NFL Analysis
10/16/24
18 min read
2024 NFL Week 7 QB Power Rankings: Lamar Jackson's Dominance Continues
Welcome to Week 7 of our 2024 quarterback rankings.
As a reminder, this is our second week with our new grading system, which 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) 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 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. Drake Maye, Spencer Rattler, and Aidan O'Connell were added this week, while Justin Fields is still here as the Pittsburgh starter.
With that out of the way, here are the new quarterback rankings heading into Week 7. All stats provided by TruMedia unless noted otherwise.
>> READ MORE: Latest NFL Power Rankings
Week 7 Quarterback Rankings
1. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders 
Skill Score: 9.2 | Production Score: 8.29 | Ranking Score: 8.75
Jayden Daniels' game was inverse to his Week 5 performance when he had a high EPA per play but a low success rate. Baltimore looked to take away some of those big plays, and Daniels stayed on schedule with a higher success rate. Of course, he also made some unbelievable throws to Terry McLaurin, including the fourth-quarter touchdown on fourth down.
Against Baltimore, Daniels was forced to hold onto the ball longer than he’s done in any game this season, but he also had his lowest scramble rate, opting to stay in the pocket and find open receivers.
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens 
Skill Score: 9.7 | Production Score: 7.49 | Ranking Score: 8.60
The first two weeks were iffy for the Ravens as they figured out exactly how to run the offense, but since then, no quarterback has played better than Lamar Jackson. That’s been especially true for the past two weeks when Jackson has been asked to handle more in the pure dropback game.
He’s gotten blitzed more often in the past two weeks, which used to be something that could rattle him, but he’s 23-of-29 for 333 yards in those games.
Jackson is now second in our skill score and has jumped to second in production, closing the gap with Daniels ahead of him.
3. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions 
Skill Score: 9.10 | Production Score: 7.51 | Ranking Score: 8.31
Jared Goff had a great day against the Cowboys as the Lions were ready to throw everything they had at the Dallas defense. Goff had one of the highest average depths of target in a game for his career, and he still completed 72 percent of his throws.
This was arguably more impressive than the previous game, when Goff went 18-for-18 on Monday Night Football, because he made more difficult throws throughout the game. Goff’s willingness to go deep gives the Lions another avenue for big plays, which might be needed now with the defense in flux without Aidan Hutchinson.
4. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills 
Skill Score: 9.66 | Production Score: 6.73 | Ranking Score: 8.20
After two inconsistent weeks, Josh Allen bounced back against the New York Jets on Monday night. With Khalil Shakir playing but still not completely healthy, the Bills’ passing game still revolved around shorter, safer passes. However, there were still Allen-like throws, such as the scramble and toss to the middle of the field to RB Ray Davis.
With the acquisition of Amari Cooper, we could be looking at even better play from Allen. Cooper hasn’t been at his best this season, but an outside receiver would allow the rest of the Buffalo receivers to move around and play more from the slot, opening up more opportunities in the middle of the field, which Allen has successfully targeted under Joe Brady.
5. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals 
Skill Score: 9.34 | Production Score: 6.91 | Ranking Score: 8.13
Outside of a surprise 47-yard scramble for a touchdown, Joe Burrow wasn’t able to get much going against the Giants. This looked more like early season and even early career Burrow. He was pressured at the highest rate of the season and threw his shortest passes with his highest rate of attempts under 10 air yards (82 percent).
The pressure got to Burrow, and he was sacked four times and had three other hits. This was the first game of the season when Burrow was forced to hold onto the ball for more than three seconds on average, and his out-of-structure play-making wasn’t there.
6. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs 
Skill Score: 9.74 | Production Score: 5.94 | Ranking Score: 7.84
Patrick Mahomes had a bye in Week 6.
7. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
Skill Score: 9.08 | Production Score: 6.51 | Ranking Score: 7.80
We covered much of Baker Mayfield’s day in 1st & 10 this week.
He had some of the highlight plays but was also forced into some wild mistakes for his three interceptions. There was just enough success in the passing game to keep the offense moving, especially on targets to Chris Godwin, but the Buccaneers relied on the run game for most of the second half.
8. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers 
Skill Score: 9.10 | Production Score: 6.48 | Ranking Score: 7.79
Brock Purdy had what might have been his best game of the season against the Seahawks. He’s still taking advantage of the scheme in place, but he’s consistently shown confidence that allows him to put the ball in the right place for plays to be made — the first touchdown to George Kittle in the front corner of the end zone might be his most impressive throw of the year.
Against Seattle, he saw his lowest blitz rate but highest pressure rate and did not take a sack. He’s occasionally gotten himself into trouble with extending plays this season, but it has resulted in more good than bad so far.
9. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers 
Skill Score: 9.30 | Production Score: 5.38 | Ranking Score: 7.33
Jordan Love and the Packers had everything going in the passing game against Arizona. The ball was spread around, and he hit four touchdowns to three different receivers. The way in which all of those touchdowns unfolded, and Love’s willingness to throw them, highlights how well he’s managed his game since returning from injury.
Even Love’s most dangerous throw — the touchdown to Romeo Doubs against a 0-blitz — was trusting the offense and the receiver to be down the field when he threw the ball with a defender in his face.
10. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams 
Skill Score: 9.52 | Production Score: 4.87 | Ranking Score: 7.20
Matthew Stafford was on a bye in Week 6.
11. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons 
Skill Score: 8.96 | Production Score: 5.39 | Ranking Score: 7.18
This was the second week in a row that Kirk Cousins got the ball out in under 2.5 seconds on average. That quick game has given more life to the passing offense and allowed Cousins to make some fast reads while still pushing the ball down the field, mainly into the intermediate area. He did not have a pass of 20 or more air yards against Carolina.
It’s helped that the Falcons have used Drake London more in the slot and on slants from the outside to take advantage of his bigger frame. Cousins has shown the trust for him to come down with the ball.
Even when passes don’t have zip, Cousins has been accurate, which has made up for some of the lack of arm strength.
12. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals 
Skill Score: 9.30 | Production Score: 4.81 | Ranking Score: 7.06
Without the threat of the run and the ability to take advantage of some heavier personnel groupings, Kyler Murray struggled against the Green Bay defense. The Cardinals trailed earlier, which forced Murray to play more into the straight dropback game, which allowed the Packers to pin their ears back in the pass rush.
Murray wasn’t pressured often, but part of that was because he got the ball out so quickly and threw behind the sticks. Only 36.4 percent of his completions picked up a first down or a touchdown, his second-lowest rate of the season.
13. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks 
Skill Score: 9.32 | Production Score: 4.7 | Ranking Score: 7.01
Like Purdy, Geno Smith saw his lowest blitz rate and highest pressure rate on Thursday night. The results were not as favorable for the Seattle quarterback, who was forced to make plays with defenders in his face. Smith had his highest average time to throw of the season but took his lowest rate of hits and was excellent at avoiding sacks.
Pocket management has been Smith’s best asset this season, but it’s become a necessity for survival more than a plus to extend plays. That disconnect is why Smith’s production has dipped in recent weeks, and he hasn’t played up to how well he’s looked on film.
14. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles 
Skill Score: 8.96 | Production Score: 5.04 | Ranking Score: 7.00
Philadelphia’s game against Cleveland was uneven on offense. It showed how important it is for Jalen Hurts to have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in the lineup. He had his highest explosive pass rate of the season (26.9 percent), partly from throwing the ball up to those two and from yards after the catch.
The Eagles used Hurts on more designed runs, but they weren’t very effective outside of the short-yardage sneaks on third and fourth down.
There’s still a balance that hasn’t completely been struck between an offense Hurts needs to be successful and what offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has typically run.
15. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans 
Skill Score: 9.51 | Production Score: 4.07 | Ranking Score: 6.81
Hello, Texans fans. If you’re reading this — which, if you were in my mentions last week, you likely didn’t then and aren’t now — C.J. Stroud is good! We’re all in agreement.
He’s now fourth in the skill score, which is probably higher than he’d be ranked anywhere else.
Again, he played incredibly well and made some impressive throws on third down, doing so without Nico Collins. On the season, Stroud has 73 attempts on third down. Only Daniel Jones and Bo Nix, two worse quarterbacks, have more.
If the Texans can achieve a bit more success in the running game with Joe Mixon, Stroud could see more easy passing situations on early downs, which could lead to a game with monster numbers that we haven’t been able to see just yet.
16. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears 
Skill Score: 9.14 | Production Score: 3.81 | Ranking Score: 6.48
We’ve written about Caleb Williams a bit in 1st & 10 the past two weeks, so here’s a bit from this past week:
It’s clear Williams's game has slowed down a bit, and he’s calmer in the pocket when the protection allows him to.
He had his best game as a quick passer in Week 6, going 13-of-14 for 111 yards and three touchdowns on throws under 2.5 seconds. He averaged 1.10 EPA per play with a 78.6 percent success rate after averaging 0.07 EPA per play with a 46 percent success rate on quick throws through Week 5.
When Williams can get into that rhythm, he’s made some incredible throws. His placement on the nine-yard touchdown to Keenan Allen might have been his best.
17. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars 
Skill Score: 9.02 | Production Score: 3.87 | Ranking Score: 6.45
Trevor Lawrence didn’t have the follow-up to his Week 5 game that he had hoped for, but man, he tried. While he was under duress for much of the matchup with the Bears, Lawrence couldn’t quite avoid the sacks he did last week but was still able to get some good throws off.
However, the answers to pressure were mostly thrown to Evan Engram in the flat. When Lawrence had a chance to make some bigger plays, the drops that plagued the 2023 season reappeared, with multiple passes in the end zone dropped for would-be touchdowns.
18. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers 
Skill Score: 8.82 | Production Score: 3.94 | Ranking Score: 6.38
Andy Dalton was pretty good for the first three quarters against Atlanta, rebounding from his poor performance in Week 5. Through the third quarter, Dalton was 21-for-29 with 180 yards and two touchdowns. He was nicely working the middle of the field and keeping the Panthers in the game.
But in the fourth quarter, things went south. He completed five of nine passes but had two bad interceptions. One allowed A.J. Terell to undercut TE Ian Thomas on a crossing route in plus territory, with Carolina only down by eight points.
19. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts 
Skill Score: 8.92 | Production Score: 3.66 | Ranking Score: 6.29
Anthony Richardson was a surprise inactive for Week 6, as it looked throughout the week that he would return as the starter. Instead, Joe Flacco started for the Colts again. Richardson is once again expected to be healthy enough to play this week.
Flacco had another efficient day. Here’s what we noted about the difference between play styles in 1st & 10 this week:
Flacco (40.9 percent) and Richardson (40.2 percent) have nearly identical success rates on the season but where those successes have come make a difference. In his appearances, Flacco has targeted crossers on 12 percent of his attempts, while that’s only 6.5 percent for Richardson.
Meanwhile, Richardson has a 14.3 percent go-ball rate, while it’s 7.8 percent for Flacco. Flacco also has targeted slants on 7.4 percent of throws, while Richardson has yet to do so.
20. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys 
Skill Score: 9.38 | Production Score: 3.15 | Ranking Score: 6.27
Things haven’t been going great for the Cowboys offense this season. Dallas was down almost immediately in a blowout loss — and as noted above, the Lions kept throwing. That put Dak Prescott in a place where he needed to drop back a ton with the defense prepared for it.
Dallas used play-action on just 7.9 percent of plays, so Prescott could not benefit much from the offense's structure. He was pressured on nearly half of his snaps and hit on 29 percent of his dropbacks. Not many quarterbacks would perform well in that scenario.
21. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers 
Skill Score: 9.00 | Production Score: 3.44 | Ranking Score: 6.22
Justin Fields had his second week where he looked more like the inconsistent player we saw in Chicago. It now might be his last. Fields hasn’t been bad by any stretch but still has yet to put up positive EPA per play in a game. Things looked worse as he was pressured on 62 percent of his dropbacks against the Raiders.
It has been reported that Russell Wilson will take over more first-team reps in practice now that he is healthy and is in line to start this week.
22. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings 
Skill Score: 9.00 | Production Score: 3.37 | Ranking Score: 6.19
Sam Darnold was on a bye in Week 6.
23. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets 
Skill Score: 9.1 | Production Score: 3.05 | Ranking Score: 6.08
The Jets offense looked a bit better with Todd Downing calling plays for the first time this season. More motion was used, and Aaron Rodgers used play-action on a season-high 31.6 percent of dropbacks. He was still in shotgun 90 percent of the time, so those play-action snaps did not often involve Rodgers turning his back to the defense, which he does not enjoy.
Still, there were some inconsistencies and miscommunications in the offense and Rodgers wants you to know Mike Williams was in the wrong spot on the late interception.
Davante Adams has been added now, which could help take away some of the miscommunication. However, the biggest issue is still the pass protection and Rodgers’s reaction to it when it breaks down. Unless the Jets are just going to live on slants and screens to Adams, there will still be some ups and downs ahead.
24. Daniel Jones, New York Giants 
Skill Score: 8.80 | Production Score: 3.10 | Ranking Score: 5.95
The Giants only scored seven points against a Bengals defense that has allowed at least 20 points to every other offense they faced outside of the Patriots.
Daniel Jones can still get himself into trouble when facing pressure, as he did while trying to get a pass off with B.J. Hill in his face inside the red zone in the first quarter. The ball was tipped up in the air and intercepted.
Without Malik Nabers, the only thing Jones really had going for him was the quarterback run, which was more physical than necessary as he ran into defenders instead of trying to avoid them.
25. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers 
Skill Score: 9.34 | Production Score: 2.26 | Ranking Score: 5.80
Justin Herbert had his best game of the season against a fairly strong Denver defense. He managed the pocket well against a team that blitzed on 57.9 percent of his dropbacks. Herbert found openings, stayed accurate, and got the ball into some intermediate windows.
He’s getting a bit more comfortable with his surroundings, including the supporting cast of receivers, and the offense is starting to open up more. That includes the call and execution on the wheel route to Kimani Vidal for a 31-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
26. Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders 
Skill Score: 8.52 | Production Score: 1.87 | Ranking Score: 5.20
Aidan O’Connell was mostly fine in his first start this season, but the offense doesn’t have much going for it. He typically makes better decisions than Minshew and is less chaotic in that sense, but the end results are similar, with more short passes that don’t add much to the offense.
He was only pressured on 16.7 percent of his dropbacks, yet just 40 percent of his completions resulted in a first down or touchdown.
It’s not some massive upgrade — especially now with Adams gone — and there is also a reason Minshew won the job in training camp.
27. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos 
Skill Score: 8.62 | Production Score: 1.27 | Ranking Score: 4.95
The final box score looks a lot better than how Bo Nix played for most of this game. Through the first three quarters, Nix averaged -0.96 EPA per play with a 10.6-yard aDOT and just 1.9 yards per attempt.
Nix’s deeper passing isn’t consistent enough to live that way, and he’s often double-clutching his throws when looking further downfield. When he does hit deep, it looks nice, but it’s not a readily available tool for him to use at all times. Meanwhile, the short accuracy and quick decision-making have not been nearly good enough to sustain the inconsistencies elsewhere.
28. Drake Maye, New England Patriots 
Skill Score: 8.94 | Production Score: 0.88 | Ranking Score: 4.91
Drake Maye’s starting debut was never going to be perfect, but there was a lot to like. The deep touchdown to Kayshon Boutte was a great pass that was placed perfectly for the receiver. By the end of the game, Maye was also comfortable finding holes in the defense and hitting some open crossers, like the Pop Douglas touchdown.
The interceptions aren’t too concerning as a long-term problem, and he handled the pressure well enough for it not to derail the offense. Starting against the Texans' pass rush might have been as tough a task as there could have been.
29. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans 
Skill Score: 8.60 | Production Score: 0.85 | Ranking Score: 4.73
It’s still more of the same for Will Levis. In Week 6, 44.4 percent of his passes traveled 11 or more air yards, yet he had a 3.7 percent explosive pass rate.
In previous games, the high rate of deep throws could bail him out of trouble occasionally because enough of them hit for big gains, but on days when those don’t turn into completions, as was the case against Indianapolis, there’s nothing going on for the offense.
30. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints 
Skill Score: 8.84 | Production Score: -0.03 | Ranking Score: 4.41
Spencer Rattler handled himself fairly well in his debut. The first quarter was hurt by a Chris Olave fumble that was returned for a touchdown. But in the second quarter, when the Saints scored 27 points, Rattler was on — 0.27 EPA per play with a 50 percent success rate.
Klint Kubiak went to the family well with play-action and bootlegs that got Rattler on the move. On plays outside the pocket, Rattler averaged 0.38 EPA per play and 9.7 yards per attempt on 12 throws.
There could be something there in the controlled chaos, but that could be more difficult against a Broncos defense on a short week without Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
31. Tyler Huntley, Miami Dolphins 
Skill Score: 8.7 | Production Score: -0.04 | Ranking Score: 4.33
Tyler Huntley was on a bye in Week 6.
32. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns 
Skill Score: 8.42 | Production Score: -0.13 | Ranking Score: 4.15
Yea, no more.
Week 7 Full Ranking Breakdown
