NFL Analysis
11/6/24
14 min read
2024 NFL Week 10 Quarterback Power Rankings: Tua Tagovailoa Enters Top 10
Welcome to Week 10 of the quarterback rankings.
These are not your typical quarterback rankings, which is why you might see some differences from what you’d expect to see in a ranking system that was built off a box score or reputation.
As a reminder, our new grading system combines the skill set rankings (how good a quarterback is in a vacuum) and production (based on a composite of EPA per play and success rate from TruMedia) for the 2024 season.
The hope is that the mix of the skill set rankings and the production rankings will give a more complete picture of what is actually happening on the field during the 2024 season.
The skill set rankings are from me, watching and grading each quarterback in the individual categories. If you feel like I hate your favorite quarterback, those are the rankings you should be looking at and yelling at me for.
The skill score is then combined with the production score to get the full rankings.
The full rankings, including each individual skill set, will be at the bottom of this article. If you liked the old rankings, you can filter by Skill Score. If you're more interested in production, you can filter by that, too.
Each week, we’ll be ranking the league’s 32 starting quarterbacks. That means if a quarterback switch is made, it will be reflected in the rankings. With the production rankings, we’ll start ranking new quarterbacks after their first start or if an official move is made.
With that out of the way, here are the new quarterback rankings heading into Week 10. All stats provided by TruMedia unless noted otherwise.
Week 10 Quarterback Rankings
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens 
Skill Score: 9.70 | Production Score: 8.23 | Ranking Score: 8.97
Lamar Jackson had a nearly perfect game against the Denver Broncos, who were first in defensive EPA per play heading into Week 9.
We’re well past “Jackson is outplaying his 2023 MVP season,” and at this point, Jackson is having one of the best starts to a season we’ve seen in the past 25 years. Here are the best EPA per play seasons through the first nine weeks of the season since 2000:
2. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Skill Score: 9.20 | Production Score: 7.74 | Ranking Score: 8.47
The most impressive thing for Jayden Daniels this season is how many ways he can find to produce on offense. Against the Giants, the Commanders went back to a quicker offense and shorter throws to beat a heavily blitzing defense — 52 percent of his dropbacks.
Everything was well timed, as Daniels didn’t take a sack and averaged 9.5 yards per attempt with a 27.3 percent explosive pass rate.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Skill Score: 9.66 | Production Score: 7.10 | Ranking Score: 8.38
Miami sold out to stop Josh Allen from throwing deep, and he complied. Allen had a 3.6-yard average depth of target and a 2.1-yard average depth of completion.
That short-passing strategy kept the ball moving, and Allen still had three touchdown passes. It’s a hyper-efficient strategy that we wouldn’t see from Allen in previous seasons, even if a defense dared him to do so.
4. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Skill Score: 9.10 | Production Score: 7.41 | Ranking Score: 8.26
Jared Goff has excelled at the minimum in the past few Lions games, and that’s not meant to be derogatory. It’s the game Detroit is playing.
Goff only threw 22 times and had a 3.7-yard aDOT on Sunday. His connection with Amon-Ra St. Brown is just about perfect, which has led to big throws and catches when needed, especially on third down. With so much else going right, that’s a winning formula.
5. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Skill Score: 9.74 | Production Score: 6.37 | Ranking Score: 8.06
We somehow went from Patrick Mahomes looking like he suffered a serious injury to him coming back on the field, leading a go-ahead touchdown drive, and then the inevitable game-winning overtime-winning drive.
Mahomes can go into Mahomes Mode on third downs and late in games, which is all that’s needed from him right now. With chemistry building with DeAndre Hopkins, the Chiefs are building for late in the season.
6. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Skill Score: 9.08 | Production Score: 6.49 | Ranking Score: 7.79
It’s been tough for Baker Mayfield during the past few weeks, as he’s continued to play well but has been outscored by the quarterbacks on the other side. With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out, Mayfield found his comfort place on out-breaking routes to college teammate Sterling Shepard.
Against the Chiefs, the Buccaneers returned to the quick-hitting offense, with a 2.2-second average time to throw and a 74 percent completion percentage. Mayfield continues to look most comfortable with that style of offense.
7. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Skill Score: 9.34 | Production Score: 6.20 | Ranking Score: 7.77
Joe Burrow looked the closest he’s come to a vintage Burrow performance in the win against the Raiders. He got the ball out quickly, completed a high percentage of passes, and distributed the ball all over the field, ending with five touchdowns.
With Tee Higgins out, Mike Gesicki stepped in as the No. 2 target and put up 100 yards and two touchdowns.
8. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Skill Score: 9.20 | Production Score: 6.06 | Ranking Score: 7.63
This was easily Tua Tagovailoa's performance of the season — 0.51 EPA per play trailed only Lamar Jackson this week — but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Bills. It is, however, a plus to have this type of efficient performance against a defense that has been so good at slowing the Miami offense down, even if it did not result in a win.
9. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Skill Score: 9.10 | Production Score: 5.97 | Ranking Score: 7.54
Brock Purdy was on a bye in Week 9.
10. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Skill Score: 8.96 | Production Score: 5.89 | Ranking Score: 7.43
There are games when Jalen Hurts doesn’t play all that well, but he comes out with great metrics because of some big plays and high-leverage conversions, either on fourth downs or the goal line.
Week 9 was the opposite. Hurts played what might have been his best all-around game as a quarterback, with a 52.5 percent success rate. However, he averaged -0.05 EPA per play because of some sacks and failed fourth down attempts.
11. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Skill Score: 9.30 | Production Score: 5.48 | Ranking Score: 7.39
This wasn’t a great Kyler Murray game, but the defense stepping up and a run game that can control the game allowed the Cardinals to have a comfortable win.
The Chicago defense was focused on not letting Murray win with his legs. He had two rushes and no scrambles, even though a quarter of his dropbacks ended outside of the pocket.
12. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Skill Score: 9.04 | Production Score: 5.50 | Ranking Score: 7.27
Kirk Cousins is at a point where he can just stand in the pocket and pick against any weakness in a defense. The Atlanta offense is structured well enough that there are going to be good options to do so.
Darnell Mooney has been a great fit as the second receiver in Atlanta, and he’s been put in good spots to create some big plays. The open wheel route touchdown from a bunch is the epitome of everything that has gone right for the Falcons’ passing offense this season.
13. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Skill Score: 9.52 | Production Score: 4.77 | Ranking Score: 7.15
The 39-yard overtime touchdown to Demarcus Robinson is all you need to know about what Matthew Stafford still has in the tank.
In the past two weeks, with something resembling a full complement of receivers, Stafford has looked more like the peak version of the Rams-era quarterback. He still has the arm, accuracy, and willingness to fit the ball into some tight windows, which was on display against Seattle.
14. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Skill Score: 9.30 | Production Score: 4.72 | Ranking Score: 7.01
Jordan Love clearly wasn’t 100 percent coming off his groin injury, and that limited what the quarterback could do physically.
That appeared to rush him a bit mentally, too, which led to some questionable decisions, including the pick-six thrown into traffic on a screen. He still managed the pocket well without taking a sack, which is great to see that his ability to maneuver around pressure was still available even when limited.
15. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Skill Score: 9.32 | Production Score: 4.11 | Ranking Score: 6.72
Geno Smith is continually a victim of the Seattle offensive line. The line's inability to block puts a lot of pressure on Smith, who feels the need to go full hero mode to create big plays through the air.
That has led to some bad throws and turnovers this season, as it did with three interceptions against the Rams. Smith had a 10.1-yard aDOT but was pressured on 41 percent of his dropbacks. That’s a tough way to play consistently.
16. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
Skill Score: 9.04 | Production Score: 4.33 | Ranking Score: 6.69
We’re kind of back where we expected with Sam Darnold. He’s making some of the high-quality throws that are available because of the offense and the existence of Justin Jefferson.
His willingness to push the ball down the field opens up more of those opportunities. Unlike the past few weeks, the game script allowed Darnold to get away with a mistake or two. This could be the formula for the rest of the season.
17. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Skill Score: 8.86 | Production Score: 4.51 | Ranking Score: 6.61
Derek Carr’s production score is still supported by the early-season games, but even though he’s dropped off, he’s been fine.
Against the Panthers, he averaged 0.00 EPA per play with a 40.6 percent success rate. The way he plays makes the quarterbacking feel worse, especially when he throws his receivers into harm’s way, as he did with Chris Olave.
18. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Skill Score: 9.06 | Production Score: 4.25 | Ranking Score: 6.66
Just when we thought Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars might be getting it, they go back to the early-season performances with poor execution in the short area.
Lawrence threw 38.7 percent of his attempts into the intermediate level of the field while going 8-of-12 for 137 yards, but that also included the end zone interception from Nakobe Dean.
19. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Skill Score: 8.92 | Production Score: 4.12 | Ranking Score: 6.52
Russell Wilson was on a bye in Week 9.
20. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Skill Score: 9.58 | Production Score: 3.34 | Ranking Score: 6.46
Everything is on repeat for C.J. Stroud, and it’s been getting worse as the season progressed. The interior of the offensive line has struggled to hold up, and Stroud hasn’t been able to make up for it — a Herculean task if he did.
Stroud took 12 hits against the Jets, including eight sacks. Meanwhile, a league-high 63.3 percent of his throws went past the sticks, but the Texans only managed a 10.3 percent explosive pass rate.
21. Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts
Skill Score: 8.86 | Production Score: 3.96 | Ranking Score: 6.41
Joe Flacco was not an immediate upgrade over Anthony Richardson.
The veteran struggled against Minnesota’s pressure looks, and the safer short throws that had given him a consistent edge over Richardson were not completed. His -0.48 EPA per play was worse than any Richardson game this season.
22. Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns
Skill Score: 8.78 | Production Score: 3.97 | Ranking Score: 6.38
Remember all of the interceptions Jameis Winston tried to throw against the Ravens, but Baltimore didn’t catch? They were all caught against the Chargers.
That was on top of taking six sacks. This was the low side of the Winston variance, with dangerous throws made from bad decisions, and the offense could not consistently move the ball because of it.
23. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Skill Score: 9.06 | Production Score: 3.50 | Ranking Score: 6.28
Aaron Rodgers completed a high rate of passes while getting the ball out quickly as the Texans blitzed on 52.9 percent of his dropbacks.
While beating the blitz, Rodgers had a bit more control at the line of scrimmage and didn’t waste time trying to extend plays. Some spectacular catches helped him out, but this was the least negative Rodgers looked for a game.
24. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Skill Score: 9.58 | Production Score: 2.95 | Ranking Score: 6.27
Chargers fans are upset with this ranking, and that’s fine. Justin Herbert is clearly not the 24th-best quarterback, and that’s not what these rankings are saying.
Again, by skill score, he’s back up to fifth. He’s a good quarterback. But even this past week, when he was great throwing the ball and averaged 10.4 yards per attempt, he still took six sacks, totaling -7.0 EPA and keeping his success rate at just 40 percent.
25. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Skill Score: 9.14 | Production Score: 3.03 | Ranking Score: 6.09
The Patriots haven’t figured everything out on offense, but Drake Maye has done more to help find answers than hold it back since he became the starter.
Maye can still spray a few throws — he had a huge difference between average depth of target (7.3) and average depth of completion (2.5) against the Browns — but his game-tying touchdown pass in which he ran around for more than 11 seconds shows the play-making ability the Patriots can build on.
26. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Skill Score: 8.74 | Production Score: 3.18 | Ranking Score: 5.96
Daniel Jones had one of those games where he was efficient but not really in any meaningful way.
He had a 2.23 average time to throw and completed 76.9 percent of his passes but only had a 10.7 percent explosive pass rate.
27. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Skill Score: 9.16 | Production Score: 2.74 | Ranking Score: 5.95
The progress made by Caleb Williams and the Chicago passing offense has completely disappeared. The Bears look like they can’t protect, and there are execution errors all over the place.
That has led Williams to fall back into trying to escape the pocket — 26 percent of his dropbacks — and there aren’t options down the field when that happens. He was sacked six times against a Cardinals pass rush that hadn’t been able to generate much pressure this season.
28. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Skill Score: 8.70 | Production Score: 2.23 | Ranking Score: 5.47
Bo Nix was the offensive rookie of the month in October, as Denver fans were quick to point out, but that didn’t carry over to November.
This looked like an early-season Nix performance, holding onto the ball too long and forcing throws while missing some attempts that should have been made.
29. Mason Rudolph, Tennessee Titans
Skill Score: 8.70 | Production Score: 1.64 | Ranking Score: 5.17
Mason Rudolph had a mostly fine day, with his big mistake coming on a high throw to Chig Okonkwo that popped up for an interception in the end zone.
His 52.6 percent success rate was easily the highest for the Titans this season, more impressive given how he pushed the ball down the field.
30. Cooper Rush Dallas Cowboys
Skill Score: 8.56 | Production Score: 1.69 | Ranking Score: 5.13
With Dak Prescott out for at least four weeks on injured reserve, Cooper Rush is in line to start instead of Trey Lance. There’s not much to say here.
Rush filled in admirably, giving the Cowboys a low-ceiling, low-variance level of play during five starts in 2022, but that was a better-structured offense than what the Cowboys are rolling with right now.
31. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders
Skill Score: 8.62 | Production Score: 1.19 | Ranking Score: 4.91
Gardner Minshew was benched again mid-game, while Desmond Ridder came in and did not play much better.
There’s a lot of change happening in Las Vegas with multiple offensive coaches fired. It’s not really worth trying to figure out what’s going to happen, given how much disarray this offense is currently in.
32. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Skill Score: 8.68 | Production Score: -.02 | Ranking Score: 4.33
Bryce Young had what might have been his best game as a pro on Sunday, but that still hasn’t locked him into the starter for the rest of the season.
He had a high rate of play-action (38.7 percent), and that opened up some throws deeper down the field — though 34.6 percent of his passes were still at or behind the line of scrimmage. It’s progress, though, which is nice to see for a quarterback who looked like he had regressed early in the season.
Week 10 Full Rankings Breakdown
