Expert Analysis
12/19/24
15 min read
Ranking NFL's Top 10 QB-Coach Combos This Season
The most successful NFL quarterbacks work closely with a coach who is a "Quarterback Whisperer" and offensive guru. In some cases, it’s the head coach, or it can be the offensive coordinator with whom a top quarterback is tied at the hip. These coaches who work closest with the franchise’s most important player are the launching pad for a solid support system that must include an effective offensive line and quality skill position players.
Here's my list of this season’s top Quarterback-Coach combos. We can expect to see all of them except the Cincinnati Bengals combo in the upcoming playoffs.
Top 10 QB-Coach Combos of 2024
10. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid—Kansas City Chiefs 
Last on this list but certainly not least (out of 32 teams) is the three-time Super Bowl champion duo in Kansas City—Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
Mahomes remains a dangerous scrambler with 262 rushing yards, one rushing TD, and 20 first-downs on the ground, but he’s on track for the lowest passer rating (91.0) of his seven years as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback. He has 22 TD passes and 11 interceptions, but he’s dealt with major injuries to his wide receiver corps.
Yet Mahomes and his head coach Reid —who runs the offense and is the play caller—have played a big role, as always, in the Chiefs clinching their ninth straight AFC West title (including every year of Mahomes' career). They have helped lead the two-time defending Super Bowl champs to the league’s best record at 13-1 as they try to lock up the AFC’s top seed.
The Chiefs rank 14th in total offense and 13th in passing game, a drop from sixth last year. Kansas City’s defense has remained stout, ranking fifth overall after ranking second in 2023.
But Mahomes and Reid know how to come through late in games, as they are 10-0 in one-score games this season.
Mahomes is dealing with a sprained ankle,e but he’s expected to face Houston on Saturday. Reid would love to wrap up the top seed with two more wins (they’re at Pittsburgh in Week 17) or one win and one Bills loss so he can rest Mahomes in the regular season finale at Denver and get the first-round bye for another week off before the divisional playoffs. Then, they’ll begin their quest for a first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.
9. Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor—Cincinnati Bengals
The 6-8 Bengals are still alive but a long shot in the wild-card chase with three games remaining. The offense directed by Taylor during his six years as Bengals head coach (including a Super Bowl season in 2021) can't be blamed for a disappointing season thus far.
Cincinnati ranks No. 1 in passing, fifth in scoring, and tenth in total offense. The problem has been on defense,e where the team ranks No. 31 in points allowed and 29th in yards given up.
Joe Burrow has returned from last season’s wrist injury that cost him seven games to throw for the most yards in the league (3,977) and the most TDs (36) with only eight interceptions for a 107.1 passer rating that ranks third. The first overall pick in 2020 is doing his part with the help of Taylor.
Burrow showed his fire in a heated sideline discussion with Taylor during the Bengals win over the Titans last week that the coach brushed off as Burrow’s competitive edge which will be a positive in the future once the defense is improved.
8. Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury—Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels was the second overall pick in this year’s draft, and he came into a much better situation than top pick Caleb Williams at the dysfunctional Bears, in large part because of Kliff Kingsbury’s presence as his offensive coordinator.
Kingsbury is another former NFL QB with a long history of running offenses in college football and as Arizona Cardinals head coach from 2019-2022.
The Commanders’ offense ranks fifth overall (up from 24th last season), 16th in passing, and third in rushing, with Kingsbury incorporating Daniels as a big part of the run game (656 yards—second-ranked among QBs, six TDs). Daniels’ 3,701 combined yards passing and rushing are 71 percent of Washington’s total offense.
Daniels has an impressive 101.2 passer rating in his rookie season to rank tenth. He’s thrown 17 TD passes, only six interceptions, and his 70.7percent completion rate ranks fourth.
Best of all, he’s the biggest reason (with an assist from Kingsbury) that the Commanders have made a massive leap from 4-13 last season to 9-5 and closing in on a playoff spot.
7. Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur—Green Bay Packers
Matt LaFleur is in his sixth year as Packers head coach, and he has been with Jordan Love every step of the way since Love was selected in the 2020 first round. LaFleur is another head coach who runs the offense and calls plays.
LaFleur tutored Love through his first three seasons as Aaron Rodgers’ backup before deeming him ready to take the starting reins last season. After a shaky start, Love was outstanding in the second half of the 2023 season with a 6-2 record before crushing the Cowboys and narrowly falling to the 49ers in the playoffs. He threw 23 TD passes and only three interceptions in the last 10 games in 2023, including playoffs.
Love missed two games with a sprained knee early this season and has battled a groin injury but has the 10-4 Packers on track to return to the playoffs with four wins in the last five games. For the season, Love ranks 12th in passer rating (98.5) with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and he’s cut down on the picks lately, with none in the last four games while tossing seven TD passes.
LaFleur helps Love by running a balanced attack with the league’s fourth-ranked rushing team led by Josh Jacobs, aiding the No. 11 passing game.
The Packers organization showed its faith in both Love’s talent and LaFleur’s ability to get the most out of him when Love’s contract was extended in July for four more years and $220 million.
6. Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay—Los Angeles Rams
This combo led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory in the 2021 season, producing immediate dividends from the Stafford-Goff trade that season after Matthew Stafford’s 12 years in Detroit had yielded three playoff seasons but no postseason wins.
It’s hard to believe McVay is only 38 years old after becoming the Rams' head coach at 30 in 2017. As they did last season with seven wins in the last eight games to reach the playoffs, McVay (the play caller and de facto OC) and Stafford have the Rams on a late-season run that includes three straight victories. They’ve overcome a 1-4 start when they dealt with injuries to star WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
Stafford has thrown 10 TD passes and no interceptions in the last five games to raise his passer rating to 95.6 (based on 19 TDs, 7 interceptions, 66.3% completions).
The Rams’ passing game ranks ninth to lead the team’s rise to a tie with Seattle for the NFC West lead at 8-6, with the Rams winning the first matchup, and the teams will meet in the regular season finale in L.A.
5. Baker Mayfield and Liam Coen—Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Like Darnold, Baker Mayfield is on his fourth NFL team. He’s finding his greatest career success statistically in Tampa Bay and has led the 8-6 Bucs to four straight wins and the NFC South lead. He’s coming off a four-touchdown pass game in Tampa Bay’s 40-17 win against the Chargers in L.A.
Working with new Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Mayfield has achieved career-highs with 32 TD passes and a 104.1 passer rating that ranks sixth in the league. He’s also rushed for 266 yards and three TDs.
He made his first Pro Bowl last season as he led the Bucs to the NFC South title with five wins in the last six games and a dominant wild card victory against the Eagles and has taken his play to a higher level under Coen.
The 39-year-old Coen worked with Sean McVay as Rams OC in 2022 before a stint as Kentucky’s OC in 2023. He has effectively balanced the offense in Tampa Bay from 23rd ranked overall with the worst rushing attack to the No. 3 offense this season with the passing game and much improved rushing attack, and both ranked fourth league-wide.
4. Sam Darnold and Kevin O’Connell—Minnesota Vikings
Kevin O’Connell is among the head coaches who run the offense and is the play-caller. He has a tremendous track record as a quarterback Whisperer. He’s a former NFL quarterback who helped Matthew Stafford win a Super Bowl with the Rams and got Kirk Cousins to play the best in his career during their two years together at the Vikings.
O’Connell has worked this season with former No. 3 overall pick and Jets bust Sam Darnold to cultivate his innate talent into the best year of his career. The Vikings are among the NFL’s most surprising teams---led by Darnold, who may be the surprise player of the year--as they are tied with the Lions and Eagles for the NFC’s best record at 12-2 heading into the last three weeks of the regular season.
Darnold ranks fourth with a 104.9 passer rating, which is by far his career best. He also has a career-high 29 TD passes and a 67.6 percent completion rate. He’s shown his athleticism by escaping pressure, buying time to throw, and running for 194 yards.
Darnold threw 52 interceptions in his first four seasons with the Jets and Carolina Panthers. After tossing 10 picks in the first nine games, O’Connell has stressed protecting the ball, which has paid off with only one interception (vs. 12 TD passes) in the last five games (all Vikings victories during their current seven-game winning streak).
The Vikings signed Darnold on a one-year, $10 million contract, assuming he would be the veteran bridge quarterback to first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who wound up on IR with a knee injury. Darnold has taken advantage of this opportunity to set himself up for a big free-agent deal with the Vikings or elsewhere.
He has parlayed his experience, an excellent supporting cast of teammates led by All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson, and the coaching savvy of O’Connell into an outstanding season that already includes a playoff berth, a division title, and a playoff run are possibilities.
3. Lamar Jackson and Todd Monken—Baltimore Ravens
The 9-5 Ravens can clinch their sixth playoff berth in the last seven years and keep themselves in the hunt for their second straight AFC North title with a win at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday. That seven-year period coincides with the career of Baltimore’s 2018 first-round pick—Lamar Jackson.
Jackson is having a career year as the league’s top-rated passer (120.7 with 34 TD passes, only three interceptions, and a career-best 68.1 percent completion rate). He once again leads all QBs in rushing with 743 yards (and he’s run for three touchdowns). His 4,323 combined yards passing and running constitute 73 percent of the Ravens’ total yards.
Todd Monken is the Ravens’ offensive coordinator who works closely with Jackson as they operate the league’s No. 1 offense (424 yards per game). Baltimore’s passing game ranks third (up from 21st last season), which is the first time it’s been in the top 10 during Jackson’s career.
The 58-year-old Monken was the offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay and Cleveland in the NFL and in college football at Georgia (two-time national champs while he was there) before becoming the Ravens’ OC last season. He has helped Jackson elevate his game—especially as a passer—to the point that he was league MVP last season before this year’s excellent performance.
The goal remains for the Jackson-Monken duo to play a major role in getting the Ravens to the Super Bowl, which has eluded the team in recent years.
2. Jared Goff and Ben Johnson—Detroit Lions
With all of the injuries plaguing the Lions' defense and now the rushing attack with the loss of David Montgomery, the pressure is squarely on Jared Goff and his offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, to lead the 12-2 Lions to the NFC’s top seed.
Goff is having the best season of his nine-year career. He’s the league’s second-ranked passer (110.4 rating with 30 TDs, 10 interceptions, and a 71.4% completion rate). The Lions' offense directed by Johnson and Goff ranks second overall, second in passing, and sixth in rushing.
Goff was a Super Bowl QB in 2018 for the Los Angeles Rams who had selected him first overall in the 2016 draft. In the big trade between the Lions and Los Angeles Rams involving Matthew Stafford and Goff in 2021, Goff was considered more of a throw-in with several high picks coming to the Lions. Instead, he’s emerged as one of the league’s best QBs under the guidance of Johnson, who has been with the Lions since 2019 and became OC in 2022.
Johnson has coordinated top-five offenses during the past three seasons. The 38-year-old works extremely well with Goff and head coach Dan Campbell, but he’s likely headed to a head coaching position elsewhere in 2025.
So this should be his last shot to combine with Goff and propel the Lions to the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
1. Josh Allen and Joe Brady—Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen threw the second-most interceptions (18) in the NFL last season and has turned it around under the guidance of offensive coordinator Joe Brady this season. Allen has thrown only five picks as he ranks seventh in passer rating (103.5) with 25 TD passes. He’s on track to throw the fewest picks in a season of his seven-year career.
Allen also has gained 484 yards rushing with 11 touchdowns on the ground for Buffalo’s seventh-ranked offense. His rushing and passing totals amount to 75 percent of the total yards for the 11-3 Bills, who have won eight of their last nine games to clinch their fifth straight AFC East title and put themselves in position for a top two AFC playoff seed.
Brady gained renown as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for LSU’s 2019 national champions, where he coached Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase. He joined the Bills as quarterbacks coach in 2022 and was promoted to OC in mid-season 2023. As the Bills revamped their wide receiver corps and had offensive line changes, Brady moved to a better-balanced offense compared to the more pass-heavy approach previously.
Allen has flourished in Brady’s system and is now the presumptive league MVP this season, especially after huge games the past two weeks (six TDs combined in a 44-42 loss at the Rams and 362 passing yards, two TD passes, and two rushing scores in the 48-42 win at Detroit).
If the Bills make it to their first Super Bowl in thirty years, Allen and Brady’s partnership will play a big role.
