NFL Analysis
10/9/24
17 min read
2024 NFL Week 6 Quarterback Power Rankings: Jayden Daniels Leads New Look Grading
Welcome to Week 6 of the 2024 NFL quarterback rankings. We are making a change.
The previous versions of these rankings were based strictly on skill set. I graded on a set of criteria and adjusted quarterbacks each week, considering the context around him, the offensive system, teammates, and what the quarterback was providing individually.
The skill set ratings will still be a factor, but they are only half of the scoring system that will determine the rankings each week going forward.
Starting this week, a production grade will be factored into the rankings, making up half of the total score. The production will be based on a composite of EPA per play and success rate, with those metrics coming from TruMedia.
The hope is that the mix of the skill set rankings (how good a quarterback is) and the production rankings (how well that translates to efficiency) will give a more complete picture of what is actually happening on the field during the 2024 season.
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.
With that out of the way, here are the new quarterback rankings heading into Week 6. All stats provided by TruMedia unless noted otherwise.
Week 6 Quarterback Rankings
1. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders 
Skill Score: 9.16 | Production Score: 8.82 | Ranking Score: 8.99
Jayden Daniels keeps progressing in a way that impresses each week. His Week 5 game against Cleveland was his worst of the season statistically, but he’s created such a big margin for error with his play style. There’s always a big play lurking, whether it’s through the air or on the ground. He only had a 35.9 percent success rate, but his 0.18 EPA per play still ranked ninth for the week.
What’s clear is there are more answers for Daniels when he’s in trouble with more throws on the move and outside the pocket. He’s also more comfortable managing the pocket and throwing deep inside the progression of the offense.
2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals 
Skill Score: 9.34 | Production Score: 7.54 | Ranking Score: 8.44
Joe Burrow had one of the best games of the season against Baltimore with a career-high five touchdown passes. After his slow start, he looks comfortable and confident in the pocket. That’s translated to bigger plays. During the first two weeks, Burrow was quick to dump the ball off, but now he’s standing in the pocket and ripping throws down the field.
It’s helped that Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are both on the field. That’s led to the trust and timing returning for the quarterback. He’s back to fitting throws into tight windows, as he did on Higgins’s first touchdown, and trusting the receivers will be open in 1-on-1 situations.
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens 
Skill Score: 9.54 | Production Score: 7.2 | Ranking Score: 8.37
Lamar Jackson is playing better than he did in his MVP season last year. The Bengals went into Week 5 concentrated on stopping the run, and Jackson took over as a passer. The Ravens’ passing offense looked like it had a better plan, with more varied formations and route combinations that created some easy openings that haven’t always been seen in Baltimore.
Jackson held onto the ball without scrambling much and avoided sacks. A third of his passes went between 11-19 air yards, and he was 9-of-14 for 168 yards on those throws.
4. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills 
Skill Score: 9.66 | Production Score: 6.29 | Ranking Score: 7.98
Josh Allen is coming off back-to-back rough weeks. After one of his worst career outings by success rate against the Ravens, Allen struggled to create much of anything against the Texans.
Without Khalil Shakir in the lineup, the Bills basically kept the same offense and gave his routes to Mack Hollins. That changed the makeup of the Buffalo offense because Hollins is not the same type of receiver, and Allen forced some passes he hadn’t needed to earlier in the season.
This shouldn’t be a long-term concern, but Allen looked like the best quarterback in the league in the first weeks of the season.
5. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs 
Skill Score: 9.74 | Production Score: 5.94 | Ranking Score: 7.84
With time to prepare without Rashee Rice, the Travis Kelce routes went back to Travis Kelce. The middle of the field was cleared out for the tight end, and Patrick Mahomes had little issue throwing to him in key spots. Mahomes was also impossibly hard to bring down when the pass rush came, leading to some scrambles and extended plays.
Mahomes is still throwing the ball short, with only 2.6 percent of his attempts (one of 39) traveling over 20 air yards in the game. Still, Mahomes had a 59.6 percent success rate, so it worked. That’s the current reality of this passing offense.
6. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions 
Skill Score: 9.10 | Production Score: 6.58 | Ranking Score: 7.84
Jared Goff was on a bye in Week 5.
7. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints 
Skill Score: 8.86 | Production Score: 6.47 | Ranking Score: 7.67
Derek Carr started the game with a terrible interception on an intended throwaway that didn’t get away. He rebounded a bit with some deep throws later in the game, but the down-to-down consistency that came with the heavy play-action offense earlier in the season is no longer there.
Carr suffered an oblique injury during the fourth quarter and is expected to miss the next few games. Coming off Monday night, the Saints play on Sunday and then again the following Thursday. The starter has not yet been named. Jake Haener was the in-game replacement, but Spencer Rattler is being considered.
8. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
Skill Score: 9.08 | Production Score: 6.12 | Ranking Score: 7.60
Tampa Bay’s quick-hitting offense is going to be a thing, and that should be the best for Baker Mayfield. During the past two games, Mayfield has averaged 2.12 seconds to throw. He’s been decisive in the pocket, and that strategy has limited pressure, but there’s also been great spacing in the play design. That rhythm has also allowed Mayfield to test some tighter windows with confidence.
The Buccaneers have also worked in some moving pockets for Mayfield, which opened up his touchdown passes against Atlanta.
9. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers 
Skill Score: 9.10 | Production Score: 5.9 | Ranking Score: 7.50
San Francisco has relied on Brock Purdy more as a pure dropback passer, and that has had some pros and cons. He’s made some throws that would not have been made in his first two years, especially in games without George Kittle and Deebo Samuel.
But Purdy has also held onto the ball for the longest time in the league, leading to bad sacks and decisions.
During the Cardinals game, Purdy took two sacks that potentially cost the 49ers points while he scrambled around and tried to extend the play. He’s still doing the right thing more often than not, but these small issues are the difference between a good offense and the historically good offense from last season.
10. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals 
Skill Score: 9.30 | Production Score: 5.45 | Ranking Score: 7.38
The good and the bad of Kyler Murray have been spread throughout the season. He’s been at his best on the run and when throwing from heavy personnel. Both of those were on display against the 49ers.
But some of the passing offense has been a bit off. It’s a lot of vertical shots to Marvin Harrison Jr., and some of the back-shoulder attempts haven’t always worked. That’s coming along, and when that clicks, this could be an offense with an answer to anything.
11. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams 
Skill Score: 9.52 | Production Score: 4.87 | Ranking Score: 7.20
The weight of the offensive line and skill players lost to injury are taking their toll on Matthew Stafford. He was able to keep the Rams’ offense afloat for a bit, but it’s a lot to overcome, especially with a young and inconsistent defense on the other side.
He only went 1-for-7 on deep passes against the Packers, and the easy throws in the offense weren’t there to make up for it. Cooper Kupp could return after the Week 6 bye, and that could give a big boost to the offense, but it might be too late for the 1-4 Rams.
12. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks 
Skill Score: 9.32 | Production Score: 4.64 | Ranking Score: 6.98
Sunday’s game against the Giants was the first time Geno Smith was truly overcome by a defensive front and couldn’t escape pressure. He was sacked seven times and had a 38.9 percent pressure-to-sack rate. He’s had to manage the pocket at an extreme level all season.
When Smith did the ball out, good things happened, as he still had a 52.9 percent success rate against the Giants. Smith has been accurate but carries so much weight from this offense to be perfect at a high volume, and that’s been harder as the defense has gotten worse in the past few weeks.
13. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles 
Skill Score: 9.06 | Production Score: 4.89 | Ranking Score: 6.98
Jalen Hurts was on a bye in Week 5.
14. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons 
Skill Score: 8.96 | Production Score: 4.93 | Ranking Score: 6.95
We wrote about Kirk Cousins and the Falcons offense after the Thursday night game against the Buccaneers.
Pacing and getting the ball out quickly helped, as did some motion, open up the middle of the field. As the Falcons have figured out what Cousins can and can’t do, the offense has looked better, and Cousins has become more efficient.
15. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys 
Skill Score: 9.38 | Production Score: 4.30 | Ranking Score: 6.84
Despite two picks, a disagreement with CeeDee Lamb on the sideline, and needing a last-second touchdown to win, Dak Prescott played fairly well on Monday night. The Cowboys are another team that feels so static and puts so much pressure on the quarterback to be perfect on every throw.
Prescott finding a connection with Jalen Tolbert is a huge benefit for getting a second receiver involved when Brandin Cooks is out. There was an effort to get the deep ball going, and Prescott was 4-of-5 for 131 yards with a touchdown and the lone incompletion on an interception that was overthrown targeting Tolbert.
16. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers 
Skill Score: 9.30 | Production Score: 4.22 | Ranking Score: 6.84
Jordan Love had what might have been the worst pass attempts of the season — up there with some Will Levis decisions — when he threw a ball up to avoid a safety and instead threw a pick-6.
Outside of that, Love has slowly gotten back to form in his two games since returning from his knee injury. Against the Rams, there were some drops, but he hit Jayden Reed on a perfect deep ball and found Tucker Kraft in space. Love’s mixed in the big plays while mostly avoiding the negative ones, and that’s a great foundation to keep building on.
17. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans 
Skill Score: 9.42 | Production Score: 3.67 | Ranking Score: 6.55
There might not be a bigger difference in how well a quarterback is playing and the efficiency he’s produced than what’s happened with C.J. Stroud this season. Stroud has constantly been put behind the sticks with bad early down offense, and he’s bailed the offense out routinely on third downs.
That was definitely the case against the Bills. Stroud made a number of crazy throws on third downs to move the chains, and the offense would have stalled without them, including a tight throw to Stefon Diggs on a third-and-7 in the fourth quarter. He also threw some of those passes to Xavier Hutchinson after Nico Collins left the game.
He’s been nothing short of incredible this season.
18. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars 
Skill Score: 9.02 | Production Score: 3.89 | Ranking Score: 6.46
After hitting rock bottom (maybe?) Trevor Lawrence bounced back with his best game of the season and one of the best of his career. Lawrence was more comfortable throwing to his running backs, and the early reliance there helped open some things up later in the game and kept him from forcing passes down the field. Then, something like the Brian Thomas 85-yard slot fade opened up.
There was also a greater effort to create easier-designed openings in the passing game, and there was a return to the quick game without the static stop routes that constricted the offense in the past.
19. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers 
Skill Score: 8.82 | Production Score: 4.04 | Ranking Score: 6.43
The wheels fell off a bit for Andy Dalton’s renaissance in Carolina. After two games with a sub-18 percent pressure rate, Dalton was pressured on 46.9 percent of his dropbacks against Chicago. That pressure rattled Dalton, and the easy offense produced in the previous two weeks wasn’t available.
When Dalton could complete passes, they were into tighter windows, and the room to run for receivers wasn’t there. The Bears blanketed just about everything the Panthers tried to do.
20. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts 
Skill Score: 8.92 | Production Score: 3.66 | Ranking Score: 6.29
Anthony Richardson missed the start in Week 5, as Joe Flacco started and made the offense look more functional on a down-to-down basis. However, they have a nearly identical success rate on the season.
One of the biggest differences between the two is the routes targeted. Flacco throws about double the rate of crossers, while Richardson throws almost three times as many go routes. If Richardson can work some of those easier crossers into his repertoire, the offenses and production could look more similar between the two.
21. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers 
Skill Score: 9.00 | Production Score: 3.38 | Ranking Score: 6.19
Fields had his first game when it looked like he truly struggled behind center. He looked a lot like the Chicago version of Fields, holding onto the ball with a high volume of deep throws not connecting. Najee Harris was the leading receiver with 35 yards, which might be all you need to know about how the game went.
George Pickens was in and out of the game, which didn’t help the quarterback’s consistency, but Pickens still led the team in targets, and Fields ended up throwing to wide receivers at the highest rate in a game this season.
22. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings 
Skill Score: 9.00 | Production Score: 3.37 | Ranking Score: 6.19
There have been some bad Sam Darnold plays, but Sunday in London was a bad Darnold game. Darnold relied on forcing the ball to Justin Jefferson, which isn't always a bad thing, but it occasionally took away from otherwise open throws.
Luckily, some close calls were made, and the Vikings benefitted from pass interference and holding penalties. While Darnold had taken advantage of hitting open throws, even when somewhat difficult, he greatly struggled with accuracy against the Jets.
By the time the Vikings come back from their Week 6 bye, T.J. Hockenson could be back in the lineup, which would give another receiving option to make life easier on the quarterback.
23. Daniel Jones, New York Giants 
Skill Score: 8.80 | Production Score: 3.01 | Ranking Score: 5.91
The Giants went back to the 2022 well with the game plan against Seattle. While missing Malik Nabers, Daniel Jones relied on short crossers and open throws off bootlegs with the quarterback run heavily mixed in.
It was a mostly efficient day that produced his highest success rate of the season, and it could have been better if you factor in two Wan’Dale Robinson drops on third down.
One of Jones' biggest improvements was a deep ball that lacked juice previously but came alive in some dep shots to Darius Slayton.
24. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears 
Skill Score: 9.02 | Production Score: 2.59 | Ranking Score: 5.81
Caleb Williams had his best game of his short career in Week 5. He was smart and decisive in the pocket while he also got out of some potential sacks. The connection with DJ Moore is coming together with a touchdown on a crosser early and then a deep touchdown later that saw Williams look off a safety to open up the throw.
The offense also looked as if it was structured to help him out more with quicker available passes. Williams scrambled more in a positive way and found empty space on throws to create yards after the catch.
25. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets 
Skill Score: 9.04 | Production Score: 2.30 | Ranking Score: 5.67
There continues to be a disconnect between the offense Aaron Rodgers wants to run and the one he’s capable of running. Rodgers still has some peak-level throws, but his timing and anticipation haven’t clicked with all of the receivers.
Minnesota blitzed Rodgers — a week after Denver blitzed Rodgers — and that pressure got to Rodgers, both by creating free rushers to hit the quarterback and rushing his process. Outside of the Week 3 game against the Patriots, Rodgers hasn’t shown proof of being able to extend outside of the pocket.
26. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers 
Skill Score: 9.34 | Production Score: 1.35 | Ranking Score: 5.35
Justin Herbert was on a bye in Week 5.
27. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders 
Skill Score: 8.62 | Production Score: 1.24 | Ranking Score: 4.93
Gardner Minshew started against the Broncos by completing his first nine passes. Then, he threw a pick-6 to Patrick Surtain, and everything crumbled. He was benched after 17 pass attempts and -0.55 EPA per play.
Aidan O’Connell came in and wasn’t significantly better. Mishew won the training camp competition over O’Connell, so it’s not as if there is a clear upgrade waiting on the bench. A starter has yet to be named for Week 6.
28. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos 
Skill Score: 8.62 | Production Score: 0.69 | Ranking Score: 4.66
Bo Nix had his first multi-touchdown game, and the first that gave a hint toward the player he was billed as — someone who will complete a high percentage of short throws to keep the offense ahead of the sticks. He also had another potential touchdown go through the hands of Troy Franklin.
We’d still like to see Nix’s process be a bit quicker to make some of those shorter throws more effective.
There was a short argument with Sean Payton on the sidelines, and after the game, Payton made a Ferris Beuhler reference that still doesn’t make sense, but it seems they’re on the same page.
29. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots 
Skill Score: 8.72 | Production Score: 0.47 | Ranking Score: 4.60
It was announced the Patriots would turn to Drake Maye for the Week 6 meeting with the Houston Texans.
Jacoby Brissett has struggled behind an offensive line that was expected to be bad and has only gotten worse. Brissett has been hit on 27.7 percent of his dropbacks, which leads the league, but he also holds onto the ball at the seventh-longest rate.
Maye could get the ball out quicker, which could help mitigate some of the offensive line play. He’ll appear in next week’s rankings.
30. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans 
Skill Score: 8.60 | Production Score: 0.45 | Ranking Score: 4.53
Will Levis was on a bye in Week 5.
31. Tyler Huntley, Miami Dolphins 
Skill Score: 8.68 | Production Score: -0.45 | Ranking Score: 4.12
Week 5 was better for Tyler Huntley, but the bar was so low after his Miami debut. Huntley hit some bigger plays with a 17.6 percent explosive pass rate because of a mix of deeper passes and shorter throws into space that had yards after the catch. However, down-to-down consistency still wasn’t there.
There’s certainly hope that more time in this offense will create more consistency, but this offense is not likely to reach the success seen under Tua Tagovailoa.
32. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns 
Skill Score: 8.42 | Production Score: -0.48 | Ranking Score: 3.97
What more is there to say at this point? We covered Deshaun Watson and his current level of play in 1st & 10 this week.
Nothing on the offense is working together, and the quarterback’s play style has made that worse.
Week 6 Full Rankings Breakdown
