2025 NFL Quarterback Rankings Week 3: Injuries Are Sadly Piling Up Quickly to Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy
The NFL had one of the highest-scoring days in league history for Sunday’s Week 2 slate. However, I would argue the overall quarterback play wasn’t very good despite the points scored, and that could be seen with only two players producing a QBR over 80.0 after nine did so in Week 1.
But the injuries are sadly piling up in a hurry as Joe Burrow (turf toe), Justin Fields (concussion), Jayden Daniels (sprained knee), and J.J. McCarthy (high ankle sprain) are all on the mend with Burrow’s the most serious injury as he’ll reportedly miss at least three months. Brock Purdy already became the first quarterback this season to miss a start due to injury for turf toe.
It already looks like a volatile season with wild weekly swings is underway, except for in Indianapolis where Daniel Jones is done with punting the football for the 2-0 Colts, the biggest surprise team so far.
But in a week where most of our top quarterbacks from Week 1 failed to really shine much, there’s not a ton of movement at the top of this week’s rankings. But there’s a lot of room in the middle and bottom for change.
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.
Table of Contents
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Week 1 rank: 1 (0)
Later this week, we’ll be posting a special article about Patrick Mahomes as he turns 30 years old this week. Be on the lookout for that.
One of the things we’ll look at there is the way Mahomes has been the best in history at winning the close games and overcoming his defense’s inability to get takeaways. But while the Chiefs excelled in those areas at historic rates in 2024, they are 0-2 in close games and haven’t had a takeaway on defense yet in 2025. Regression strikes again.
This came to a head in Kansas City’s latest loss to the Eagles that secured the first 3-game losing streak of Mahomes’ NFL career. But this game was very winnable, and he certainly played well enough to lead the Chiefs to 24 or 27 points on just nine drives as the Chiefs still rank No. 3 in yards per drive if you can believe it.
Mahomes is even up to No. 4 in QBR (81.4) on the season after Monday night, and that is largely, if not exclusively, built on his ability to scramble right now. By far the Chiefs’ best play right now is for Mahomes to scramble. Mahomes rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown by halftime against the Eagles, doing things he’d rather save for the playoffs, but feels it is necessary now with the offense being what it is.
The problem is this is not sustainable at all. It’s one thing to lead your team in rushing yards as a quarterback. Jayden Daniels did it last year as a rookie for Washington, but he also only accounted for 34.0% of his team’s total rushing yards. Mahomes has outrushed his teammates in both games this year as he’s accounted for 56.2% of the Chiefs’ rushing yards. That’s not good. That can’t continue.
It’s not that Mahomes can’t elevate the receivers he has left with Rashee Rice suspended for four more games. The issue is Xavier Worthy was going to be a huge part of the offense in his second season, and he lasted one pass play before Travis Kelce dislocated his shoulder by accident in Brazil.
Kelce followed that up with a good game against the Eagles until it came time for the finishing touches on what looked like an 80-yard touchdown drive to give the Chiefs a fourth-quarter lead. But instead of a Kelce touchdown, the pass went off his hands and to the Eagles for a huge interception that they turned into a touchdown drive of their own for a 14-point swing.
Similar to last week, the Chiefs waited until the last 5:00 to really start attacking deep. Mahomes badly missed Tyquan Thornton on a deep throw when he was wide open, but he made up for it a few snaps later by hitting a 49-yard touchdown bomb that basically traveled 60 yards in the air.
Where is that precision earlier in games? Good question. But Thornton looks like a player the Chiefs should keep trying to develop here. He played 28 games for the Patriots and had one game with 40 receiving yards. He’s had 41 and 59 yards in two games with Mahomes, including the two longest catches of his career. That’s proof Mahomes can still elevate a receiver, but they need a little more than this as they wait on Worthy and Rice to return.
The numbers for the Chiefs are all out of whack right now. Mahomes is running more than ever while his passing metrics have never looked worse. He’s thrown as many deep (24+ air yards) touchdowns since February’s Super Bowl as he did in the previous three seasons combined. Yet it’s led to a three-game losing streak with two of those games against the Eagles, two games that couldn’t have looked any different.
The best quarterback in his 20s will go into a must-win game to start his 30s this Sunday night against the Giants. Let’s see what they come up with this time.
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Week 1 rank: 2 (0)
Another thing that stood out about Baltimore’s prolific offense in 2024 was poor starting field position. That offense usually had to conquer long fields and it often did. But on Sunday, the Ravens got some breaks on an off day against Cleveland where Derrick Henry was shut down (11 rushes for 23 yards) and Lamar Jackson took 3 sacks as Myles Garrett is off to a great start in 2025.
This was a close game in the third quarter before the Ravens blew it open, but don’t discount the field position help here. The Ravens had touchdown drives of 24, 5, and 36 yards thanks to things like a blocked punt and some takeaways. The defense scored a touchdown too, and after blowing last week’s lead, the Ravens took no chances by tacking on another touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins with 4:43 left to make it 41-10.
While Jackson did a good job of finding his secondary receivers for scores on his way to 4 touchdown passes, the field position was definitely the big factor here as the Ravens only had 242 yards of total offense after 432 in Buffalo.
Interestingly enough, the 45 rushing yards were the first time the Ravens with Lamar were held under 60 rushing yards in a game.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Week 1 rank: 3 (0)
This 30-10 win against the Jets was definitely one of the weirdest Josh Allen games ever, and to be frank, I couldn’t tell you how Allen finished with the second-highest QBR (83.8) in Week 2 other than his 40-yard scramble on third-and-8 definitely boosts him.
Allen’s game included:
- 0 touchdowns from him (passing or rushing)
- 1 broken nose in the first quarter that caused Allen to temporarily leave the game for blood
- 2 intentional grounding penalties on Allen
- 2 drive-extending penalties on third down after Allen incompletions, including a roughing on 3rd-and-19
- 12 throws before Allen gained more passing yards (33) than Mitch Trubisky had on a single 32-yard completion on the play he subbed in for during Allen’s broken nose
James Cook was the star for Buffalo with 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the passing game didn’t need to do much against a New York offense that got 3 completions out of Justin Fields.
4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Week 1 rank: 4 (0)
The prime-time games were rough for offense in Week 2 as even Justin Herbert came out misfiring in the first quarter. But he got on track with a 60-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston that was among the best throws of the week, and Johnston proved he wasn’t just a Brazil fluke.
Herbert finished with an efficient night (19-of-27 for 242 yards, 2 TD) and even led the team with 31 rushing yards, which isn’t a great sign for how first-round rookie Omarion Hampton is faring. Herbert was charged for a fumble that was the rookie’s fault in not taking the handoff properly. The Chargers basically took their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.
But the Chargers got the 20-9 win to move to 2-0 and on top of the AFC West where they are the new betting favorite. We’ll see Herbert move up in the MVP odds too.
5. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Week 1 rank: 5 (0)
Some of the roughest games of Jayden Daniels’ brief NFL career have come with Micah Parsons on the other side if you go back to the Dallas games last year. Then on Thursday night, Daniels had arguably the least effective game of his career:
- His 4.8 yards per pass attempt is the lowest game in his career where he played the full game.
- He had 7 scrambles for 17 yards without any first downs.
- His 2.4 yards per rush was the lowest game of his career (min. 4 rushes).
- The Commanders were sitting on 10 points in the final 3:00 before a late touchdown and 2-point conversion led to a 27-18 loss.
Daniels just couldn’t get anything down the field and was fully contained as a runner. Now he’s nursing an ankle sprain and his Week 3 status is up in the air. Daniels has yet to miss a start due to injury, but he did leave last year’s Carolina game early with a rib injury as there is concern about his running style/volume leading to injuries.
6. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Week 1 rank: 6 (-1)
It’s hard to believe this might be the last time I rank Joe Burrow this season after his Grade 3 turf toe injury is going to require surgery that will keep him out at least three months.
Here’s the video of the injury:
At what point do we just acknowledge his style of play isn’t protecting himself enough? This was a 2nd-and-20 situation in the first half. Is eating the ball and living to fight another drive really a bad strategy in that spot? It sure helped Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees to long careers.
Then what happens if Jake Browning stays healthy for the rest of the season as he did in 2023 when he replaced Burrow? They’re not importing a different offensive line in to play with Browning, who came back and won the game Sunday despite throwing three interceptions because he led the kind of clutch touchdown drive in the final minute that we rarely see from Burrow.
It’s a real mess of a situation for the Bengals as it could easily lead to Zac Taylor keeping his job another year if the team is still very competitive without Burrow. But the Bengals are spending so much money on their passing game, making it harder to build a good offensive line and not get into 31-27 shootouts with Jacksonville.
Burrow is going to be a favorite to be a 3-time Comeback Player of the Year award winner in 2026. That’s just sad at this point.
7. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Week 1 rank: 10 (+3)
It seems like Jared Goff and the Detroit offense took this 52-21 win over Ben Johnson’s Bears personally as a way to show they can dominate without him calling plays. We said last week that people were floating a fake stat out there about Goff being 0-19 in games that weren’t called by Johnson or Sean McVay, which is just not true.
Goff was on fire in this one, completing 23-of-28 passes for 334 yards and 5 touchdowns. That’s what a real NFC Offensive Player of the Week should look like, which is an award I’m assuming he’s going to win after J.J. McCarthy somehow won it last week in a game that was also against the Bears.
But before we celebrate Goff too much, he’s in Baltimore in prime time next Monday. That’s a huge test for this offense.
8. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Week 1 rank: 8 (0)
Stafford is throwing the ball really well and has his first touchdown pass to Davante Adams. But I think I’m waiting for Sunday’s game in Philadelphia to really start ranking him this year to see how he fares against the champs after the Rams were the team who came the closest to knocking them off in the divisional round.
9. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Week 1 rank: 11 (+2)
The defense with Micah Parsons has been the bigger story in Green Bay for this 2-0 start because of the teams they’ve shut down. But I really like the way Jordan Love is playing too as he seems in control of the offense and taking over the games early to make the opponent one-dimensional late.
The No. 1 receiver in Green Bay is the open one, and the only complaint I would make is first-round rookie Matthew Golden has 2 catches for 16 yards in two games. Love missed some deep chances to him in Week 2, but they’ll work on that. They’ll really have to since Jayden Reed broke his collarbone and is going to miss some time.
10. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Week 1 rank: 12 (+2)
Dak Prescott’s 14th-straight win against the Giants was the hardest-earned win yet in that series with the way the Giants kept coming back to take the lead in that crazy finish. It’s a good thing Brandon Aubrey has the best range of any kicker maybe ever, but the important things for Dak are getting back on the same page with CeeDee Lamb, getting George Pickens involved with a big touchdown, and closing the game properly in overtime for his 25th game-winning drive.
With Dak playing like this, the Cowboys will be competitive. But it’s not a good sign for returning to the playoffs that it took this much of an effort just to beat the Giants at home.
11. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Week 1 rank: 7 (-4)
The Eagles have a new offensive coordinator (Kevin Patullo), but that can’t be the only reason why Jalen Hurts has thrown for just 253 yards in two games this season. That can’t be the only reason he has completed just two passes thrown over 10 air yards this season.
In Week 1, Hurts had all day to throw and still chose to throw very short passes against the Cowboys while scrambling. In Kansas City, the Chiefs blitzed Hurts relentlessly and he got the ball out quick, but it was much less effective this week save for one big throw to DeVonta Smith that wasn’t the prettiest ball but it got there.
Hurts is now 2-0 in Arrowhead despite those wins being some of the worst games of his career. He should send Travis Kelce a fruit basket for those games for committing turnovers in the red zone in the fourth quarter both times.
While people were busy comparing Mahomes to Tom Brady and another quarterback to Peyton Manning, I think the real comparison is right here. Hurts is actually the Brady in this rivalry as even Chris Jones pointed out how little yardage he produced in the win that was caught on a mic at the end of the game.
Hurts isn’t exactly getting the “he just wins” treatment from fans since people react a bit differently today compared to 20 years ago. But in his mind, the stats don’t matter even if this is not a sustainable way to keep winning games.
While many clowned Jones for his take and thought Hurts got the best of that exchange, I see it a different way. I think it’s telling one of the best defensive players in the game basically said he’s not impressed with how you won today, and that it will eat at Hurts that many people refuse to rank him in the elite class of quarterbacks right now in large part because of his numbers and minimal contributions to some of these key wins.
But you have to do a bit more to earn that status, so with the Rams coming up next, let’s see if Hurts can do things like throw for 200 yards again and get A.J. Brown more involved.
12. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 1 rank: 15 (+3)
Baker Mayfield definitely showed his toughness in a grinding comeback win in Houston on Monday night. He lost his offensive tackles in the game, but he still made a key scramble on 4th-and-10 during the game-winning touchdown drive.
Would have liked to see a bit more passing consistency in the game after Mayfield didn’t throw for 200 yards last week in Atlanta. He had a dropped pick on the opening touchdown drive, then the refs missed a tripping penalty on his screen pass touchdown to Emeka Egbuka.
But he’s started this year with two late game-winning touchdown drives to get the shorthanded Bucs to 2-0.
13. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 1 rank: 13 (0)
Aaron Rodgers’ home opener with the Steelers did not go well against Seattle. But people have drawn attention to this absurd throw he made on the opening drive that Pat Freiermuth unfortunately dropped, but the pass was money and showed that the 41-year-old still has it.
Unfortunately, Calvin Austin deflected a pass in the end zone for an interception in the third quarter when the Steelers tried to take the lead. Then instead of getting the ball back in a one-score game in the fourth quarter, Rodgers’ rookie running back, Kaleb Johnson, made one of the dumbest plays you’ll ever see when he let the kickoff go and the Seahawks recovered it in the end zone for an easy touchdown.
That put Rodgers in a two-score deficit mode, and the Steelers just didn’t have the pass protection to hold up for him to overcome that this week. The defense and offensive line have been real letdowns for the Steelers so far. Go figure Rodgers joins a team and those elements just seem to fall off right away.
14. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Week 1 rank: 17 (+3)
It’ll be nice to judge Kyler Murray when the Cardinals play a tougher opponent, but he’s been solid for both wins so far. The only issue with this one is he threw a horrid pick in the red zone in the fourth quarter when the Cardinals were up 27-9 and in great position to add more points. It could have cost them too as Carolina mounted a comeback and had the ball late in a 27-22 win. There’s just no excuse for a veteran throwing that pass.
At the same time, he’s about the only player who can do this:
15. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Week 1 rank: 23 (+8)
I can’t believe it either, and yes, we were fooled by Derek Carr last year. But that was also Carr spamming play-action passes on a small number of attempts against defenses that were struggling. Denver was supposed to be a good defense, and Jones still threw for over 300 yards and led a game-winning drive in a 29-28 comeback win.
His coach nearly cost him the win late by not letting him throw it again to get closer than 60 yards, but they got the leverage call to go their way. Still, it’s crazy to think this offense led by Daniel Jones is only the fifth since World War II ended to go back-to-back games without punting.
We’ll see if he keeps it going, but this is the best Jones has played to start a season. The Colts have a good nucleus of talent too as rookie tight end Tyler Warren looks like the real deal.
16. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
Week 1 rank: 14 (-2)
After slinging the ball deep in New England last week, Geno Smith couldn’t do much of anything against the Chargers in Monday night’s 20-9 home loss. He was picked on his first pass, then he had an “arm punt” interception before halftime that wasn’t an issue. But then he forced a third pick in the end zone late, then he took a brutal sack on fourth down with under 4:00 to play. Then the next time he faced fourth down, he just threw the ball out of bounds.
Just not a good start for division play in a division that is up for grabs right now with the way the Chiefs started. But the Raiders will lean on Smith heavily, and he can’t be so off like he was last night.
17. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Week 1 rank: 19 (0)
Sam Darnold had some rough moments with a few picks in this game, but he also threw for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns while getting credit for a game-winning drive on a field goal. He also found Cooper Kupp (90 yards) this week, so it wasn’t just a one-man show despite JSN going for over 100 yards again.
Darnold seems to be settling into his new offense, but we should preface it with the way the Steelers have looked totally lost on defense this season.
18. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Week 1 rank: 18 (0)
After settling on the nickname of DOOM (Destiny of Ongoing Misfortune) for Penix last week, he ended up having a very low-drama night in Minnesota. Just relax, rely on your defense and great running back to care of things, and he cruised to a 22-6 victory.
But we’ll see what happens the next time the Falcons get in a tight one.
19. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Week 1 rank: 16 (-3)
I was looking forward to seeing a full game of C.J. Stroud in his new offense and he left me unimpressed against the Buccaneers. Nico Collins had to make an incredible touchdown catch on the opening drive, then most of the plays made the rest of the night were just YAC efforts from Houston. Stroud missed some routine throws and didn’t seem very confident in what he’s doing yet.
He also took advantage of some great field position late and Nick Chubb did all the work on the go-ahead drive that didn’t hold up. Need Stroud to play better than this, but it’s starting to look like that rookie season was the best it ever was going to be.
20. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Week 1 rank: 20 (0)
It was definitely a bounce-back performance for Nix in Indy, though I’m sure he’d like the interception back in the fourth quarter in Indy territory. But the kicker also needs to make the 42-yard field goal later or else the Broncos could still be 2-0 right now.
Nix didn’t take a sack on the road, which is always nice. But you can’t miss badly on a pick in scoring range like that when you have a chance to extend the lead.
21. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 1 rank: 21 (0)
I’m not sure how to judge the feast or famine performance from Trevor Lawrence with 3 touchdown passes and some interceptions in scoring territory. Obviously the defense gave away the lead at the end, but it could have been a bigger lead than that.
Brian Thomas Jr. has received a ton of criticism for playing soft throughout the whole game, including a drop on fourth down in the final minutes where he had a chance to extend the drive. They’ll have to figure out what’s going on with him as he is the best receiver Lawrence has.
22. Russell Wilson, New York Giants
Week 1 rank: 27 (+5)
Okay, I promise this is the last time I talk about the Giants lighting it up in the preseason this August. But remember when they were scoring over 35 points and averaging 345 net passing yards per game? That was the kind of offense they had Sunday in a wild one in Dallas as Russell Wilson must have anticipated he was close to losing his job, so he played out of his mind with 450 passing yards.
There were five lead changes in the fourth quarter alone of this 40-37 classic, a stark contrast from the 21-6 loss the Giants had a week ago to Washington. Wilson seemed to have the dagger with a 48-yard touchdown to Malik Nabers with 0:25 left to regain the lead. But the defense didn’t seal the deal for him.
Unfortunately, Wilson didn’t finish in overtime either, throwing an interception that the Cowboys used to set up their game-winning field goal. But we’ll see what he can do to the Chiefs on Sunday night as one of the few quarterbacks in the league who has multiple wins against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
23. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
Week 1 rank: 24 (+1)
It wasn’t a happy return to Baltimore for Joe Flacco after his offense punted on its first six drives. He ended up throwing a pick and took a strip-sack fumble that was returned for a touchdown on a fourth down in the fourth quarter while the Browns trailed 27-10. That eventually led to rookie Dillon Gabriel finishing the game and leading the Browns on a touchdown drive.
More games like this from Flacco and the job will be Gabriel’s soon.
24. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Week 1 rank: 26 (+2)
Your chances of winning a game when your team gives up 52 points are next to nothing, but Caleb Williams hung in there with the Lions for a half, making some good throws, some questionable throws, and some absurd throws that really should have been caught.
It’ll continue being a real experiment in Ben Johnson’s offense for him, but it doesn’t look like the Bears have much of a defense to rely on right now.
25. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Week 1 rank: 29 (+4)
Well, Drake Maye can finally say he’s started and finished a victory for the Patriots in a game where they allowed more than 3 points. However, it was technically a game-winning kick return touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the Patriots on top for good.
But Maye found a lot of use in his running backs and tight ends this week in Miami as they accounted for 166 of his 230 passing yards. But he also rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown.
26. Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers
Week 1 rank: N/A (Brock Purdy was No. 9)
It’s always a struggle to rank the backup quarterback here. I don’t want to put Mac Jones too high since I hopefully can remove him from the list in a week or two. I would rank him much higher than No. 26 if it was based purely on his Week 2 performance in New Orleans. But again, he’s Mac Jones. You don’t want to get too confident that he’s the right guy behind center.
But given the low expectations, Jones was more than respectable with 279 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the 49ers didn’t even have George Kittle (hamstring) for this one.
27. Justin Fields, New York Jets
Week 1 rank: 22 (-5)
See, I didn’t want to give Fields too much credit for Week 1 given his NFL career to this point. But he somehow went from maybe his best NFL game to his worst NFL game against a Buffalo defense that was giving up over 10 yards per play to the Ravens in Week 1. Fields had 3 completions in this game, which he played into the fourth quarter before a concussion knocked him out.
Tyrod Taylor immediately came in and completed 3 passes like it was nothing, because that’s what a real NFL quarterback should do. I kind of hope Taylor starts next week as he is a better quarterback than Fields because of his passing.
The fact that Mitch Trubisky, Josh Allen’s backup, finished this game with more passing yards than Fields thanks to a single 32-yard completion is absurd.
The Jets are going nowhere with Fields. Week 1 was a mirage as the Steelers have some major issues to sort out right now on defense.
28. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Week 1 rank: 25 (-3)
The Dolphins were able to put up some touchdowns this week with Tua Tagovailoa getting his best weapons involved against the Patriots. But his decision making has regressed, and he took 5 sacks in this game while throwing a brutal pick late in the fourth quarter when he had a chance at a go-ahead drive.
Even after getting the ball back in a 33-27 game with the ball at his own 40 thanks to the landing zone rule, he still couldn’t get it done for a go-ahead touchdown, taking consecutive sacks to kill the drive. Having a delay of game is also inexcusable in that situation.
It’s a mess in Miami and the coach is getting fired any day now. But Tagovailoa is a hot mess too.
29. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Week 1 rank: 30 (+1)
Bryce Young started this game so poorly with a fumble-six and a 27-9 deficit late. But he almost pulled off a wild 18-point comeback in barely half a quarter thanks to some huge breaks with fourth-down conversions, an onside kick that was actually recovered, then some bail-out penalties like a hold to wipe out a 29-yard sack on fourth down and a cheap roughing the passer penalty.
But then 33 yards away from the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute, Young was called for grounding and that blew up the drive. He was sacked on 4th-and-15 to end the game.
I like the way he battled this week, throwing for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns with no real running help. But he needs to do something earlier in games after abysmal production in the first 50 minutes of both games this season.
30. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints
Week 1 rank: 31 (+1)
Let’s give Spencer Rattler some credit for battling and keeping the Saints right there after many predicted them to be among the worst teams this season. His teammates missed a 40-yard field goal to start the game and Alvin Kamara had a lost fumble in scoring territory (brilliant play by Fred Warner) late in the third quarter or else the Saints may have had the lead.
It was set up for Rattler to have his moment with a 94-yard game-winning touchdown drive in the final 2:40. But that was a bummer they couldn’t just run for the one yard they needed, so he ended up getting sacked on 4th-and-1 to end the game. He’s now 0-for-5 at game-winning drive opportunities with the Saints.
But I think it also bodes well for Kellen Moore’s future down there in New Orleans that he’s getting this team right on the cusp of winning against superior rosters with Rattler playing respectable football.
31. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Week 1 rank: 32 (+1)
Yes, the Titans lost another game to a good team, and Cam Ward again had a troubling sack in the fourth quarter of a one-score game. This time it was a strip-sack that turned a 20-16 deficit into 27-16.
But I think Tennessee fans, who were there for the home opener, should feel excited because Ward’s first NFL touchdown pass was an incredible play that few could make. You’re not supposed to throw against your body like that, but he put the ball in a spot where it was never really in danger for a pick, and he hit his receiver before halftime to tie the game.
The Titans are not currently constructed to win games against the Broncos and Rams. But going forward, the progress you want to see from Ward is cutting down the sacks and taking the easier plays to move the chains. But if he has this kind of physical talent in his back pocket to make highlight-reel throws? That’s special stuff you can’t teach.
32. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
Week 1 rank: 28 (-4)
He was the toughest quarterback to judge in Week 1 since he looked like No. 32 through three quarters. But as we’re learning more about teams this season, it looks like he just took advantage of some short fields and a Chicago defense that gave up 52 points on Sunday to the Lions for his one good quarter.
McCarthy is very young, very inexperienced, and he’s by no means unable to do this job. But for now, it’s a tough learning process and he’s clearly overwhelmed by NFL defenses even with the year off to “study” things. I’ve always felt that’s overrated and the only way you get better is live reps, but McCarthy took six sacks against Atlanta and just didn’t look very accurate or sharp with his passes to me.
Now he’s going to miss a few weeks with a high-ankle sprain, so expect to see Carson Wentz in this piece next week. Wentz will likely get more out of the offense than McCarthy can right now.
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