NFL Analysis

12/6/23

21 min read

NFL Week 14 Quarterback Power Rankings: Prescott Rises, Herbert Falls

By Derrik Klassen

Film Analyst

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Pour one out for Trevor Lawrence. Maybe. 

In a season filled with quarterback injuries galore, Lawrence had himself a scare on Monday night. Lawrence got his ankle rolled up on during a sack, which led to him getting folded over like a lawn chair. At least in the moment, it felt like Lawrence might be done for the year. 

Thankfully, early reports are that Lawrence merely suffered an ankle sprain. The severity of the sprain isn't clear, but that's better than what it looked like happened on the broadcast. The prince who was promised may get to return and finish out the season after all.

WEEK 14 QUARTERBACK RANKINGS

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Previous Ranking: 1

If there's anything we've learned this season, it's that there is a point in which not even Patrick Mahomes can lift a supporting cast. 

This Kansas City Chiefs offense just doesn't have many tools. TE Travis Kelce is still good, but he's not the bonafide All-Pro with explosive play potential like he once was. Rookie WR Rashee Rice can do some stuff with the ball, but his route-running and hands are a work in progress. And that's it. None of the offense's other pass-catchers would be starters for serious playoff teams. 

The offensive line also remains an issue, mainly the tackles. The interior absolutely rocks, but the tackle situation was rough to start the season and has only gotten worse with Donovan Smith getting banged up. 

I know this all sounds like excuses, but it's hard to imagine almost any other quarterback getting top-10 offense from this unit. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson could do it. That might be where the list stops. 

2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Previous Ranking: 2

No Lamar Jackson this week as the Baltimore Ravens were on their bye. Next week's matchup against the Los Angeles Rams has shootout potential.

3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Previous Ranking: 3

The Buffalo Bills are so lucky to have gotten their bye this late in the season. They needed this little reset to kick into high gear for a playoff push. We'll see how Josh Allen and the Bills play to finish out the year. 

4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Previous Ranking: 5

Dak Prescott is the MVP front-runner now. Well, he should be. Vegas does not agree with me (yet). 

For a deeper discussion on why Prescott should be the MVP, read: Dak Prescott’s Performance vs. Seahawks Puts Him At Front Of MVP Race.

5. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Previous Ranking: 4

Justin Herbert was not good this week. Herbert missed on a handful of key throws, especially down the field, that you expect him to make. Those handful of misses were the difference between only scoring six points and the Los Angeles Chargers' more standard 17-ish points per game. 

At the same time, this skill position group is exhausting. They force Herbert to be perfect or else risk nearly getting shut out. Quentin Johnston, despite a fine 5-52-0 day, had a crucial third-down drop that hit him dead in the hands. Austin Ekeler dropped another easy pass. Backup TE Donald Parham also had a baffling drop. 

Never mind that the run game is also completely useless. 

So, yes, Herbert played below his level. He's been awesome for much of this season considering the supporting cast, however, and he's still one of the best in the league. 

6. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Previous Ranking: 7

Matthew Stafford made a throw against the Browns that perfectly encapsulates why he's so good. 

The Browns sent a Cover 2 "creeper" pressure on this play, which means one of the standard defensive linemen drops into coverage while a second- or third-level defender fires on a blitz. It's the illusion of a blitz, but the defense only brings four. 

The funky pressure did not phase Stafford one bit. Stafford hit the top of his drop, immediately drew his eyes back to the middle of the field, and let it rip to Puka Nacua while his running back got shoved into his lap. Getting the throw out on time and from that platform was impressive enough, but Stafford then placed it right on Nacua's front shoulder. Nacua never broke stride, allowing him to hit the jets and take off for a touchdown. 

A lot of other stuff happened in this game, but that throw right there is why Stafford is a top-eight quarterback.

7. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

Previous Ranking: 8

The 49ers game was a weird one for Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles. 

For most of the season, the 49ers have had a bad run defense. They play an aggressive, volatile style up front. In theory, that sets up perfectly for the Eagles to go smashmouth mode and only use the passing game to keep the defense honest and attack down the field, not as the focal point of the offense. 

Instead, the Eagles were useless on the ground and made Hurts throw 45 times. He spammed throws in the underneath area. Hurts had his moments, especially when plays broke down and he worked outside the pocket, but he wasn't quite consistent enough with this spread-and-shred approach to keep up with a 49ers offense that was rolling. 

8. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Previous Ranking: 9

C.J. Stroud quietly had one of his worst games of the season. Stroud also did way more good than bad, which tells you something about where the bar is for him already. 

As for the bad, Stroud struggled with the Broncos' pressure looks. The Broncos love to send the house and Stroud was a roller coaster in combating that. He made a handful of magnificent throws down the field when pressured, but also took five sacks and went on the fritz when the Broncos sent pressure inside the red zone. 

Stroud needed a game like that, though. A game to let him know where he can still grow as a player and improve down the line. For Stroud to have that kind of game and still produce 10.1 yards per pass and a touchdown is pretty special. 

9. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Previous Ranking: 10

The Cardinals vs. Steelers was a weird game. Multiple weather delays threw this game out of rhythm and it never really felt like either team was firing on all cylinders. 

As a means to combat that, Kyler Murray force fed his top target: TE Trey McBride. The second-year tight end saw nine targets, six more than any other Arizona Cardinals player. Whether Murray needed a ball-winner at the goal line, an outlet to check down to, or a guy to win 1-on-1 on third down, McBride provided all of that. 

Overall, Murray wasn't anything special, but that's fine given the Cardinals' goals. What matters is that Murray and McBride clearly have a connection. That's something to build on for next season. 

10. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

Previous Ranking: 11

Shoutout to Geno Smith. His performance from Thursday night will get cast aside because the Seattle Seahawks lost and Dak Prescott had his MVP moment, but Smith was absolutely lights out. This game was a shootout because Smith willed it to be. 

Smith threw fireballs all day long. He did his part to work the underneath and intermediate areas, but he really shined when the Seahawks opened it up. The tragedy is that two of his best throws fell incomplete. 

The first was an absolute bomb to Jaxon Smith-Njigba before the half. Smith unleashed a deep corner route in a spot that let JSN fall right under it, but the rookie couldn't hang on.

In the second half, Smith also had a delicious throw to Tyler Lockett down the seam, but the veteran couldn't bring it in. It was a rare drop for a player as sure-handed as Lockett. 

Drops be damned, Smith was fantastic. It was the kind of performance he needed after an uneven couple of months.

11. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Previous Ranking: 12

Tua Tagovailoa led the Miami Dolphins to 45 points on Sunday. It could not have looked easier. 

Tagovailoa was almost flawless. The offense didn't ask him to do anything outside of his norm — anticipation throws over the middle, screens and a couple of deep shots — but he was exceptional with all of it. Tagovailoa was threading every single ball over the middle right into his receiver's hands. 

WR Tyreek Hill helped out Tagovailoa with an unbelievable adjustment to a deep throw, but to his credit, Taogvailoa gave it enough air to let his guy run under it with ease. That's what you should do with someone like Hill. 

Safe to say all is well in Miami right now.

12. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Previous Ranking: 14

Sunday's blowout was both sides of the Brock Purdy wrapped up in one game. 

On one hand, the San Francisco 49ers’ skill players went nuclear. Deebo Samuel had multiple explosive plays featuring broken tackles and George Kittle took a checkdown for about 40 yards. Even Jauan Jennings, the offense's fifth-best skill player, had an insane catch-and-run for a touchdown. Purdy did not have to complete a pass beyond 20 yards because of the work the skill players were doing underneath. 

At the same time, Purdy did an awesome job managing tight pockets and getting the ball out. He almost threw one pick on a slant target to Brandon Aiyuk but was otherwise poised and accurate. Purdy was especially money on third-down throws, threading a few key passes outside the numbers to keep drives alive. 

13. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Previous Ranking: 13

The Detroit Lions' offense was a hot knife through butter against the Saints' defense. Jared Goff played a pretty sizable role in that. 

Though not eye-popping in any way, Goff did his thing against the Saints. Goff made some tough tight-window throws to the intermediate range and largely played mistake-free football. That's all a guy like Goff needs to do to keep this offense moving against middling defenses such as New Orleans.

14. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Previous Ranking: 15

Jordan Love continues to get better and better and better. 

What stood out from Love's performance against the Chiefs was his poise and aggression. Those are the defining traits of most of the league's best passers, and Love has them. 

The touchdown Love threw to Christian Watson on the right side of the end zone was a great example. Despite pressure in his face, Love saw the corner playing inside leverage on Watson's dig route and put the ball high and on Watson's back shoulder, allowing the receiver to adjust to it while the defensive back had no shot. That's the kind of aggression and pinpoint accuracy you see from the league's best. 

If Love plays at this level for the rest of the season, he'll finish even higher on this list.

15. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

Previous Ranking: 16

Russell Wilson put up a stinker against the Texans. 

Largely a mistake-free quarterback this season, Wilson threw three picks against the Texans. In his defense, one of those was a tipped ball, but the other two were squarely on Wilson making poor decisions into tight windows. 

Beyond the turnovers, Wilson was shaky in general beyond 10 yards. The Denver Broncos tried time and time again to uncork it down the field, mainly to Courtland Sutton, but it was a hit-or-miss approach that led to far more incompletions and picks than explosive gains.

16. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

Previous Ranking: 17

Derek Carr did it again — put up numbers without ever really feeling like a needle mover. 

As usual, Carr mostly feasted in the underneath area, an approach that dug the New Orleans Saints into a 24-7 hole by halftime. Carr opened things up a smidgen in the second half, but mostly just let the running game do its thing to march the Saints down the field consistently and bridge the gap on the scoreboard. 

Carr did not finish the game, though. A slew of injuries, including a potential concussion, forced Carr out of action, allowing Jameis Winston to try (and fail) to win the game.

It's unclear whether Carr will play in Week 14, but we'll keep him around. 

17. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

Previous Ranking: 18

Justin Fields desperately needs to finish the season with a statement. He's had some promising moments of late, but probably not enough to convince the Chicago Bears to keep him over the potential of drafting Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. We'll see how Fields fares during the final five games.

18. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Previous Ranking: 19

Baker Mayfield continues to do an admirable job holding it down in Tampa Bay. 

Statistically, Mayfield wasn't great against the Panthers. He finished with 7.0 yards per attempt, one touchdown and one interception. Mediocre all the way around. 

While Mayfield had his fair share of misfires to lead to those numbers, he also made some insane throws down the field. Mayfield is an extremely confident passer, and now and then you see the arm talent and ball placement that reminds you why he went first overall a while back. 

19. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders

Previous Ranking: 20

Bad Sam Howell has popped up a lot in the past few weeks. 

In fairness to Howell, there aren't many offenses that would keep up with the Dolphins scoring 45 points. Howell was behind the eight ball immediately and never had a chance to catch up. 

That said, Howell did not look good at all. The Washington Commanders tried a run-first approach for what felt like the first time all season and it did not work. Howell still got hounded by the Dolphins pass rush and the low volume of passing attempts meant Howell's misfires and sacks hurt that much more, with fewer chances for him to do something insane to even it out. 

The good news for Howell is Washington gets a bye this week. 

20. Josh Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings

Previous Ranking: 22

No Passtronaut this week because the Minnesota Vikings were on their bye. Josh Dobbs is coming off his worst game as a Viking, so hopefully this bye week to settle down will help him out.

21. Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons

Previous Ranking: 21

Desmond Ridder made two delightful throws against the Jets. The first was a 13-yarder to Kyle Pitts outside the numbers while dealing with a rusher in his face. Two plays later, Ridder put some mustard on a throw to MyCole Pruitt down the seam for a touchdown. 

Those were about the only throws Ridder made. Weather played into Ridder's uneven play, but it's not like it was a problem all game long. Ridder just flat out missed throws and didn’t play with the kind of rhythm you want to see, which is partly a byproduct of playing this Jets front seven. 

Ridder can be better. Ridder should be better because the flashes are legit. But this past week, and in too many other weeks, he can't keep it together down in and down out. 

22. Aidan O'Connell, Las Vegas Raiders

Previous Ranking: 23

The Las Vegas Raiders were on a bye in Week 13, so we didn't get to see Aidan O'Connell in action. Week 14 will be a major test, though. Brian Flores' Vikings defense loves to throw the kitchen sink at quarterbacks, especially inexperienced ones.

23. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans

Previous Ranking: 24

Will Levis played the most Will Levis game imaginable against the Colts. 

All Levis could hit was intermediate shots. Corner routes, deep out routes, over routes and dig routes were on the menu for Levis. He didn't hit all of them of course, but he hit enough of 'em to keep you interested. 

The rest of his throws, however, were a nightmare. Levis made poor decisions and throws in the short area time and time again, and missed on almost all of his heaves down the field. Levis made it tough to keep the offense on the field and on schedule. 

The last thing I will say: Levis is one tough dude. Levis had a scramble in which he got Ryan Fitzpatrick-style helicoptered at the sticks, only for him to make a lively first-down gesture and pop right up to flex his muscles. Gamer. 

24. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns

Previous Ranking: NA

Alright. Listen. Hear me out. 

Joe Flacco was kinda slingin' it against the Rams. 

I did not expect to get much out of Flacco, but he made some bananas throws, especially over the middle. Flacco ripped one in-breaker to Amari Cooper on thir-and-14. He put one on Harrison Bryant's chest on a seam route. Flacco even threw an aggressive in-breaker to beat a safety driving down from a two-high shell. If nothing else, his arm was still there. 

Of course, Flacco was still Flacco in all the bad ways. His creativity in the pocket comes and goes, and he's going to take some bad shortcuts as a decision-maker. Flacco is also going to chuck one or two punts a game, one of which was intercepted this game. 

Flacco was competent, though. That's more than you can say of most Cleveland Browns quarterback performances. 

25. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

Previous Ranking: 26

Bryce Young quietly played one of his better games as a pro. 

Sadly, it doesn't show up in the numbers. Young was as painful as he's always been in the box score. The inclement weather didn't help him in that regard.

On film, though, Young made some serious throws. Young completed two passes beyond 20 yards. That's not a lot, but it was also only the second time he's done that. It wasn't just the deep throws either. Young had a few throws down the sideline, as well as one pressured throw on a deep in-breaker that got dropped, which looked like real-deal NFL throws. 

Of course, there still were the usual drawbacks — poor play in crowded pockets, scattered decision-making, misfires between the numbers — but Young at least showed some of the flashes that got him drafted first overall. 

26. Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals

Previous Ranking: 28

I will be perfectly honest: Jake Browning, I was unfamiliar with your game. 

Browning has always been The Guy Who Got Blasted By Alabama In The College Football Playoff in my head canon. Nothing more. 

Monday night changed my mind to a degree. I still think Browning is only a backup and that the Jaguars' soft defense played as much a role in the outcome of that game as anything, but he was balling out. 

Browning completed 32-of-37 passes, which could have been even better if not for a couple of drops. Again, the Jaguars' soft defense made a lot of those easy, but Browning was really throwing with impressive accuracy and staying cool when pressured. That's all you can ask of a QB2. 

27. Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts

Previous Ranking: 26

Every Gardner Minshew game is the same. He's going to throw a ton of quick passes on time, hunt for a small handful of throws down the field and put the ball at risk at least three times. The only fluctuation is how many of the deep throws connect and how many of the turnover-worthy plays are punished. 

Minshew high-rolled in this game. Minshew connected on four of six throws beyond 20 yards, including a bomb to second-year receiver Alec Pierce in overtime to set the Colts up for a winning field goal. On the flip side, Minshew was fortunate to not get picked and only one of his two fumbles was recovered by the defense. 

There will be good weeks, there will be bad weeks. Week 13 was good, but it doesn't change the outlook on Minshew. We know what he is. 

28. Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers

Previous Ranking: NA

Kenny Pickett suffered a high ankle sprain against the Cardinals that will require surgery. In his place, we saw Mitchell Trubisky back out on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Trubisky was exactly what he's always been when asked to come off the bench for the Steelers. All the offense asked of him was to make some quick game throws and checkdowns, with one or two sideline shots in there to keep the defense honest. That, along with his athletic ability, was enough to not look like a total trainwreck, but it was not an encouraging performance by any means. 

We'll see if a week of starter reps changes anything. 

29. Trevor Siemian, New York Jets

Previous Ranking: NA

There's no way the New York Jets are going back to Tim Boyle, which leaves us with Trevor Siemian. 

Siemian came into the Falcons game after a nasty interception from Boyle. At that moment, Siemian was hardly an upgrade. He took three sacks and failed to complete half his passes. 

However, Siemian has some traits that suggest he will be a slight upgrade in future games. Siemian's arm is marginally better and he has way more starting experience than Boyle, which is a low bar but one the Jets are desperate to clear at this point. 

30. C.J. Beathard, Jacksonville Jaguars

Previous Ranking: NA

Trevor Lawrence is expected to miss time, and C.J. Beathard will presumably start some games for the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Beathard is best known for being one of the handful of random non-Jimmy Garoppolo quarterbacks that Kyle Shanahan got semi-functional play from during the early portion of his 49ers tenure. That's about it. 

Beathard is an immobile passer with a strong, imprecise arm and a penchant for throwing the ball into traffic. That could be a useful skill set in the right conditions but in a Jaguars offense with shaky line play and no real ball-winners … good luck. 

31. Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots

Previous Ranking: 29

Bailey Zappe gave the New England Patriots next to nothing. 

To his credit, Zappe completed a pass beyond 20 yards, something that wasn't happening at all in the Patriots offense beforehand. It's just that the other 24 throws were nothing of note. Zappe largely peppered the short area with a few middle-of-the-field throws sprinkled in. That's no different than the Mac Jones plan from previous weeks.

Zappe kept his cool a little better than Jones had of late, but not to a degree that accomplished anything for the Pats. 

32. Tommy DeVito, New York Giants

Previous Ranking: 32

The New York Giants were on their bye last week, but with Boyle no longer starting for the Jets, Tommy DeVito falls to last place. 

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Derrik Klassen

Film Analyst

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Derrik Klassen is an NFL and NFL Draft film analyst with a particular interest in quarterbacks. Klassen's work is also featured on Bleacher Report and Reception Perception.