QB Power Rankings: Trevor Lawrence and Tua break into top-10

Sep 28, 2022 - 4:01 PM

Week 3 of the NFL was another good one with a plethora of surprises. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes each fell as the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs lost their first games of the season. Cooper Rush might be the next big thing as he is now 3-0 all-time as the Cowboys starting quarterback.

After major question marks heading into the season, Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa showed why coaching matters. Both continued their strong starts to the season and that’s reflected in this week’s power rankings.

Every week this season, I will be power-ranking the NFL quarterbacks based on their previous weeks’ performance. Just because a quarterback is low now, doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t rise as the season goes on. You can check out last week’s rankings here.

Tier 1

1. Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 4)

Both Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes had down weeks which moves Lamar Jackson to the top spot after Week 3. However, Jackson has also earned this spot. He leads the NFL in quarterback DVOA and passer rating and ranks second in EPA per drop back. Against the blitz, his efficiency is the best of any quarterback in any season over the last 10 years.

2. Josh Allen - Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 1)

Allen is quite legitimately the entire Bills offense. On Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, he threw the ball 63 times and rushed another eight times. That’s 71 plays centered around Allen. However, he had six turnover-worthy plays according to Pro Football Focus. Allen has made it look easy in two blowouts to start the year, but in a close game on the road against a division rival, he started to force throws.

3. Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 2)

Mahomes threw his first interception of the season in what was a pretty pedestrian performance against the Indianapolis Colts. He completed just 20-of-35 passes for 262 yards. The Colts game out with a great game plan and the front four was able to get after the Chiefs quarterback. A tough matchup against the Buccaneers defense awaits.

4. Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 8)

No quarterback has flown up the rankings as much as Hurts has this season. He started the year at 16 and now has jumped all the way into the top-5. The Eagles quarterback is most certainly in the MVP conversation. He currently has 1,083 total yards which is the most of any Eagles quarterback in franchise history and only Allen has more this season.

5. Justin Herbert - Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: 3)

It’s difficult to watch elite quarterbacks when you know they aren’t able to perform at their best. That was Herbert on Sunday against the Jaguars. Not only is Joe Lombardi’s offense limiting Herbert, but his rib injury is also causing a lot of pain. He was only 25-of-45 with a touchdown and interception, but still showed what he is capable of.

6. Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers (Last Week: 6)

Rodgers again remains at the number six spot. He’s been playing much better since Week 1 against Minnesota, but is still trying to figure it out with his new wide receivers. Even still, he had a 103.1 passer rating against the best pass defense in the NFL. This offense is going to take time to gel, but by the end of the season, they might just be a well-oiled machine.

7. Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 7)

It was a Week 1 to forget for Stafford, but over the last two weeks, he’s seemed to find his rhythm. He started 12-for-12 against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 and then picked up where he left off against the Cardinals. With the Rams needing a win, Stafford ranked third in EPA per drop back, going an efficient 18-for-25 for 249 yards.

Stafford didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the first time as a member of the Rams. However, his spin move on and completion to Cooper Kupp on 3rd-and-11 was the play of the game. If Stafford plays like he did on Sunday, you won’t see many complaints going forward.

8. Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week: 14)

It would have been such a shame to see a talent like Trevor Lawrence wasted. That’s how things looked to be headed after his rookie season in which he tied for the league lead in interceptions. The Jaguars hiring Doug Pederson was the best move for him and it’s great to see him playing at the level most knew he would. He ranks top-3 in the NFL in DVOA, DYAR, and completion percentage over expectation. If Lawrence keeps this up, the Jaguars might just compete for a playoff spot.

Tier 2

9. Tom Brady - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 5)

Brady has dropped out of tier 1. However, it’s more than justified right now. Yes, he was without his top-two wide receivers against a good Packers defense. Still, this season he ranks 19th in EPA per drop back and 17th in QBR. This offense will get healthier as the season goes on, but until then, Brady is in some trouble.

10. Tua Tagovailoa - Miami Dolphins (Last Week: 12)

Our second newest addition to the top-10 is Tua and you could argue that he should be in the top-5. He ranks top-5 in nearly every major statistic and leads the NFL in QBR. Adding Mike McDaniel and speed at wide receiver has benefited the Dolphins quarterback a ton. For a quarterback that was said to not have a strong arm, he’s currently the best deep-ball passer in the NFL from a statistical standpoint.

11. Russell Wilson - Denver Broncos (Last Week: 10)

Wilson led his second fourth-quarter comeback as a member of the Broncos on Sunday. This one came with a classic, methodical game-winning drive with Wilson making spectacular throws against a tough 49ers defense. Wilson has struggled throwing over the middle of the field which were some of the same problems that persisted in Seattle.

12. Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: 9)

Seven of Cousins’ last eight quarters haven’t been very good. However, he turned it around in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions and that was enough to get the win. His EPA per drop back of .139 ranked ninth in the NFL in fourth quarter on Sunday. The 10-point comeback even against a struggling Lions defense was impressive.

13. Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: 11)

Burrow had his best game of the season on Sunday, but it also came against a Jets defense that ranks last in the NFL in DVOA. Hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come, but an opportunistic Dolphins defense on a short week is next. Burrow will need to be on his A-game.

14. Derek Carr - Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week: 16)

The Raiders are 0-3 and all three losses have come by six points or less. Carr hasn’t played great in those losses, ranking 19th in passer rating and 20th in completion percentage over expectation. The Raiders quarterback completed barley 50 percent of his passes against an underwhelming Titans secondary. He and Davante Adams need to get on the same page.

15. Jared Goff - Detroit Lions (Last Week: 20)

The Lions have one of the more fun offenses in the NFL and that offense is led by Jared Goff. Yes, Goff sometimes has his moments, but he has his bright spots as well. His current passer rating is the highest it’s been since the 2018 season. Goff is playing well and the Lions are playing competitive football because of it.

16. Ryan Tannehill - Tennessee Titans (Last Week: 19)

Tannehill simply is who he is at this point. He’s a very efficient passer that isn’t going to elevate the players around him. Against a struggling Raiders defense, he completed 70 percent of his passes and threw for 264 yards. It wasn’t a great performance, but he didn’t lose the game for the Titans.

Tier 3

17. Kyler Murray - Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: 13)
18. Jacoby Brissett - Cleveland Browns (Last Week: 25)
19: Cooper Rush - Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 27)
20. Jimmy Garoppolo - San Francisco 49ers (Last Week: 18)
21. Carson Wentz - Washington Commanders (Last Week: 15)
22: Geno Smith - Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: 22)
23: Marcus Mariota - Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: 24)
24. Mac Jones - New England Patriots (Last Week: 17)

Cooper Rush is now 2-0 all-time on Monday Night Football after defeating the New York Giants. As a rookie, Dak Prescott took over for Tony Romo, an undrafted free agent. Now Rush, an undrafted free agent, is taking over for Prescott. While the Cowboys will likely go back to Prescott, Rush is playing well. He ranks top-10 in both DVOA and QBR.

Tier 4

25. Jameis Winston - New Orleans Saints (Last Week: 21)
26: Daniel Jones - New York Giants (Last Week: 23)
27. Joe Flacco - New York Jets (Last Week: 28)
28. Davis Mills - Houston Texans (Last Week: 26)
29. Matt Ryan - Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: 29)
30. Baker Mayfield - Carolina Panthers (Last Week: 30)
31. Mitchell Trubisky - Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 31)
32. Justin Fields - Chicago Bears (Last Week: 32)

Justin Fields has attempted 45 passes this season. There were five quarterbacks who threw 45 passes last week alone. The Bears haven’t done a lot to support Fields. The offensive line is still bad and they simply don’t have any weapons. Still, he’s made some very bad decisions with the ball. Hopefully he’s able to turn it around, but so far, it doesn’t look good.