 7 stats: BYE
Season stats: 1,465 yards, 7 TD, 8 INT, 121 rush yards, 2 rush TD
Lawrence had the bye week to figure out how to build off his first NFL win. He’s yet to have a particularly impressive game this season.
24. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Last week’s ranking: 23
Week 8 stats: 25-of-34, 222 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 1,995 yards, 8 TD, 6 INT
It’s not Goff’s fault that the Lions are winless, but if they had anything else at QB they’d have probably replaced him by now. Might as well given where the team is at this point.
23. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
Last week’s ranking: 27
Week 8 stats: 17-of-28, 322 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 2 rush TD
Season stats: 1,428 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT, 3 rush TD
Garoppolo bounced back nicely from his rough performance against the Colts. His Week 8 performance was probably his best game of the season.
22. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Last week’s ranking: 20
Week 8 stats: 21-of-39, 205 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 10 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Season stats: 1,040 yards, 7 TD, 5 INT, 2 rush TD
Tagovailoa is officially still the guy in Miami after the Dolphins and Texans failed to swing a trade involving Deshaun Watson. You’ve still got to think Miami isn’t sold on Tua yet.
21. Whoever Starts for the Carolina Panthers
Last week’s ranking: 21 (Sam Darnold)
Week 8 stats: 13-of-24, 129 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 66 rush yards (Darnold)
It’ll either be Darnold, who’s in the concussion protocol, or backup P.J. Walker. Even if it’s Darnold, he hasn’t been what he was early on in the season.
20. Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Last week’s ranking: 19
Week 8 stats: 18-of-35, 218 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 10 rush yards
Season stats: 1,997 yards, 9 TD, 6 INT
Where Mac Jones stands in Offensive Rookie of the Year race
Unless he’s playing the Jets, Jones is completely unremarkable. He isn’t playing the Jets this week.
19. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Last week’s ranking: 26
Week 8 stats: 20-of-31, 225 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 1,699 yards, 6 TD, 3 INT, 1 rush TD
Mayfield was meh in his return from a shoulder injury. He’d been playing pretty well leading up to his injury.
18. Whoever Starts for the Seattle Seahawks
Last week’s ranking: 29 (Geno Smith)
Week 8 stats: 20-of-24, 195 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 1 rush TD (Geno Smith)
You’ve got to think Russell Wilson has a good shot of playing after the Seahawks’ upcoming bye week. Smith has been OK in his absence, but getting Wilson back would be massive for the 3-5 Seahawks.
17. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Last week’s ranking: 22
Week 8 stats: 23-of-33, 265 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 26 rush yards
Season stats: 2,002 yards, 10 TD, 7 INT, 165 rush yards, 3 rush TD
The Titans are on a roll, even if Tannehill still isn’t what he was the last couple of years. His three touchdown passes last week matched his season high.
16. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Last week’s ranking: 18
Week 8 stats: 22-of-34, 266 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 1,781 yards, 8 TD, 4 INT
The days of Roethlisberger putting up big numbers are seemingly over, but he’s still helping the Steelers beat good teams. They’ll take that.
15. Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos
Last week’s ranking: 17
Week 8 stats: 19-of-26, 213 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 1,914 yards, 13 TD, 5 INT
As Bridgewater goes, so go the Broncos. The QB turned in his best performance since Week 3, resulting in Denver’s first win since then.
14. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 14
Week 8 stats: 9-of-14, 103 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 66 rush yards
Season stats: 1,819 yards, 10 TD, 4 INT, 432 rush yards, 5 rush TD
Hurts showed you can just manage the game and still blow out the Lions. I’m pretty sure you can do anything and still blow out the Lions.
13. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Last week’s ranking: 12
Week 8 stats: 20-of-27, 146 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Season stats: 1,814 yards, 13 TD, 6 INT
Especially with Calvin Ridley out, Ryan needs to create more of a connection with Kyle Pitts. He targeted the rookie tight end six times against the Panthers, but they connected on just two catches.
12. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
Last week’s ranking: 15
Week 8 stats: Bye
Season stats: 2,269 yards, 12 TD, 5 INT
Carr continues to see drastic change around him, as Henry Ruggs is obviously gone. We’ll see how he handles a big change at wide receiver.
11. Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts
Last week’s ranking: 11
Week 8 stats: 27-of-51, 231 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Season stats: 1,926 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT, 1 rush TD
Wentz had been good prior to last week and has still had a solid season, but the Colts are in a tough spot now. They’re seemingly not going to make the playoffs, so do they find some reason to bench Wentz so he doesn’t play the 75 percent of snaps that would send Philadelphia their first-rounder?
10. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Last week’s ranking: 13
Week 8 stats: 21-of-34, 259 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 2,215 yards, 20 TD, 9 INT
Are you allowed to move up the rankings if you lose to the Jets? Sure. Win or lose, Burrow is a touchdown machine.
9. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Last week’s ranking: 8
Week 8 stats: 29-of-48, 275 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Season stats: 2,368 yards, 19 TD, 10 INT, 229 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Maybe it’s silly, but I truly never envisioned Patrick Mahomes having a “bad stretch” in his career given that he was as great as anyone had ever been in his first two seasons. He’s in a funk, though, and is on pace for a whopping 20 interceptions this season.
8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Last week’s ranking: 7
Week 8 stats: 18-of-35, 223 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Season stats: 1,994 yards, 16 TD, 6 INT, 1 rush TD
Perry: Patriots' defense shines against Herbert, Chargers
So far, Herbert’s been elite or close to it over his first two seasons as long as he isn’t facing Bill Belichick. Unfortunately for him in Week 8, he faced Bill Belichick.
7. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Last week’s ranking: 9
Week 8 stats: 23-of-35, 184 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 18 rush yards
Season stats: 1,953 yards, 14 TD, 2 INT
Cousins was very disappointing against the Cowboys, but he wasn’t as bad as some of his peers in the top 10. Against all odds, he moves up the list.
6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Last week’s ranking: 10
Week 8 stats: BYE
Season stats: 1,943 yards, 10 TD, 5 INT, 480 rush yards, 2 rush TD
Jackson will come off the bye having not produced multiple touchdowns in a game since Week 5. The Vikings just got lit up by Cooper Rush, so that should be easy enough.
5. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Last week’s ranking: 3
Week 8 stats: 22-of-33, 274 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 21 rush yards
Season stats: 2,276 yards, 17 TD, 7 INT, 147 rush yards, 3 rush TD
Murray turned in his worst performance of the season and still came an attentive A.J. Green away from beating the Packers. He’s still got the second-best MVP odds.
4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Last week’s ranking: 5
Week 8 stats: N/A
Season stats: 1,813 yards 16 TD, 4 INT
It’s tough to miss a week due to injury and still move up, but Prescott has the poor play of guys like Murray, Herbert and Mahomes to thank for that.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Last week’s ranking: 6
Week 8 stats: 29-of-42, 249 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 55 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Season stats: 1,972 yards, 17 TD, 3 INT, 269 rush yards, 3 rush TD
The MVP favorite is on a tear that should only continue against the Jaguars Sunday. If he continues his pace of the last few weeks while mixing in a few monster performances, the MVP will be within reach.
2. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last week’s ranking: 1
Week 8 stats: 28-of-40, 375 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
Season stats: 2,650 yards, 25 TD, 5 INT, 1 rush TD
Brady makes rare late mistake in loss to Saints
We should know by now that Brady stinks against the Saints, so his up-and-down performance should have been seen a mile away. He’ll use the bye week to prepare for a stretch run that will see him chase his fourth MVP.
1. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Last week’s ranking: 2
Week 8 stats: 21-of-32, 305 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Season stats: 2,477 yards, 22 TD, 4 INT
We all figured Stafford would be really good in L.A., but he’s been great. He’s dealing with a sore back, but as long as he’s on the field, he’s dominant.
