Quarterback Power Rankings: Week 1 Edition

Here is the second edition of the quarterback power rankings.

For the first edition, click here.

No. 32: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins (-3)

The Dolphins would be better off playing with 10 men than having Fitzpatrick take the helm.

No. 31: Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts (-4)

After 14 seasons of ineptitude for the Chargers, Rivers took just one game to ingratiate himself to Colts fans by throwing a fourth-quarter interception.

No. 30: Tyrod Taylor, Los Angeles Chargers (+0)

The best thing one can say about Taylor is that he is not as bad as the quarterback he replaced (Rivers).

No. 29: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns (-5)

After an off-season of promise, Mayfield laid a Week 1 egg. He avoided the interception bug after the first drive, however.

No. 28: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: (Last Week: Not Included)

Burrow nearly led a game-winning drive in his debut, but A.J. Green pushed off on what would have been a touchdown. On the next play, Randy Bullock shanked a field goal. Welcome to Cincinnati, Mr. Burrow.

No. 27: Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears (+4)

In a shocking turn of events, Trubisky can throw the football. He had one of the best throws of Week 1 on a gorgeous game-winning touchdown to Anthony Miller.

No. 26: Sam Darnold, New York Jets (-5)

Darnold does not have the best supporting cast, but he looked overmatched on Sunday.

No. 25: Daniel Jones, New York Giants (+1)

“Danny Dimes” had two beautiful touchdown throws to Darius Slayton. He also had two egregious interceptions to Pittsburgh’s defense. However, he did not fumble, an improvement on his rookie season.

No. 24: Dwayne Haskins, Washington Football Team (+4)

Haskins is not necessarily the best quarterback to this point, but he succeeds in being the least bad. His team won as well.

No. 23: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (+0)

Allen had his first-career 300-yard game, but he had a pair of fumbles that would have cost Buffalo the game if they had been playing any team besides the Jets.

No. 22: Drew Lock, Denver Broncos (+3)

Despite Jerry Jeudy practicing for a butter commercial, Lock looked good even in the loss. When Courtland Sutton comes back, Lock should look even better.

No. 21: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers (-2)

Garoppolo is the rolling definition of average quarterback play. Much of his success stems from Kyle Shanahan and the weapons around him. With George Kittle in doubt for Week 2, Garoppolo could have an ugly performance coming up. On the other hand, the Jets could make Garoppolo look like Joe Montana.

No. 20: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (-9)

Ryan leads the NFL in passing yards because the Falcons trailed the entire second half. Do not be fooled by empty stats.

No. 19: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles (-12)

Wentz had a pair of beautiful touchdown throws to his tight ends, but he could not overcome an atrocious offensive line performance.

No. 18: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (-10)

Prescott is the rolling definition of above-average quarterback play. He had his moments against the Rams, but he missed a handful of throws that could have swung the game.

No. 17: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (-7)

In all fairness to Stafford, if D’Andre Swift knew how to catch passes, Stafford would have a win, a game-winning drive, and a fourth-quarter comeback. Nevertheless, Stafford put the Lions in a bad spot with a late interception.

No. 16: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (-7)

Surprisingly, Cousins’s Wikipedia status was not changed to “owned by Jaire Alexander.” Cousins posted empty stats in the fourth quarter, but he had some good throws including a perfect touchdown pass to Adam Thielen.

No. 15: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (+5)

He was not flawless, but Roethlisberger’s NFL return went reasonably well. He had three touchdowns and zero turnovers.

No. 14: Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders (+0)

Carr gets credit for a game-winning drive, but three potential touchdowns were taken away by Josh Jacobs. Carr was good, but he was not special.

No. 13: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+0)

Brady had his classic zip on the ball. He played better than the 13th spot, but he lacks rapport with his pass-catchers. He should move up as the season moves along.

No. 12: Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers (+5)

Bridgewater made some excellent throws on Sunday. His best throw of the day was a laser to Robby Anderson, past a grounded Damon Arnette. Anderson deservedly gets YAC credit, but Bridgewater had a perfect throw.

No. 11: Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (-5)

Similar to Brady, Watson is lower in the rankings in some part due to the unfamiliarity with his pass-catchers. Moving forward, Watson should be the third-best quarterback in the AFC.

No. 10: Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams (+6)

Goff’s lone error on the day should have been wiped away because of a penalty, but blind refereeing hurt the Rams. Goff looked poised, and he consistently made rhythmic throws. Goff is nice to watch when the Rams offensive line plays well.

No. 9: Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars (+13)

Minshew had one incompletion in 20 attempts. While he was not pushing the ball down the field (besides a beautiful touchdown pass to DJ Chark), he was hyper-efficient. Is No. 9 too high? Maybe. However, Minshew was stellar nonetheless.

No. 8: Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans (+4)

Even with A.J. Brown’s disappearing act, Tannehill was clinical when it mattered. He had a pair of red-zone touchdowns, and he consistently found Corey Davis for chunk plays.

No. 7: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (+11)

Murray had the run of Week 1 with a mesmerizing touchdown scamper against the 49ers. He had a terrible interception, but he flashed his superstar potential. Arizona has its franchise quarterback.

No. 6: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (-2)

Brees was not as refined as he has been in the past, but he is 41 years old. The legend will likely slip down the rankings throughout the year, but he had a solid Week 1.

No. 5: Cam Newton, New England Patriots (+10)

The stats do not reflect a top-five ranking, but Newton was electric. After 20 years of Brady’s statue-like play, Newton added a wrinkle into the New England offense, and they are likely better off because of it.

No. 4: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (+1)

If one were to make a highlight reel with the best throws of Week 1, Rodgers would comprise half of it. It seemed that Rodgers had an iconic Rodgers throw on every drive. Rodgers was sensational, and the rest of the NFL should take notice.

No. 3: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (+0)

Jackson is the greatest Week 1 quarterback of all-time. He did not match his 158.3 passer rating from Week 1 of 2019, but he was good enough to not hurt his average. He completed 80 percent of his passes, threw three touchdowns, and led the NFL in passer rating.

No. 2: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (+0)

Wilson was excellent against the Falcons. His fourth-down touchdown pass to D.K. Metcalf is a contender for the best throw of the week, and he completed 31 of 35 pass attempts. Wilson’s potential MVP campaign got off to a hot start.

No. 1: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (+0)

Mahomes should have been intercepted on a pair of throws, but he wasn’t. Mahomes is the third-best Week 1 performer of all-time (behind Jackson and Minshew, according to passer rating). He was not quite at his MVP level from 2018, but he should be there this week against the Chargers.