Aaron RodgersAndy ReidNFL

2025 NFL Quarterback Rankings Week 15: The Texans May Have Ended the Postseason Streak for Patrick Mahomes After Chiefs Drop the Ball

Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar10/12/2025 - 10:33 am

After watching the last two prime-time games in NFL Week 14, and seeing the way those defenses got after Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert, a 44-year-old Philip Rivers has to be crazy to come out of retirement in 2025.

But that’s where this season is heading after the Colts signed the retired grandfather on Tuesday to their practice squad following the torn Achilles for Daniel Jones. The Colts basically didn’t have a healthy quarterback left, but rather than negotiating behind closed doors to get the Bengals to give up Joe Flacco, it looks like they really might explore this Rivers angle.

I’ll be shocked if I have to actually include him in the rankings this season, but anything is possible these days.

Each week at 365Scores, we are going to rank all 32 NFL quarterbacks from top to bottom. The methodology is to start with our preseason quarterback rankings from July, which were based on a mixture of career value and recent play. Then each week, we will adjust the rankings to account for the latest game to get a sense of which quarterbacks are performing the best in the 2025 season.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Week 14 rank: 1 (0)

Go back 10 months to right after Super Bowl 59, and I said this about Kansas City going forward: “But one thing we can no longer do is give the Chiefs the benefit of the doubt that they’ll be okay in a big game with offensive linemen playing out of position.”

Sunday night was a big game, arguably the biggest in the regular season for Patrick Mahomes’ career, with the Chiefs at 6-6 and needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. As fate would have it, they had to face Houston’s No. 1 defense without three offensive line starters, including both tackles.

Then on the first play of the game, left tackle Wanya Morris suffered a season-ending injury, putting undrafted free agent rookie Esa Pole onto the field, asking him to block Danielle Hunter while making his NFL debut.

It was the perfect storm for a disastrous night on scale with the Super Bowl losses to the 2020 Buccaneers and 2024 Eagles. On the surface, the Houston defense succeeded in doing so, leading Mahomes into the worst statistical game of his career in start No. 146:

  • Mahomes completed 14-of-33 passes for a career-low 42.4% completion percentage.
  • Mahomes’ 19.8 passer rating is the lowest of his career, replacing the 44.4 against the 49ers in 2024.
  • It’s the first game in Mahomes’ career where he threw 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions (he scored at least 33 points and had multiple touchdowns in his three other games with 3 interceptions).
  • It’s the only home start in Mahomes’ career where he was held under 13 points, scoring 10 points on 13 drives and snapping a 36-game streak with at least 16 team points scored.
  • Before two meaningless completions for 29 yards in the final 22 seconds, Mahomes was sitting on 131 passing yards, which would have been his first full game under 150 yards in his career.

Alas, Sunday night was not like the Super Bowl losses where Mahomes was running for his life against Tampa Bay, or getting destroyed in the first half against the 2024 Eagles. The backup-filled offensive line did a respectable job, especially Pole, who either had beginner’s luck with no tape on him, or he might have a future at right tackle for this team. Mahomes did finish with his second-highest pressure rate (42.9%), second-most pressures (18), and second-longest average time to throw (3.24 seconds) in 2025, but those numbers could have been so much worse given the matchup on paper.

Instead, Kansas City’s most disappointing loss of the last eight regular seasons came in the ways you’d least expect: Andy Reid making terribly aggressive fourth-down decisions and dropped passes by the receivers.

The box-score scouts will have a field day with this game for years to come, and yet, it’s probably the most misleading stat line of Mahomes’ career. There’s a reason he was only charted with 3 bad throws per Pro Football Reference despite the 19 incompletions, which included six drops, three throwaways due to pressure, and one spike per charting.

Sunday night ended up being the most egregious game of Mahomes’ career in terms of dropped passes. You wouldn’t have expected that early as in the first 40 minutes of the game, backup tight end Noah Gray had the only two drops. The second shouldn’t even count, to be honest, because the pass was slightly off and he only got one hand on it. But the first Gray drop was a harbinger of the night to come as it came on third down to force the Chiefs into a three-and-out to start the game.

Offense was not going to come easy for the Chiefs given the offensive line situation, and it’s not a surprise Mahomes led the team in rushing with 59 yards. But they were in a grinding game, and they fought back from a 10-0 halftime deficit to get it to 10-7 in the third quarter.

Then after taking over in great field position for a change with just under 20 minutes left in the game, that’s when the mistakes really picked up. Mahomes went deep to try to hit a 48-yard touchdown to Tyquan Thornton in the end zone, and the ball got on his hands. But Kamari Lassiter did a great job to knock the ball away. They don’t consider that a drop, but Thornton can make that catch. That was one of seven passes defensed by the Texans on the night, the most the Chiefs have had in a home/neutral game since Mahomes had a career-high 9 passes defensed in Super Bowl 55 against Tampa Bay.

The drive eventually bogged down to a game-tying field goal after Kareem Hunt couldn’t squeeze a quick 3rd-and-2 pass the Chiefs had set up perfectly to convert. Instead of going for it, they settled for 3 points, another curious decision by Reid but far from his worst on the night.

For a Kansas City team that usually gets the ball eight or nine times a game, Sunday night was a 13-drive defensive slugfest in the cold. The defenses were hitting hard as this game was very important for Houston’s playoff chances too. This is where Reid failed to adjust, because he coached the fourth quarter like it was the Dallas shootout where he was criticized for punting on fourth down in opponent territory.

This was a much different game, and it’s why Mahomes could get away with an arm punt interception on 3rd-and-6 at his own 42 to start the fourth quarter in a 10-10 game. That is the definition of an arm punt too. Not in field goal range, not in four-down territory, and he got it deep to net 43 yards of field position. It’d make no difference if he missed it incomplete and they punted the next play.

Houston punted the ball back and the Chiefs had another shot with 11:25 left. But this is where the game was lost. After Mahomes got 9 yards on a 3rd-and-10 scramble, Reid had the offense go for 4th-and-1 at their own 31 with 10:22 left. It’s a very aggressive call that didn’t fit the flow of the game at all after C.J. Stroud couldn’t get the ball wet if he threw it to the ocean in the second half.

Then despite Kareem Hunt being close to automatic on these fourth-and-short calls, the Chiefs passed from the shotgun, and Stingley was riding Rashee Rice’s back to knock the ball away. The Texans took over on downs and only needed 31 yards to get the go-ahead touchdown.

On the ensuing drive, Reid had Mahomes go for the first down again on 4th-and-4 at his own 41 with 5:31 left, another hyper-aggressive move on the wrong night for it. Mahomes evaded the pressure, made a perfect pass, but Rice dropped it. Did he hear footsteps after taking a huge hit late in the third quarter and dropping another pass? Maybe, but he also had a huge drop in a 7-point game on third down in Dallas on Thanksgiving, so maybe he just lacks that clutch gene.

Even though Houston botched that situation and gave Mahomes the ball back at his own 8 with 3:44 left in what was still a 17-10 game, it was short lived.

Now it was Travis Kelce’s turn to add to the drops. He dropped a short one on first down with no one around him, then after Mahomes tried to lead him away from contact on a sail route that they hit all the time, Kelce let the ball go off his hands and into Houston’s for the third interception of the night. It’s the third time this season a Mahomes interception was off of a Kelce drop. It’s the first time in his career Kelce had a game with more drops (2) than catches (1).

And that was all she wrote. Six official drops, though I think you have to acknowledge the two other plays where Thornton couldn’t hold onto the deep touchdown, and the one where Rice took a big hit and lost the ball late (almost a fumble really). There’s seven plays, give or take one, where the quarterback put the ball on the receivers’ hands and they just didn’t make the play.

The box score is what it is but let this one be a good litmus test for who actually watched this game. In a must-win situation, Mahomes’ receivers let him down with four drive-killing drops, including a missed touchdown and a 20-yard catch turned into an interception, and most were in the last 20 minutes. That’s something you just don’t see in the NFL, let alone from a team that’s been to the last seven AFC Championship Games.

That’s not to say every pass should have been caught as the defense played hard too for Houston as it has all year. But with even minor help from his receivers, Mahomes is easily over 60% complete, over 200 passing yards, and 59 rushing yards in this game. Not bad for someone playing with a third-string left tackle and two other backups at right guard and right tackle.

It’s hard to imagine Mahomes will ever have a season as frustrating as this one, because despite the stat line in this game, he still has this offense ranked No. 1 in yards per drive, and he’s still No. 4 in QBR with games left against the Titans and Raiders.

But if this ends up being the “de-facto playoff loss of 2025” for the Chiefs, it’s yet another example of the Chiefs playing some of their absolute worst football in the biggest game of the season.

At some point, people might finally realize that’s an Andy Reid problem first and foremost, and the quarterback is the last guy who should be getting the blame (unless we’re talking about the second half of the 2021 AFC Championship Game, the only season-ending game where Mahomes was their biggest problem).

2. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Week 14 rank: 2 (0)

Matthew Stafford had a nice bounce-back game against the Cardinals on the road, throwing for 281 yards, 3 touchdowns, and even the running game had 249 yards in one of the season’s most dominant offensive displays.

The Cardinals used to be the only defense that could slow down Cooper Kupp in his prime, but they didn’t have an answer for Puka Nacua on Sunday. He had 7 catches for 167 yards and two scores, creating a highlight reel in one afternoon that PFF ended up grading as their best WR game ever, apparently.

3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Week 14 rank: 4 (+1)

Similar to their 2022 AFC divisional playoff game in the snow, the Bills were trailing the Bengals at home for much of the day. But the difference this year is the Bengals are competing for the worst scoring defense of the Super Bowl era, and Josh Allen broke their will on multiple big runs in the fourth quarter.

After James Cook fumbled on the way to the end zone to end the third quarter, the Bills were down 28-18. But after Jordan Battle nearly intercepted an Allen pass, the quarterback made the most of his second chance with a 40-yard touchdown scramble that quickly made it 28-25. That’s when the defense stepped up with the pick-six off Joe Burrow to take the lead, which is why Allen doesn’t get credit for any game-winning drive here.

Then the defense got another interception, setting up Allen in great field position to put it away with another touchdown pass on fourth down. But even after the Bengals cut it to 39-34 and sacked Allen to bring up 3rd-and-15, he embarrassed them one last time with a 17-yard run to seal the win.

It was a big, efficient and effective game for Allen after a month of spotty play. But that’s the Cincinnati defense. We’ll see how he fares in his rematch with the Patriots, who have won 10 games in a row and can win the AFC East on Sunday. If you go back to 2021, the Bills were in a similar spot, losing the 14-10 wind game to the 9-4 Patriots, but Allen came back to beat them twice with two of the best games of his career as the Bills established their AFC East dominance.

Let’s see what he does Sunday with a new MVP favorite (Drake Maye) looking to take the division Allen has owned for the last five years.

Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills
(Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Week 14 rank: 3 (-1)

In a virtual must-win game, the Cowboys essentially played like they always play in the Tony Romo and Dak Prescott eras. They gave up a ton of points, they turned the ball over, and they lost 44-30 in Detroit, dropping them to 6-6-1 and only holding out hope that they can keep winning (possible) and watch the Eagles fully collapse (possible).

Prescott wasn’t bad, but if people were building him up for MVP, he can’t settle for so many field goals against a top-tier offense like Detroit in that dome. But this game also showed the Cowboys exactly why you can’t pay George Pickens big money. In a big game, he was poor on his attention to details, was soft on a tipped ball that turned into a big interception in the third quarter, and had multiple penalties. Exactly why the Steelers cut bait.

Besides, overpaying for a WR2 is exactly how you end up in these positions, losing 44-30 games because you can’t play any defense. Look around the NFC. You don’t need a stud quarterback and a loaded receiving corps to succeed. Maybe the Rams do, but the Seahawks are right there with Sam Darnold throwing to JSN, and the Packers have Jordan Love just throwing to the open man.

5. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

Week 14 rank: 5 (0)

The Patriots (11-2) had their bye week. Up next is the big test against Buffalo with a chance to clinch the AFC East. We already looked at the Drake Maye vs. Matthew Stafford MVP debate here. It’s not so much this week that’s going to decide it but Week 16 that will when Maye faces Baltimore in prime time (flexed) after Stafford has to play at Seattle against an elite defense in a high-stakes game.

6. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

Week 14 rank: 6 (0)

Sam Darnold kept the sacks to just two in Atlanta, throwing three touchdowns and getting an easy 37-9 win after a tied first half. But the fact of the matter is ever since Darnold threw four picks against the Rams, we’ve seen him beat the Titans, Vikings, and Falcons in games where the Seahawks are giving up 11.0 points per game.

That’s not what he’s going to be judged by. We have to see him do it in the big games, and getting the Colts this week (no quarterback) isn’t going to be one of those games either because of the Daniel Jones injury. Instead, we’ll wait until Week 16 when he gets the rematch with the Rams on Thursday Night Football.

Not only is it fair to judge Darnold on that game, but it’s literally for first place in the NFC West and maybe even the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If the Seahawks win out, they win the NFC West, and that would give Darnold an unprecedented 14-3 record in back-to-back seasons with two different franchises.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 7: Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks looks on before the NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lumen Field on August 7, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.
(Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

7. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Week 14 rank: 8 (+1)

Jordan Love has really fallen in love with those fadeaway throws, but as long as they’re going for deep touchdowns to Christian Watson, the Packers will take them. The thing they’d like to see less from Love is the bad early interception that he had again in this one, but the Packers played well and protected the ball after that to get the 28-21 win.

It’s just funny how so much was made about Green Bay using a first-round pick on a wide receiver (Matthew Golden) for the first time since 2002. Yet, they barely use him, and it was Bo Melton, a player they’ve tried to play at cornerback, who had a 45-yard touchdown in this one. Golden still seeks his first NFL touchdown, but the Packers got Jayden Reed back too, so that’s another weapon for Love.

8. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Week 14 rank: 10 (-2)

Last Thursday against Dallas feels like ages ago for some reason. Goff played well, but it wasn’t really a game he had to do anything special in to score 44 points. It was a showcase for how great Jahmyr Gibbs can be as a receiver (caught all 7 targets for 77 yards), and Amon-Ra St. Brown gutted it out on a bad leg to put up 92 yards after it didn’t look like he’d even play.

9. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Week 14 rank: 7 (-2)

Lamar Jackson has a lot of boogeymen in his career from the Chiefs (1-6 record) to the Bills (2-4 record) to the playoffs in general (3-5). But the Steelers have also been a thorn in his side in the AFC North’s greatest rivalry.

But Jackson did something in 2024 that he hadn’t done before in his career, and that was stack good performances against Pittsburgh, beating them in December and then again in the wild card playoffs at home.

But on Sunday, in a game between two 6-6 teams with first place on the line, Jackson reverted to his old ways against the Steelers. He relied on the running game to carry the offense, he didn’t break 100 passing yards until the fourth quarter, he threw a bad pick that set up the Steelers on a 36-yard field for a touchdown drive, and he took some untimely sacks.

The defense was able to keep the Ravens in it in the fourth quarter, but it was another Jackson comeback that came up short. It was also another game where Isaiah Likely cost him a touchdown pass after a controversial overturned play that will probably get reviewed in the offseason for the catch language. It looked like Likely got two feet down, then the ball came out before he did a third act, and that’s why they reversed the call on the field. Not sure we need to make touchdowns that complicated.

That happened on a first down with 2:43 left. The Ravens were stopped on the next three plays in a 27-22 game, and it looked like Mark Andrews may have gotten in the way of a pass intended for DeAndre Hopkins in the back of the end zone on fourth down.

Jackson got the ball back with 1:56 left and a timeout. But between a holding penalty and multiple short passes caught inbounds, it took the Ravens 69 seconds and one timeout just to move 8 yards. Pitiful execution.

The drive did pick up from there, but after getting to the Pittsburgh 30, Jackson lost his chance to throw a Hail Mary for the win after Alex Highsmith sacked him to end the game and win it for Pittsburgh.

With a much tougher remaining schedule left for the Ravens compared to Pittsburgh, Baltimore may be lucky to have Week 18 in Pittsburgh be for the AFC North title in what would likely be the prime-time game to end the regular season. And Pittsburgh is where Jackson has had some of his worst games in this series, so losing this one at home hurts more.

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 19: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) congratulates Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) following the Kansas City Chiefs game versus the Baltimore Ravens on September 19, 2021 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
(Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

10. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts

Week 14 rank: 9 (-1)

You have to feel bad for Daniel Jones. He reinvented himself in Indy this year, had a great half season, then he tried to play on a fractured fibula, then in the biggest game for the Colts in the AFC South this year, he tore his Achilles on a non-contact play, ending his season.

Maybe it was always going to end poorly, but not like this. Now, the Colts have signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers to the practice squad as Anthony Richardson is still out, and Riley Leonard is injured too. That’s how desperate things are for the Colts in Week 15. With the remaining schedule, they may never win another game this season.

11. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Week 14 rank: 11 (0)

Justin Herbert might be certifiably insane. A week after surgery for a broken left hand, Herbert took a career-high 7 sacks, rushed 10 times for 66 yards, and was under siege against the Eagles’ pass rush all night. But he still managed to pull off a 22-19 overtime win because his defense turned Jalen Hurts over five times.

But I’m not sure how Herbert can possibly sustain this. Because of the sacks, the Chargers finished this game with 106 net passing yards, and 60 of those came on Herbert’s first completion of the night after Vidal made his best Darren Sproles impersonation to go 60 yards (59 YAC) on a short pass.

Luck of the Chargers. In a year where the Chiefs won’t win the AFC Wet, they have a Denver team at 11-2 that is favored to win it, and Herbert is playing with a mangled hand and no offensive tackles. Still hanging in there, but it doesn’t look good for playoff success.

12. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 14 rank: 12 (0)

There has to be something not right with Baker Mayfield’s health. Through Week 6, he was completing 66.2% of his passes and averaging 7.9 yards per attempt. He also played some strong defenses in that time (Seahawks, Texans, healthier Eagles/49ers, etc.). He was also scrambling very well.

Since then, he’s completing 57.7% of his passes and averaging 5.3 yards per attempt. He went a month without scrambling after that big run on 3rd-and-long against the 49ers. He’s gotten some weapons back like Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving, and he’s played some weak teams like these Saints twice. And yet, his numbers are way down and the Bucs keep losing games.

His connection with Emeka Egbuka has really deteriorated, and they missed on a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Saints. The Bucs missed on a lot of fourth downs (five to be exact) in that game, leading to the upset.

At 7-6, they’re tied with Carolina and the two matchups are coming soon. I think we’ll find out after the season is over that Mayfield was playing through some serious injury, because it doesn’t really make sense for his season to be so drastically different like this.

13. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Week 14 rank: 13 (0)

We know Joe Burrow to be a perfectionist, and he was pitching a near perfect game for over three quarters in the Buffalo snow, giving fans some hope that this team maybe could run the table again after all.

Then in one fateful dropback for a quick pass with the Bengals leading 28-25, Burrow was fooled by Chrisitan Benford, who snatched his lofted pass and returned it 63 yards for a (technically) game-winning touchdown. On the very next pass, Burrow’s throw was tipped at the line and also intercepted, setting up the Bills for another score.

Burrow threw his fourth touchdown in the nick of time to make it 39-34, but the defense was unable to get him the ball back. At 4-9, the Bengals should be done for the playoffs for the third year in a row.

But the loss continues so many trends for the Bengals. Another shootout that doesn’t go their way, another game where Burrow saves his worst play for the fourth quarter, and then he doesn’t bounce back to regain the lead. Remember, he’s won one game in the NFL when trailing in the final 8:00.

I think being a perfectionist at this position hurts Burrow more than it helps him, but the Bengals need a total housecleaning in the coaching staff. They can’t keep doing this with Zac Taylor.

14. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Week 14 rank: 14 (0)

When Ben Johnson said his team was 9-3 and winning in spite of their quarterback and the passing game, he wasn’t wrong. Williams threw for 11 yards on his first 11 passes in Green Bay before settling down and making some backyard plays to bring the team back again to a fourth-quarter tie.

But down 28-21, he saved his worst play for last with a game-ending interception in the end zone as the Bears fell to their archrivals they’ll see again in a few weeks.

15. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Week 14 rank: 16 (+1)

The 49ers (9-4) had their bye week, and it’s going to be a great opportunity these next two games against the Titans and Colts (no quarterback) to get to 11-4 and lock up a playoff berth. We might not see a real test for Brock Purdy again until Week 17 against the Bears, a possible wild card-deciding game.

16. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Week 14 rank: 17 (+1)

After how poorly things went last time out against the Raiders (that ghastly 10-7 game on a Thursday night), Sunday had to be better for Bo Nix, and it was. He led some really long drives, got into the end zone twice, and the Broncos only had seven real possessions in this one, and five of them that weren’t clock limited.

But tougher tests remain as the Broncos try to win the No. 1 seed. We already know they’ve helped dethrone Kansas City (6-7) in the AFC West this year. Now they just have to hold off the Chargers, the last team to beat the Broncos in Week 3.

17. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 14 rank: 19 (+2)

Aaron Rodgers turned 42 last week, but in Baltimore, he turned the clock back. After not completing a deep pass in the entire month of November, Rodgers hit four on Sunday, including a 55-yard bomb to D.K. Metcalf on the first play of the day. Rodgers also rushed for his first touchdown in over four years.

There’s nothing quite like the Baltimore defense to get a quarterback going, and Rodgers threw for a season-high 284 yards with most of that damage done in the first three quarters before the offense went cold. He also did this without any semblance of a running game (34 yards), joining Ben Roethlisberger as the only quarterbacks to win multiple games in their careers in games where they were outrushed by at least 170 yards.

It’s a Steelers vs. Ravens thing. But with this game, the Steelers take the lead in the AFC North and have a very winnable home game next Monday night with Miami. A good time for Rodgers to reassert himself as a first-ballot Hall of Famer who is going to lead this team to the playoffs.

The only downer is a potential No. 4 vs. No. 5 rematch with Buffalo looms in the wild card round, and the Bills roughed up Rodgers a week ago. But they can worry about that down the road if they get there.

18. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Week 14 rank: 18 (0)

C.J. Stroud made some great throws in the first half in Kansas City to build a 10-0 lead, then went ice cold in the second half. It wasn’t until the Chiefs turned it over on downs at their own 31 that the offense perked up to score the go-ahead touchdown, and the defense took care of the rest.

I said going into 2024 that the Texans with Stroud could be a new contender for the Chiefs to deal with in the AFC. Stroud was 0-2 against them last year, but he got the big win on Sunday to drop the Chiefs to 6-7 and severely damage their playoff chances while doing wonders for Houston’s.

But make no mistake about it, Houston is led by its defense this year, and if Stroud can play like he did in the first half in road playoff games this year, then he can get to the Super Bowl this February. Even before Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson get there.

19. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

Week 14 rank: 15 (-4)

What does one even do with Jalen Hurts at this point? He made history in Los Angeles by becoming the first quarterback to throw an interception and lose a fumble on the same play.

Hurts had one interception before Black Friday, and he has five since then, including four in LA in an overtime loss, the third-straight defeat for the Eagles (8-5). It was probably the most confusing game of his career, because in addition to all the turnovers, he still had a couple of great throws that A.J. Brown should have did a better job on, including one that went high off his hands for a pick, and this potential go-ahead touchdown with just over 2 minutes left:

But since the Eagles lost, people are mostly going to remember the historic double turnover play and the game-ending pick in overtime. Hurts is really struggling, but he’s not the only problem in Philly this year.

20. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

Week 14 rank: 20 (0)

Jacoby Brissett had his seventh start this season where he threw for at least 250 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He had seven such games in 2016-24 combined. No other quarterback in 2025 has more than seven such games, and Brissett has done this despite only starting eight games for Arizona.

Yet, does any of it matter? The Cardinals are 1-7 when Brissett starts, and every game is either a blowout (like Sunday’s 45-17 loss to the Rams) or he comes up short on the final drive.

Good for fantasy and prop bets though.

21. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

Week 14 rank: 21 (0)

The Panthers (7-6) had their bye week. We’ll see if Bryce Young and company can get a win in New Orleans, which just upset Tampa Bay to make the NFC South more interesting. Two games to come between the Panthers and Bucs means we’ll see some meaningful games for Young soon.

22. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 14 rank: 23 (+1)

Trevor Lawrence is 5-0 at home against the Colts in his career. But Sunday was significant in that it’s the first time in his career he’s won consecutive games where he completed under 60% of his passes, and he’s thrown 4 touchdowns and no picks in those games.

Coming into 2025, Lawrence was 2-25 when he didn’t complete better than 60%. He’s 4-3 in such games this year, including a win in three straight (he was exactly 60% against Arizona before the last two games under 60%). That’s the value of a new coach (Liam Coen) and a defense playing well.

The Jaguars should win the AFC South now with the Colts’ injuries, but don’t discount a Houston run too.

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - JUNE 11: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars throws a pass during a Jacksonville Jaguars mandatory minicamp at Miller Electric Center on June 11, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida.
(Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images)

23. Jaxson Dart, New York Giants

Week 14 rank: 22 (-1)

The Giants (2-11) had their bye week. We’ll get a good look at Jaxson Dart against a Washington defense that gave up three touchdown passes to J.J. McCarthy last week, so it’s a nice opportunity for Dart to put up numbers and get his third win as a starter.

24. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Week 14 rank: 24 (0)

For the second week in a row, the Dolphins won a game and Tua Tagovailoa had one of the lowest QBRs (19.1) for the week. I’m not entirely sure what he’s doing so wrong to get this low, but I do know he’s doing very little to contribute to the wins as the running game dominated (241 yards), and the Dolphins were up 21-0 in the blink of an eye on the Jets.

But fear not, Monday night will show his true colors in Pittsburgh on a cold night (his weakness). We’ll see if Miami, winners of four straight, is for real, or if they’ll just fold again on the road against a team that is somewhat competent.

25. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

Week 14 rank: 28 (+3)

After Tyler Shough rushed for the first two NFL touchdowns of his career, including a game-winner in the fourth quarter to upset Tampa, can we get the New Orleans’ coaching staff to agree to not use Taysom Hill anymore on these zone-read plays? Don’t take the ball out of the kid’s hands.

Similar to Jaxson Dart and even Shedeur Sanders, I find myself more impressed with Shough than No. 1 pick Cam Ward, and it’s only been a few games for him in New Orleans. These things can always change in time, but sometimes that rookie standout does prove to be the best in class in the long run (Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, etc.).

That’s not to say Shough has been the best rookie, but he’s giving a lot of encouraging signs for 2026.

26. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Week 14 rank: N/A (Marcus Mariota was No. 25)

Who thought it was a good idea to bring Jayden Daniels back on his bad elbow with the team at 3-9? Oh yeah, probably the same people who were fine to keep him in the game against Seattle (blowout loss) when he injured the elbow in the first place. Then he was visibly rusty in Minnesota, and re-injured the elbow on an interception return.

Marcus Mariota came in and nearly got Zach Ertz killed on a hospital ball, so the Commanders took the air out of the ball in a 31-0 loss after that. Just a brutal, miserable season for Daniels and this franchise after their best season since 1991 last year. A real shame.

27. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

Week 14 rank: 26 (-1)

I mean, what can you expect from Kirk Cousins against an elite Seattle defense without Drake London available at wide receiver? The first half was tight (6-6) before a 100-yard kick return and a Bijan Robinson fumble grew the gap from which Cousins couldn’t dig out of after a bad stat line to finish the day.

28. Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns

Week 14 rank: 30 (+2)

The Shedeur Sanders experience is quite possibly better than anyone hoped for. He has pumped some life into that offense, throwing for 364 yards, 3 touchdowns, and rushing for his first touchdown after nearly pulling off a late comeback against the Titans. But the coach took him off the field on the game-tying 2-point conversion attempt, and their trick play failed miserably. A very controversial decision.

But we’re also noticing that Sanders’ two better starts came against the Raiders and Titans, who are as bad as any teams in the NFL this year. When he faced the 49ers, he lost 26-8. So, let’s see how he fares against the Bears next as he has been named the starter for the rest of the season.

While he outplayed Cam Ward in this game, just keep in perspective the difference in coaching and opposing defense in that matchup. Maybe Sanders will be better than given credit for in April’s draft, but this game is not the time to be crowing him QB1 after all.

29. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders

Week 14 rank: 29 (0)

Is it time to let Kenny Pickett start a game to see what they have there? Geno Smith left the Denver loss with an injury, and the game didn’t go as poorly for him as the previous matchup (10-7) with Denver that we had to sit through on a Thursday night. But it’s hard to see why this relationship with Geno and the Raiders should continue.

30. Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets

Week 14 rank: 27 (-3)

Taylor was knocked out with an early injury, so the Jets were stuck with Brady Cook for most of the game. They were down 21-0 early and never really made it competitive. They’ve been eliminated from the playoffs for the 15th year in a row, the longest current drought in the four major American sports.

And they still have no quarterback for 2026.

31. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

Week 14 rank: N/A (Max Brosmer was No. 32)

You know that Washington defense is packing it in for 2025 when “Nine” is throwing three touchdowns on the first six possessions for Minnesota in a 31-0 shutout. This game was over in 2 hours and 39 minutes too, so thank the teams for that in this disappointment battle between teams who were 12-5 and 14-3 last year.

32. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

Week 14 rank: 31 (-1)

I wish I could say Cam Ward won a fun 31-29 shootout against Cleveland’s great defense, but it didn’t really go down that way. Ward was just 14-of-28 for 117 yards against that strong front led by Myles Garrett, but he feasted on short fields and a great day by Tony Pollard (161 rushing yards and two scores) that came out of nowhere to get the win.

On the bright side, the Titans got a win, and Ward only took one sack from Garrett.

Related Articles:

Tags
Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar10/12/2025 - 10:33 am