2023 NFL QB Power Rankings: All 32 Starting Quarterbacks After Week 4

October 6, 2023

Brant Henson ranks all 32 NFL starting quarterbacks. Who are the top quarterbacks in the NFL? Which NFL teams have elite quarterbacks? Which teams will continue to struggle at the position?

Week 4 came and went with some quarterbacks getting their groove back while others continued to struggle. Patrick Mahomes overcame a shaky performance to perform in the clutch, while Joe Burrow and the Bengals continued to crash and burn offensively.

Typical bottomfeeders in these rankings showed promise, as Zach Wilson flashed for maybe the first time in his career and Justin Fields put together a great game until Chicago imploded late.

How does the NFL’s quarterback landscape shakeup heading into Week 5? Here’s how we ranked all thirty-two starting quarterbacks through the first four games.

1. Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes has regained his spot at number one following his clutch game-icing run against the New York Jets on Sunday night. Mahomes struggled against a tough New York defense, throwing two interceptions, but ended up overcoming adversity to clinch the game on a big run.

Mahomes run seals the Chiefs win
Coach Andy Reid wins 250th game ties Tom Landry🏈

pic.twitter.com/a6nQmA9dnM

— primalkey (@primalkey) October 2, 2023

While the game was full of questionable calls, Mahomes and the Chiefs managed to escape with a win and are now 3-1 heading into a game against Minnesota.

2. Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles

Another quarterback whose team endured a closer-than-expected game on Sunday, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles edged out the Washington Commanders at home in overtime. Hurts played well and delivered a number of clutch throws, going 25-for-37 for 319 yards and two touchdowns while adding 34 rushing yards. Last year’s Super Bowl runner-up has his team as one of the two remaining undefeated teams.

3. Tua Tagovailoa - Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa came back down to Earth on Sunday, completing 71% of his passes for 282 yards with a touchdown and an interception in what ended up being a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. Despite the mediocre performance, Tagovailoa still leads the league in passing yards by 77. He remains on pace to be firmly in the MVP race.

4. Josh Allen - Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen went nuclear on Sunday in a huge divisional win over the Miami Dolphins, leading the Bills to 48 points on a day where he accounted for five total touchdowns and uncharacteristically did not turn the ball over. 

This is a next-level troll job by Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen LOL

🤔 #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/dQubse7S7T

— Mat Mlodzinski (@MatMlodzinski) October 1, 2023

He and Stefon Diggs also had a lot of fun trolling their division rivals.

5. Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson remains the NFL’s most dynamic quarterback, and single-handedly picked apart Cleveland’s highly-touted defense with both his arm and legs.

This Lamar Jackson play is so ridiculous you have to see it from both end zone angles. pic.twitter.com/5ka1Nro8f3

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) October 2, 2023

Jackson is 18th in the league in rushing yards while also sitting at 21st in passing yards. If he remains healthy, Baltimore should remain the favorite in the AFC North despite numerous injuries to other players.

6. Justin Herbert - Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert battled through a hand injury on his non-throwing hand to come through in the clutch against Las Vegas, icing the game with a bomb to Joshua Palmer on third and 10. 

51 yards on 3rd and 10! Herbert finds Joshua Palmer!

📺: #LVvsLAC on CBS⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/Y3SDuye7of

— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023

Herbert and the Chargers have battled back from an 0-2 start and now sit at 2-2, back in the picture as one of the better AFC teams. Herbert is on his way to a bounce-back season after struggling at times in 2022 and has already passed for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns.

7. Brock Purdy - San Francisco 49ers

The gift that keeps on giving. Brock Purdy sits at eighth in the league in passing yards and has not turned the ball over this season. Not to mention he still has never lost a regular season game and has the 49ers sitting as one of two undefeated teams in the league.

Purdy plays the game perfectly for Kyle Shanahan’s system. With Christian McCaffrey having the season he’s having, the field opens up for Purdy to execute flawlessly when called upon to make plays.

8. C.J. Stroud - Houston Texans

C.J. Stroud has been one of the NFL’s biggest surprises this season. The entire AFC South is 2-2, and Stroud has pulled off back-to-back upsets over Jacksonville and Pittsburgh. The number two overall pick is fourth in the league in passing yards and still has yet to throw an interception. Houston has got to be happy with the early returns on their young franchise quarterback, as Stroud has looked like a top-10 quarterback in the league through his first four career starts.

9. Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford is fully back. The Rams’ quarterback clutched up against the Colts on Sunday, putting together a game-winning drive in overtime in which he connected with rookie Puka Nacua on a 22-yard dart to win the game.

Puka Nacua is currently outpacing the two best receiving yard seasons in NFL history through 4 games 😳

('23) Puka Nacua - 501 Rec Yds
('21) Cooper Kupp - 431
('12) Calvin Johnson - 423 pic.twitter.com/CpRboNZ76O

— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) October 1, 2023

These three receivers all have one thing in common… Stafford was their quarterback. The 35-year-old is one of the more underappreciated quarterbacks in the game despite winning a Super Bowl in 2021, and it is great to see him playing high-level football again.

10. Geno Smith - Seattle Seahawks

Geno Smith did not have to do much for Seattle to find success on Monday night, completing 13-of-20 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. The defense did most of the work in the 24-3 victory and Smith briefly left the game with an injury but returned to close out the game. He has Seattle sitting at 3-1 entering an early bye week.

11. Jared Goff - Detroit Lions

Jared Goff has the Detroit offense operating at a high level this season. Sitting at seventh in the league in passing, Goff should only improve as former first-round receiver Jameson Williams returns from his suspension this week. He completed 67.8% of his passes in the 34-20 win over Green Bay.

12. Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence has not lived up to lofty expectations thus far in 2023, but he looked much improved in London on Sunday morning as he completed 23-of-30 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. While he has had a number of head-scratching plays, he has also had some very impressive throws. The AFC South is a dogfight with all four teams looking mediocre but competitive, and Lawrence’s progression throughout the season will be fun to monitor.

13. Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings

Kirk Cousins may be third in the league in passing yards, but Minnesota is sitting at 1-3 and he came back down to Earth with only 139 passing yards and two turnovers in a win propelled by the Vikings’ defense over Carolina. Cousins will continue to lean on one of the best pass-catching trios in the league in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson, and should continue to pass at a high clip.

14. Dak Prescott - Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had a bounce-back game against New England on Sunday, passing for 261 yards and a touchdown in a game that Dallas dominated from the jump. Prescott leaned on strong defensive play again to carry the Cowboys but was able to produce when called upon.

15. Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow is only ranked fifteenth because he is Joe Burrow. His 2023 resumê does not warrant this ranking whatsoever, as Burrow is 26th in the league in passing yards and has thrown a mere two touchdowns along with two interceptions. The Bengals and Burrow are flat-out struggling, sitting at 1-3 with a potential bounce-back game against Arizona awaiting.

16. Deshaun Watson - Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson missed Cleveland’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and it showed as the Browns fell 28-3 and rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw three interceptions. Watson was a surprising late scratch with a shoulder injury, but now gets a week of rest prior to a big matchup against San Francisco in two weeks.

17. Baker Mayfield - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield being listed one spot under Deshaun Watson has to irk Cleveland fans, but the reality is that Baker is balling through the first four games and has Tampa in sole possession of first place in the NFC South at 3-1. He went off on Sunday against a tough New Orleans defense, passing for three touchdowns despite losing Mike Evans partially through the game. Tampa looks like a legitimate playoff contender and Mayfield could be reinforcing himself as a franchise quarterback after being cast aside by Cleveland.

18. Sam Howell - Washington Commanders

One week after an abysmal performance against Buffalo, Sam Howell had an extremely impressive performance against the Eagles. Howell led a crazy last-second drive to send the game to overtime, topped off by this buzzer-beating strike to second-year receiver Jahan Dotson. 

SAM HOWELL AND JAHAN DOTSON TIE IT UP AT THE BUZZER ⌛️😱 pic.twitter.com/vyd8keDD5u

— PFF (@PFF) October 1, 2023

Howell has flashed signs of greatness this season. He still has to prove it with a full season of play to solidify the job going forward, but the former fifth-round pick has impressed early.

19. Anthony Richardson - Indianapolis Colts

The Colts’ dynamic rookie quarterback is going to be a fun player in this league. He is very fast and runs through defenders, while also flashing an absolute cannon of an arm. Richardson returned to action this week after missing a week with a concussion and nearly pulled off a comeback after starting out down 20-0, sending the game to overtime but eventually falling to the Rams. Keep an eye on Richardson, as he has a big divisional matchup against Tennessee next weekend.

20. Russell Wilson - Denver Broncos

With how bad the Broncos have been, Russell Wilson has actually not been half bad. He helped Denver come back on Sunday from a 28-7 deficit all the way to win the game 31-28 behind a 21-for-28, 223-yard, three-touchdown stat line. Wilson is quietly ninth in the league in passing yards and with how bad the Broncos’ defense has been, he will need to keep passing at a high clip.

21. Jordan Love - Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has hit some highs and some lows through four games, and the Packers sit at 2-2 following the Thursday night blowout loss to Detroit. Love couldn’t get anything going in the first half, but showed signs of life in the second half. He threw two interceptions and has been up-and-down all season.

22. Joshua Dobbs - Arizona Cardinals

Joshua Dobbs has played some very competent ball and while Arizona is 1-3, they’ve drawn a tough schedule and do not have a team built to compete. Dobbs played a great game against the best defense in the league in San Francisco, completing 28-of-41 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns while adding 48 yards rushing. He is proving each week that he belongs in the NFL after bouncing around practice squads for the first six years of his career.

23. Derek Carr - New Orleans Saints

Derek Carr came back very quickly from the AC joint sprain he suffered in Week 3, potentially returning to the fold a week early as he did not look healthy and was largely ineffective in Week 4. Carr completed 23 passes for only 127 yards in the loss to Tampa Bay, failing to lead the team to a single touchdown. He sits 23rd in the league in passing yards.

24. Mac Jones - New England Patriots

Mac Jones is the latest victim of the Dallas Cowboys defense, as he went 12-for-21 for 150 yards and two interceptions and eventually was pulled in favor of Bailey Zappe in the blowout loss. Jones has had some high points this season, but the Patriots are ultimately 1-3 in one of football’s toughest divisions. His seat has to be warming up as the franchise guy in New England.

25. Justin Fields - Chicago Bears

Justin Fields finally pulled together a good game, until it wasn’t. He completed 28-of-35 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns, getting Chicago out to a 28-7 lead, but Denver snuck back into the game and ended up winning 31-28 as Fields gave up a strip sack that went for six and threw an interception at the end of the game when fighting for the win. 

"If Justin Fields was the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons right this minute, they would be a thousand times better off."

—@Espngreeny pic.twitter.com/0h1aNthXEt

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 3, 2023

With the state of the Bears and Fields’ early struggles, it is not entirely out of the question that we could see him moved. Imagining Fields in Atlanta is certainly a pipe dream.

26. Ryan Tannehill - Tennessee Titans

Ryan Tannehill strung together a respectable game in what ended up being a thrashing of the Cincinnati Bengals. Tannehill only attempted 25 passes in the low-volume passing offense out in Tennessee, passing for 240 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Titans are tied with the rest of the division at 2-2 and Tannehill should remain under center as long as Tennessee remains competitive.

27. Bryce Young - Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young had his first game over 200 passing yards on Sunday, as he threw for 204 against a weak Minnesota secondary. Young was in his first game back from a brief time away due to an ankle injury and while he did not overly impress, there is reason to be optimistic about his future in Carolina. It just may be a while before we see results due to the state of the team.

28. Zach Wilson - New York Jets

No quarterback had a more interesting showing than Zach Wilson in Week 4. Wilson looked legit at times on Sunday night, going toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs but eventually falling 23-20. Wilson was 28-for-39 for 245 yards and two touchdowns and did not turn the ball over for the second week in a row.

Travis Kelce Zach Wilson
locating Taylor locating Donna
Swift in the Kelce in the
skybox skybox pic.twitter.com/DaLfWQwUCr

— Midwest vs. Everybody (@midwestern_ope) October 1, 2023

Was it Donna Kelce’s presence that motivated Wilson a bit more than usual, or is he simply cleaning up his mistakes and playing more confident football? All things considered, the coaching staff has stuck by him through some tough play and it’s fun to see him have a good game.

29. Kenny Pickett - Pittsburgh Steelers

Kenny Pickett exited Pittsburgh’s blowout loss to Houston with a bone bruise and he may return this week against Baltimore, but ultimately Mitch Trubisky closed out the game in Week 4. Pickett did not look good when on the field, completing 15-of-23 passes for 114 yards and an interception. He has mightily struggled in his second NFL season.

30. Aidan O'Connell - Las Vegas Raiders

The fourth-round rookie out of Purdue saw his first career start on Sunday in a 24-17 loss to the Chargers. Aidan O’Connell did not look bad in his first game under center but did not look great either. He went 24-for-39 for 238 yards and an interception, adding a rushing touchdown. O’Connell should revert to the backup role when Jimmy Garoppolo returns from his concussion, but if Las Vegas continues to struggle we may see some more of O’Connell down the stretch.

31. Daniel Jones - New York Giants

No quarterback’s stock has fallen as much throughout the first four games of the season as Daniel Jones’ has. The New York Giants’ franchise quarterback came out flat against Dallas to open the season and continued his cold streak on Monday night against Seattle. He passed for 203 yards but threw two interceptions and took 10 sacks. New York has to be rethinking the $82 million in guaranteed money that they just handed their quarterback.

Holy hell... pic.twitter.com/jEYgZxKOwz

— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) October 3, 2023

32. Desmond Ridder - Atlanta Falcons

Last but not least this week is Atlanta’s Desmond Ridder. Ridder just isn’t getting the job done in Atlanta and he struggled again in the London loss on Sunday morning. Ridder completed 61% of his passes for 191 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. His poor play is holding back an otherwise talented Atlanta team that is in a winnable NFC South. While Arthur Smith is committed to Ridder for the time being, you would have to think Taylor Heinicke may get his shot soon.

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