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Patrick Mahomes solidified himself head-and-shoulders above the rest of the league on Sunday, absolutely dominating the Chargers en route to a sixth straight win. Other standout performances in Week 7 included Lamar Jackson and Kirk Cousins tearing up respectable defensive units.
Heading into Week 8, twenty-four quarterbacks who were considered starters at the beginning of the season are projected to start. Injuries have hit the position, causing more question marks than ever around the league's quarterback play.
Behind Mahomes, how does the rest of the league stack up? Read on to see how RotoBaller's Brant Henson ranks the league's starting quarterbacks from 1 to 32 entering Week 8.
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1. Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs rolled to their sixth straight win on Sunday, toppling their AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers 31-17 in Arrowhead. Mahomes threw for 424 yards and four touchdowns in the dominant win, cementing himself in a tier of his own amongst the NFL’s signal callers.
Patrick Mahomes is something special. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/6i46RN5dkZ
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 25, 2023
2. Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts has struggled with turnovers in recent games, but nonetheless has Philly at 6-1 atop the NFC East. Hurts was efficient against Miami on Sunday night, throwing for 279 yards and two scores while adding another touchdown via tush push. Hurts will lead the Eagles on the road to Washington for a divisional matchup next week.
3. Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars picked up another win on Thursday night, advancing to 5-2 on the season. Lawrence was efficient against a good New Orleans defense, completing 20-of-29 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown. Lawrence and the AFC South leaders head on the road to Pittsburgh next Sunday.
"TREVOR LAWRENCE"
The @Jaguars fans love their QB!#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/KZINH8Q594
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) October 20, 2023
4. Tua Tagovailoa - Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa and the high-flying Dolphins were kept in check by the Eagles on Sunday night. Tua threw for a season-low 216 yards with a touchdown and an interception, dropping Miami to 5-2 on the season. Despite the inability to keep up with Philly, Tagovailoa remains the NFL’s passing leader and is still on track to compete for the MVP this season.
5. Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson has had an up-and-down season, but the 26-year-old quarterback peaked on Sunday in a blowout win over the Detroit Lions. Jackson completed 21-of-27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns, adding 36 rushing yards and a score in what was an explosive fantasy performance. Jackson has the Ravens sitting a half-game ahead of Cleveland and Pittsburgh in a feisty AFC North and will be on the road in Arizona next week to play a reeling Cardinals team.
Lamar Jackson: 95.9 passing grade on throws past the sticks this season
1st in the NFL 👀 pic.twitter.com/hXTYpAemgh
— PFF (@PFF) October 24, 2023
6. C.J. Stroud - Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud and the Texans were on bye in Week 7. Stroud will be back in action on Sunday against Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers in a matchup between the 2023 NFL Draft’s top two picks.
7. Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings
The primetime Kirk Cousins we’ve come to know was nowhere to be seen on Monday night, remaining poised and dicing up the 49ers to hand them their second straight loss and to keep Minnesota’s postseason hopes afloat. Cousins completed 35-of-45 passes for 378 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Minnesota is now 3-4 and only two games behind the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions.
Kirk Cousins balled out last night 😎 pic.twitter.com/AaAIBI9nEj
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) October 24, 2023
8. Josh Allen - Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen and the Bills sit at 4-3 with ugly losses to the New York Jets and New England Patriots. Allen completed 27-of-41 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in Foxborough on Sunday. He will be back in action Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
9. Justin Herbert - Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert struggled Sunday against the Chiefs, throwing two interceptions in the 31-17 loss. Herbert and the Chargers are 2-4 on the season with a chance to bounce back next Sunday night against Tyson Bagent’s Chicago Bears.
10. Brock Purdy - San Francisco 49ers
After starting his career off with 11 straight wins, Brock Purdy dropped back-to-back games after falling to the Minnesota Vikings on the road on Monday night. Purdy threw two interceptions in the loss, his second straight game of mediocre performance. He will look to avoid a third straight loss against a Cincinnati team coming off of a bye in Week 8.
11. Jared Goff - Detroit Lions
Jared Goff played his worst game of the season in a blowout loss against the Baltimore Ravens. Goff threw for 280 yards, largely in garbage time, and an interception. He failed to put a touchdown on the board, losing 38-6. Despite the poor performance, Goff has had a very solid season and looks to bounce back after Detroit’s bye week.
12. Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow and the Bengals were on bye in Week 7. Burrow is back in action Week 8 to face the San Francisco 49ers on the road in what should be a highly regarded matchup. Burrow, who has dealt with an injured calf this season, needed the week off to get healthy.
13. Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford and the Rams fell 24-17 to Pittsburgh on Sunday. Stafford passed for 231 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, continuing his average play. The Rams fell to 3-4, losing ground on the Seahawks for second place in the NFC West. Stafford will be back in action against the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday.
14. Dak Prescott - Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys were on bye in Week 7. Prescott has had an up-and-down season and returns to face the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday in a huge game for both teams in regards to potential playoff positioning down the road.
15. Geno Smith - Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith has Seattle at 4-2 on the season after taking down Arizona on Sunday. Smith went 18-of-24 for 219 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in the win without top receiver D.K. Metcalf. The 33-year-old quarterback has a tough matchup with a Browns defense that has been shutting down opposing quarterbacks all season long.
16. Sam Howell - Washington Commanders
Sam Howell struggled against the New York Giants, scoring only seven points on a defense that had been having a bad season. He completed 22-of-42 passes for 249 yards and an interception on Sunday, continuing his streaky season. Despite having a few down games, Howell has flashed plenty of upside and sits in the middle of the landscape of NFL quarterbacks right now.
17. Baker Mayfield - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield had an average game in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta. Mayfield completed 27-of-42 passes for 275 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Mayfield’s Buccaneers sit at 3-3 and will play in Buffalo on Thursday night in an attempt for both teams to bounce back.
18. Derek Carr - New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr attempted a season-high 55 passes on Thursday night against Jacksonville, nearly completing a comeback if Foster Moreau had not dropped a would-be touchdown on fourth down. Carr threw for 301 yards with a touchdown and an interception and will look to get New Orleans back on track against the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.
19. Tyrod Taylor - New York Giants
New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor delivered just the second win of the Giants’ season on Sunday, beating Washington 14-7. Taylor has filled in nicely for Daniel Jones while he recovers from a neck injury. In the win, he completed 18-of-29 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns and scrambled for 25 yards. Taylor has done a nice job game-managing despite the Giants’ offensive struggles.
20. Bryce Young - Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers return from bye to take on C.J. Stroud’s Houston Texans in Week 8. Young will look to secure his first NFL win, while draft classmate Stroud already has three in Houston.
21. P.J. Walker - Cleveland Browns
P.J. Walker’s play has been far from pretty over the past two weeks, but despite the ugly stat sheets he has managed to deliver two hard-fought wins for Cleveland. Walker has thrown three interceptions and no touchdowns over the past two weeks and has yet to clear 200 yards passing, but has kept Cleveland afloat as Deshaun Watson is still banged up.
22. Russell Wilson - Denver Broncos
Following his historically bad Thursday night game against Kansas City two weeks ago, Russell Wilson bounced back to secure a win over Green Bay which advanced the Broncos to 2-5 on the season. Wilson completed 20-of-29 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown, adding a 21-yard rush. He may be a shell of his former self, but Wilson continues to hang in there despite the team around him looking hapless.
23. Kenny Pickett - Pittsburgh Steelers
Kenny Pickett quietly put together a good showing on Sunday, defeating the Rams in SoFi. The second-year quarterback completed 17-of-25 passes for 230 yards, scored a rushing touchdown from the goal line and strung together a rock-solid final drive.
Video credit to @LuckIsMadeFF who put this together for me.
Pickett has drawn a lot of criticism so far this season, but he finished Sunday's win (the Steelers most impressive IMO) by hitting his final 9 throws and leading them to the comeback victory. pic.twitter.com/UAO5gJCWU9
— "Thunder Dan" Palyo (@ThunderDanDFS) October 24, 2023
24. Zach Wilson - New York Jets
Zach Wilson and the Jets were on bye in Week 7, sitting at 3-3 on the season. Wilson had been playing better in a game-manager role prior to the bye and will be interesting to keep an eye on in Week 8’s battle for New York.
25. Gardner Minshew II - Indianapolis Colts
Gardner Minshew has offered Colts fans a lot of excitement mixed in with a lot of boneheaded plays. Such is the life of Minshew Mania. Against Cleveland on Sunday, he threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns along with 29 rushing yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he also threw a costly interception and the Colts ended up falling in a game that they appeared to have in the bag. Minshew will return in Week 8 against New Orleans.
26. Desmond Ridder - Atlanta Falcons
Desmond Ridder managed to squeak out another win, beating Tampa Bay 16-13 despite a goal-line fumble into the end zone. Ridder ran in a touchdown along with 38 rushing yards and completed 19-of-25 passes for 250 yards. Ridder leads the NFL in turnovers this season with 11.
27. Mac Jones - New England Patriots
Is Mac Jones back? The third-year quarterback played very well against Buffalo on Sunday, only throwing five incompletions and bringing home a win. Jones’ job appeared to be on thin ice following a poor start to the season, but his promising performance in Week 7 will keep him afloat another week. The Patriots play in Miami in Week 8.
28. Joshua Dobbs - Arizona Cardinals
Joshua Dobbs had a poor showing on Sunday against Seattle, completing 19-of-33 passes for 146 yards. He was efficient on the ground, carrying the ball seven times for 43 yards and a touchdown. That being said, Arizona is 1-6 on the season. Dobbs’ days as the starting quarterback could be numbered as Kyler Murray’s practice window is now open, although there is still a chance Arizona holds him out and rolls with Dobbs for the remainder of the season.
29. Tyson Bagent - Chicago Bears
Tyson Bagent, 1-0. The undrafted rookie out of Shepherd helped lead Chicago to a dominant win over a Raiders team that looked lost under the leadership of Brian Hoyer. Bagent completed 21-of-29 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, playing conservatively but smartly. He looked sharp under center, proving to have potentially been a gem of a find by Chicago. Bagent will take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 8.
In his first career start, our very own, Tyson Bagent, led the Chicago Bears to their first home win in 392 days this past Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. He went 21-29 with a total of 162 passing yards, and 1 passing touchdown. Here we go, TB! pic.twitter.com/I6D9b7WNuQ
— Shepherd Football (@SURamsFootball) October 24, 2023
30. Jordan Love - Green Bay Packers
The Jordan Love experiment just looks worse and worse each week. Love again struggled to move the ball against Denver on Sunday, completing 21-of-31 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw a costly interception, effectively ending the game. The Packers are now 2-4 and Love has to believe he is playing for his job moving forward.
JORDAN LOVE INTERCEPTION OH NO
pic.twitter.com/OE5qskJTZV— DFA Football (@dfafootball1) October 22, 2023
31. Malik Willis - Tennessee Titans
Malik Willis is the assumed starter heading into Week 8 for Tennessee with Ryan Tannehill still nursing an ankle injury, although rookie Will Levis is also rumored to get some work in. Willis did not look great in Week 6 in relief for Tannehill and will have to take a step forward to fend off the second-round rookie who has yet to take an NFL snap.
32. Brian Hoyer - Las Vegas Raiders
Brian Hoyer struggled mightily for Las Vegas in the blowout loss to Chicago, completing 17-of-32 passes for 129 yards and two interceptions. The veteran signal-caller was eventually replaced by rookie Aidan O’Connell. If Jimmy Garoppolo can’t go against the Lions on Monday night, O’Connell may get the nod over Hoyer following his ugly performance.
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