At this point, it is safe to say that quarterback is the most important position in all of sports. Nearly every offensive play in football runs through the QB on the field and they are essentially the face of the organization off it. Needless to say, having a reliable guy under center is critical to the success of a franchise.
Let’s take a look around the league and rank all 32 NFL teams starting quarterbacks after Week 2. Keep in mind – this is based primarily on what they’ve done thus far this season, plus their recent history!
32. New York Jets: Zach Wilson
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it doesn’t get much worse than Zach Wilson was against an admittedly tough Dallas defense on Sunday night. He completed just 44.4% of his passes for 170 yards and one touchdown while chucking three picks, validating Jets fans fear post-Rodgers injury.
31. Indianapolis Colts: Gardner Minshew II
Gardner did well during his season debut against the Houston Texans completing 19 of 23 passes for 171 yards and touchdown in relief of an injured Anthony Richardson.
That said, he has to remain toward the bottom of the rankings due to the tiny sample size and the fact that it came against the Texans.
30. New England Patriots: Mac Jones
Things are going from bad to worse for the Patriots former first-round pick. Mac looked bad against the Dolphins in Week 2, regularly missing throws that he simply has to make if New England is going to be a playoff contender like their delusional fan base wants them to be.
29. Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young
0-2 is not the start that I’m sure Byrce Young wanted for his rookie season, but he is playing for a bad Carolina team that has had him running for his life every other play. Tough to fully evaluate him under that kind of duress.
28. Arizona Cardinals: Joshua Dobbs
No one is making the mistake of thinking Joshua Dobbs is a future franchise quarterback, but he has done well enough to turn some heads during his time as Kyler Murray’s stand-in. That said, the Cards are still 0-2 and with his limited ability to stretch the field, Dobbs has to remain relatively low in our rankings.
27. Tennessee Titans: Ryan Tannehill
Week 2 was a big week for Ryan Tannehill, who desperately needed to wipe the stank off after his showing against the Saints in Week 1.
His Titans won a big one in overtime against the Chargers, in part thanks to his 83.3% completion percentage, one touchdown, and perhaps most importantly, Tannehill actually protecting the football
26. Las Vegas Raiders: Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy G and the Raiders got off to a great start to the season, with a comeback victory in Week 1 against Denver and a hot start against the Bills in Week 2, but after that opening possession, Garoppolo and the rest of that Raiders offense completely shut down.
25. Denver Broncos: Russell Wilson
Two weeks in a row Russell Wilson has gotten off to a hot start and two weeks in a row he and the Broncos have melted down in the second half. Now sitting at 0-2 it is starting to look like the let Russ cook days may officially be over.
24. Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud
C.J. Stroud has played exceptionally well thus far considering that he has been under extreme pressure behind a terrible Texans o-line. The rookie quarterback has taken 11 sacks already this year. Hopefully, Houston can find a way to protect Stroud and he’ll continue to develop.
23. Chicago Bears: Justin Fields
2023 has not gotten off to a good start for Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears. Fields was a trendy MVP heading into the year, as many were predicting him to continue the progression he showed at the end of last season, but, unfortunately, Fields looks like he is trending in the opposite direction.
22. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love
No one knew what to expect from Jordan Love in 2023, as the Packers 2020 first-round pick hasn’t seen much live action sitting behind Aaron Rodgers. Thus far, however, he’s looked extremely competent, doing exactly what’s been asked of him, throwing six touchdowns to zero interceptions.
If Green Bay starts to open up the playbook for Love and he’s given a chance to really take ownership of the game, we may see him start to skyrocket up the rankings.
21. Atlanta Falcons: Desmond Ridder
2022 was a tough year for Desmond Ridder, but the former third-round pick has down well to play in Arthur Smith’s system thus far in 2023. The Falcons have surprised a lot of people jumping out to a 2-0 start and Ridder played well down the stretch of a close one last week, beating the Packers 25-24.
20: Washington Commanders: Sam Howell
Sam Howell has looked good since taking over the starting job in Washington, especially in Week 2 against the Broncos. The Commanders young signal caller is quietly becoming a name to watch around the league.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers: Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett has done well to build on the momentum he started down the stretch in 2022. Granted, he didn’t look great Week 1, but that was against a juggernaut San Fran D. It was great to see him lead the Steelers to a victory Week 2 in a key divisional matchup with the Browns.
18. New York Giants: Daniel Jones
The Giants got off to a horrendous start in 2023, but luckily for New York, Jones and that offense started to come alive in the second half of Week 2.
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert
It hasn’t been a great start to 2022 for Justin Herbert and the Chargers. They are 0-2 and the offense looks all out of wack, but he’s still Justin Herbert
16. New Orleans Saints: Derek Carr
Granted, Derek Carr hasn’t had to do a ton thus far… The Saints defense is one of the best around the league, and New Orleans sneaky has one of the best skill position groups around. But 2-0 is 2-0 and far from a forgone conclusion stepping into a new team!
15. Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson
We are starting to see flashes of the Houston Deshaun Watson, but until he starts showing them on a more regular basis, he’s going to stay hovering around the middle of the pack.
14. Minnesota Vikings: Kirk Cousins
Sorry Vikings fans, Kirk Cousins is still Kirk Cousins. He has been good, but not great so far in 2023 as expected.
13. Seattle Seahawks: Geno Smith
Geno gets knocked slightly for a tough loss Week 1 against a surprisingly solid Rams team, but we have to give him his props for more or less picking up where he left off last year and playing effective, efficient, and largely mistake-free football.
12. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow
This is not where anyone expected Joe Burrow and the Bengals to be two weeks into the season, but with his health in question and the performance where it is at—this is where he falls.
11. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence looks like he is ready to take the step forward that everyone has been predicting. Week 2 was a little dicey, otherwise he’d likely be even higher.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield
Against all odds, Baker Mayfield looks poised to revive his career down in Tampa. Everyone was picking the Bucs to be in the running for the number one overall pick, but Baker has them 2-0 and balling!
9. Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott
Granted, it has been primarily the Cowboys fearsome defense doing most of the heavy lifting, but Dak has been solid through two weeks. He hasn’t thrown a pick yet and Dallas looks like a legit Super Bowl favorite.
8. Detroit Lions: Jared Goff
Jared Goff is here to stay. Not just in Detroit as the starter, but as a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback. The Lions came back to earth a little bit Week 2 after starting the season with a huge win in KC, but Goff has looked great.
7. Los Angeles Rams: Matt Stafford
People thought Matt Stafford was done after the way his 2022 season ended, but it looks like the Rams signal-caller is back to full health and slinging it again!
6. San Fransisco 49ers: Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy was one of the best feel-good stories of 2022, before, of course, the devastating elbow injury in the NFC Championship Game. Heading into the year, people were unsure, but after two convincing victories, Purdy looks ready to establish himself as one of the top QBs in the league—at least playing within Shanahan’s system.
5. Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa
Sure, it helps to have wide receivers like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but there is no denying that Tua has been balling thus far this year. Now, the Dolphins just need to make sure they can keep him upright and healthy.
4. Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson
Lamar didn’t light up the stat sheet Week 1, but he also didn’t have to against a terrible Houston team that the Ravens bullied into submission. After seeing how Jackson played Week 2 to secure a big win against the Bengals, he is reminding everyone why he’s a former league MVP.
3. Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen
Everyone was ready to write off Josh Allen after a tough season opener against the Jets, but the Bills signal caller quieted the haters with an efficient and impressive 274-yard, three touchdown, and most importantly, zero interception, outing against the Raiders last week.
2. Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts is a beast. Plain and simple. He can run it, he can pass it. The Birds are 2-0 and he’s a big reason why.
1. Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes
Sorry to any Chiefs haters out there, even if Kansas City hasn’t been lighting scoreboards on fire thus far this year, it is no fault of Patrick Mahomes. He’s played great despite the Chiefs extremely shallow talent at the wide receiver position.
What changes would you make to our quarterback rankings?