NFL Analysis
11/20/24
17 min read
2024 NFL Week 12 Quarterback Power Rankings: Major Shakeup in Top 5
Welcome to Week 12 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 12. All stats provided by TruMedia unless noted otherwise.
Week 12 Quarterback Rankings
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens 
Skill Score: 9.70 | Production Score: 7.59 | Ranking Score: 8.65
Lamar Jackson had his worst game of the season, with his second negative EPA per play performance of the year. The Steelers played a ton of man coverage, and there were not as many open windows.
Jackson did not have a scramble and was forced to hold onto the ball as the Steelers blitzed often. Jackson was pressured on 40 percent of his dropbacks.
2. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Skill Score: 9.10 | Production Score: 8.20 | Ranking Score: 8.65
By EPA per play, Jared Goff had one of the most impressive performances of the past 25 years. His 1.21 EPA per play was the most for a quarterback in a game with at least 30 dropbacks and second for at least 25 dropbacks.
The Lions threw often and took advantage of a Jacksonville defense that couldn’t stop anything. That game is doing a lot of heavy lifting for placing Goff second in these rankings and now first on the season in EPA per play.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Skill Score: 9.66 | Production Score: 6.63 | Ranking Score: 8.15
Josh Allen was pressured on 42 percent of his dropbacks against the Chiefs, but he did not take a sack. That pocket management, along with the ability to get the ball out quickly to distribute the ball to multiple receivers, has been the biggest part of Allen’s growth over the past two seasons.
Then, there’s still his running ability, which iced the game with his 26-yard run on fourth-and-2.
4. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Skill Score: 9.20 | Production Score: 6.71 | Ranking Score: 7.96
Jayden Daniels struggled for the second week in a row. While the Steelers heavily played man coverage and kept Daniels in the pocket, the Eagles sat in zone, though still with Quinyon Micthell against Terry McLaurin, and forced Daniels to throw short.
While Daniels completely nearly 70 percent of his passes, he only had a 3.6-yard average depth of target, which allowed the Eagles to keep any big plays from breaking.
5. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Skill Score: 9.20 | Production Score: 6.61 | Ranking Score: 7.91
This was the type of defense the Dolphins faced on Sunday:
Still, Tua Tagovailoa still finished with the second-best EPA per play of the week (0.61) behind Goff. This came in another game with Miami struggling to create explosives on the ground.
The passing game has come back alive with Tagovailoa’s return, and for the second week in a row, the quarterback showed off some extended play production. He was 4-for-4 for 2.70 EPA per play outside the pocket.
6. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Skill Score: 9.74 | Production Score: 6.05 | Ranking Score: 7.90
The game against the Bills showed the thin line between what the Chiefs can pull off this season and a loss. Patrick Mahomes maintained a high success rate (his 54.3 percent was the sixth-highest of the week) but couldn't pull off the big play on third down or in the fourth quarter as he had in previous games.
There was an early effort to push the ball down the field, and a huge play to Xavier Worthy was lost when the receiver could not keep his feet in bounds. We’ll see if that’s something the Chiefs consistently try to add to their offense during the backstretch of the season.
7. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Skill Score: 9.38 | Production Score: 6.29 | Ranking Score: 7.84
Kyler Murray was on a bye in Week 11.
8. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Skill Score: 9.38 | Production Score: 6.22 | Ranking Score: 7.80
Joe Burrow had two games within the Sunday night meeting with the Chargers. In the first half, Burrow was using 30 percent play-action and throwing short with a 5.4-yard aDOT. But in the second half, he started throwing downfield more and targeting Tee Higgins, which created a few big plays.
The deep throws had a higher success rate despite Burrow completing fewer than half of his passes in the second half. He also extended more and didn’t take a sack after halftime.
Burrow's high range has been great, but the Bengals have also needed that to compete, which has been tough to sustain.
9. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Skill Score: 9.10 | Production Score: 6.26 | Ranking Score: 7.68
Brock Purdy’s legs have been one of the most dangerous weapons for the San Francisco offense this season. He had a 14.3 percent scramble rate against the Seahawks, and his ability to extend plays kept some drives alive.
With the receivers in and out of the lineup, some of the easy buttons and automatic yards after the catch have not been available in the offense, and we’ve seen the limit of how much Purdy can shoulder on his own, especially if the defense is going to stop Purdy from throwing deep.
Seattle kept Purdy to just a 5.5-yard aDOT with only 2.5 yards after the catch per completion.
10. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Skill Score: 9.08 | Production Score: 6.26 | Ranking Score: 7.67
Baker Mayfield was on a bye in Week 11.
11. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Skill Score: 8.96 | Production Score: 6.04 | Ranking Score: 7.50
Jalen Hurts has been better as a scrambler during the past few weeks. His legs have again become a legitimate, efficient weapon, which helps open up more in the traditional run game and gives him some more chances to make a big throw.
That still remains the basis of the passing game — that big plays will be there and happen eventually. During the past few weeks, the quarterback has played a bigger part in helping create those than just relying on the players around him.
12. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Skill Score: 9.32 | Production Score: 5.26 | Ranking Score: 7.29
Jordan Love did not throw often against the Bears, but he was explosive when he did throw. He had a 9.1-yard aDOT and 15.4 yards per attempt. As Love gets further removed from his injury, his mobility looks more natural, and his escapability has returned as a superpower. He was pressured on 50 percent of his dropbacks against Chicago but only took one sack.
His flick-of-the-wrist throw on the move to Christian Watson, which set up his go-ahead quarterback sneak, was one of the best throws of the week.
13. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Skill Score: 9.52 | Production Score: 4.77 | Ranking Score: 7.15
Matthew Stafford was back after a disappointing Monday night showing last week. He threw 70 percent of his passes to Cooper Kupp and Pacua Nacua, and the offense looked like it was expected to with the healthy pieces in place.
When he had time in the pocket, Stafford let it rip. He had some big plays down the field and put passes into tight windows. His touchdown pass to Nacua was a perfectly placed ball and showed that any throw is still available to him.
14. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Skill Score: 9.00 | Production Score: 5.16 | Ranking Score: 7.08
Kirk Cousins had his first really bad game for the Falcons since Week 1. The Broncos blitzed a ton and didn’t allow much to open up down the field. That got Cousins throwing quickly to the short area of the field, and few big plays came open.
His interception was on a throw forced to Drake London, and he never saw linebacker Cody Barton sitting there waiting for the pass.
15. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Skill Score: 9.58 | Production Score: 3.90 | Ranking Score: 6.74
The more Justin Herbert leans on himself to make plays, the better he’s been. This was the second game in a row Herbert was willing to scramble to create positive plays on the ground. The difference between previous games and this one against the Bengals was the receivers made plays on the back end of some of Herbert’s best throws.
While the second half started to look like a typical Chargers game with the supporting cast letting the quarterback down, that final drive was something. Herbert’s throw to Ladd McConkey with a defender in his face was the highlight.
16. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Skill Score: 9.32 | Production Score: 4.16 | Ranking Score: 6.74
Geno Smith continues to make the best of unideal circumstances. The return of Abe Lucas at tackle helped, but the offensive line still hasn’t completely clicked for the Seahawks, which has slowed down the run game and the play-action game off it. Due to that, Geno has a lot of straight dropbacks where he has to make a play.
DK Metcalf’s return opened up the middle of the field for Jaxon Smith-Njigba as a go-to target. And then Smith had a few scrambles, including the go-ahead touchdown that were fantastic plays.
17. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
Skill Score: 9.04 | Production Score: 4.32 | Ranking Score: 6.68
We’re starting to get similar Sam Darnold experiences every week. There’s a highlight play or two — his spin out of a potential sack was exciting, and he ripped a 25-yard pass to Justin Jefferson while getting hit — but there are the bad plays mixed in, like the sack fumble he took.
The positives have still outweighed the negatives for Darnold in this offense, even if the blowout wins aren’t coming as often as they did early in the year.
18. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Skill Score: 8.86 | Production Score: 4.37 | Ranking Score: 6.62
Derek Carr had a 3.8-yard average depth of completion and an average of 9.2 yards per attempt against the Browns. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has somehow become a thing with another long touchdown, this time a big catch-and-run in open space.
The offense, schematically, looks more like the early part of the season under Klint Kubiak, and Carr has been able to find the open receiver off those plays.
19. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Skill Score: 9.14 | Production Score: 3.85 | Ranking Score: 6.50
There might not have been a better performance in a loss than Drake Maye against the Rams. Maye has already proven he can handle a pass rush behind a poor offensive line and quickly become a creator on his own.
On a play early in the game, Maye had a quick sidestep to make room for a throw to Demario Douglas just before he took a hit on a big blitz. Those are the types of plays that stand out as Maye goes through his rookie season.
He had a 63 percent success rate against the Rams, the third-highest in Week 11.
20. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Skill Score: 9.58 | Production Score: 3.33 | Ranking Score: 6.46
C.J. Stroud had a big game in yards and efficiency (his 0.21 EPA per play tied his second-best of the season behind Week 1’s 0.24), but things were still just a bit off. The Texans still seem like they’re in a feeling-out process, and that was true with the return of Nico Collins, who had a huge touchdown on a screen called back on the opening drive.
Against a Cowboys team that can’t stop the run, the Texans had their highest pass rate of the season — partly in a way to get Stroud back in a rhythm with his receivers. Results were mixed, but hopefully, this can be a path to open things up in the passing game for the rest of the season.
21. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Skill Score: 8.92 | Production Score: 3.40 | Ranking Score: 6.45
Russell Wilson had his shakiest game as a Steeler. He only had a 29.5 percent success rate against a team that has been terrible defending the pass this season. His interception in the end zone was easily the worst decision and throw he’s made this season, and it stopped Pittsburgh from putting the game away.
But with this defense, all Wilson needed to do was hit a deep pass or two. His 37-yard throw to George Pickens in the third quarter was a beauty, and those types of passing can flip the field at any moment.
22. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Skill Score: 8.96 | Production Score: 3.31 | Ranking Score: 6.14
Just 31.3 percent of Aaron Rodgers’ completions against the Colts resulted in a first down or touchdown. That’s the third-lowest rate of his career in a game with at least 10 pass attempts.
There was no effort to push the ball down the field. What’s concerning is this against an Indianapolis defense that can’t be much easier to figure out — it doesn't disguise what it does and runs Cover-3 at the highest rate in the league. Yet, Rodgers lifelessly threw short for the entire game.
23. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Skill Score: 8.96 | Production Score: 3.20 | Ranking Score: 6.08
Ok, it’s time to talk about Bo Nix, who has taken the mantle of quarterback the fanbase is most upset about in these rankings.
Nix had his best game as a pro, and we talked about that in 1st & 10 this week. His throw to Devaughn Vele for 33 yards was easily his best. In the past few weeks, Nix has looked like a much-improved quarterback. The Broncos have figured out what he can and can’t get away with in the offense, and the system around him has improved with more plays from a clean pocket.
Since Week 7, he’s 11th in EPA per play. But these rankings still consider the full season, and those first six weeks weren’t great, which holds his production score down compared to how he’s perceived at the moment.
The next step for Nix? Handling pressure better. He’s actually been worse under pressure since Week 7 (a 16.3 percent success rate and 3.5 yards per attempt), but he’s seeing pressure less often.
The development to this point has been positive and shows there could be a higher ceiling as he gets deeper into his first season.
24. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Skill Score: 9.16 | Production Score: 2.78 | Ranking Score: 5.97
In the first game under Thomas Brown as offensive coordinator, there was clearly an emphasis on letting Caleb Williams play more free. Williams was willing to scramble earlier, which appeared to get him in a better rhythm in the offense and kept him from being stubborn in the pocket, standing there too long to prove he could make a play.
He averaged just 2.37 seconds to throw, making quick decisions, and was eighth in EPA per play for the week (0.31). Even without a win, this was as positive of a game as Williams could have had after the coordinator switch.
25. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Skill Score: 9.06 | Production Score: 2.58 | Ranking Score: 5.82
Anthony Richardson showed his unique ability in his return to the lineup. The passing was better, and his rushing ability was on full display.
He completed 66.7 percent of his passes while still having a 10.5-yard aDOT and had a positive completion percentage over expectation for the second time this season. There’s a higher ceiling with Richardson in the lineup, and he also raised the floor with how he processed in the pocket against the Jets.
26. Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns
Skill Score: 8.78 | Production Score: 2.45 | Ranking Score: 5.62
Jameis Winston was mostly fine against a Saints defense that hasn’t played well for most of the season. The Jerry Jeudy touchdown was an open catch and run for the receiver, and no one covered Elijah Moore on his touchdown in the third quarter.
Still, picking on bad defenses was not something possible for the Browns under their previous quarterback.
27. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders
Skill Score: 8.62 | Production Score: 1.91 | Ranking Score: 5.27
Throw it to Brock Bowers, and things will be okay. Bowers had 44.7 percent of the Raiders’ receiving yards against the Dolphins.
Gardner Minshew mostly played it safe with short throws against Miami, as 72 percent of his passes traveled between 1-10 air yards. That’s probably the best version of Minshew, and it’s a positive sign that the offense stayed in that lane even as the score got out of hand.
28. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Skill Score: 8.60 | Production Score: 1.65 | Ranking Score: 5.13
Will Levis was hit nine times, five of them resulting in a sack. That’s how he plays, and the hits he takes in and out of the pocket are tough to sustain.
Levis has one speed, and he’s trying to create a big play whenever he can. Sometimes, it works, but it has often led to a game like the one against Minnesota with a 27.9 percent success rate.
29. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Skill Score: 8.68 | Production Score: 0.00 | Ranking Score: 4.34
Bryce Young was on a bye in Week 11.
30. Cooper Rush Dallas Cowboys
Skill Score: 8.56 | Production Score: -0.01 | Ranking Score: 4.28
With the Cowboys' current construction, Cooper Rush has been in a no-win situation. There were some throws where Rush was fine, but the overall offense was a mess, especially when offensive linemen started getting hurt.
Rush took five sacks, and the weird strip-sack, double-fumble touchdown return broke the game open for the Texans.
31. Mac Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
Skill Score: 8.62 | Production Score: -0.14 | Ranking Score: 4.24
Mac Jones was charted as inaccurate on 31 percent of his passes. That’s all you need to know about the Jaguars right now.
There are still no easy buttons in the offense, and Jacksonville isn’t opening things in the short area, as Jones had a 12.2-yard aDOT. Relying on Jones' deep ball is maybe one of the worst ways to live as an NFL offense.
32. Tommy DeVito, New York Giants
Skill Score: 8.50 | Production Score: -0.03* | Ranking Score: 4.24
Danny Dimes is out, and Tommy Cutlets is in. (Side note: stop giving Giants quarterbacks nicknames that make them seem endearing.)
We’re going with Tommy DeVito’s 2023 production score in the first version of these rankings. While the Giants won a few games with DeVito at quarterback last season, that had much more to do with the defense and less about DeVito’s play.
No quarterback was worse under pressure or was more likely to take sacks than DeVito, which was a huge negative to his game with a 17.2 percent sack rate.
Week 12 Full Rankings Breakdown
