Nothing steers NFL teams quite like quarterbacks. It's possible, not probable, to win in spite of them. It's preferable, not easy, to land the best of them. They are, more than anyone else, the ones who shape the football landscape, week in and week out.
That's why we're ranking all 32 starting signal-callers throughout the 2022 season: to take stock of the most important players in the game, sorting everyone from the bona fide superstars to the QBs who might be worth replacing.
While these rankings don't necessarily reflect which QBs we'd rather have for the remainder of the year (or their career) -- for example, we still trust Tom Brady over, say, Geno Smith -- they are designed to showcase which ones are performing and positioned best at this moment.
Now, without further ado, our Week 11 pecking order:
1 |
Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs QB
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This kid (OK, he's not a kid anymore) is just so automatic. No one even dares blink an eye when he casually throws four TDs (he's quietly on pace for close to 50 this season). The ball security has been better than a year ago, and he's still unmatched as an artist of situational production. | |
2 |
Jalen Hurts
Philadelphia Eagles QB
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Josh Allen is the superior talent, but what he offers in eye-popping arm strength he slightly offsets in risky gunslinging. Hurts, on the other hand, has been the year's most balanced QB this side of Mahomes, dominating as a runner when necessary but thriving as a distributor at all levels of the field. (+2) | |
3 |
Josh Allen
Buffalo Bills QB
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He throws his way into games, and throws his way out of them. That's the best way to describe his 2022. MVP material? Yes, physically speaking. You're betting on the cannon more often than not. But lately, too often, he's taking unnecessary chances with the ball. (-1) | |
4 |
Joe Burrow
Cincinnati Bengals QB
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Would you believe, despite the Bengals' quiet/streaky first half, that he's been the third most accurate starting QB this year? And that's with superstar target Ja'Marr Chase sitting out two games and counting due to injury. (+1) | |
5 |
Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens QB
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Lamar has neither the downfield accuracy nor reliable receiving corps to be an efficient passer, but he's so incredibly good at creating something out of nothing, especially on the ground, that he's scoring nearly as often as his elite peers. Playmaking like that will always keep the Ravens in the game. (+1) | |
6 |
Tua Tagovailoa
Miami Dolphins QB
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He's doing everything, numbers- and results-wise, to prove the doubters wrong. And no doubt he's a more confident guy, airing it out to those elite wideouts. If he can make the tight throws consistently against contending teams down the stretch, he'll win even more over. (+1) | |
7 |
Geno Smith
Seattle Seahawks QB
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Six of his last seven games, he's eclipsed a 100 passer rating. We don't envy the Seahawks, who will eventually have to decide whether it's wise to bet on this new version of the 32-year-old QB long term. For now, he's a fun and authoritative player. The only reason he's not higher is because of the elite production up top. (-3) | |
8 |
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers QB
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Look what happens when you give him just one legitimate weapon on the outside. Who knows if Christian Watson is here to stay as a threat, but Rodgers looked exactly like the Rodgers of old against Dallas. Truth is, the touch never left. It just got buried by the Packers' lack of star power. (+5) | |
9 |
Tom Brady
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB
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Don't ask him to be a receiver on slippery turf in Germany, but do ask him to stand tall and prove he's still every bit as dangerous a field general as he was when the Bucs had a healthier, more explosive setup. Underrated stat: only four turnovers in 10 games. (-1) | |
10 |
Kirk Cousins
Minnesota Vikings QB
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This is an intangibles rating right here. The numbers across the board aren't even that impressive by Cousins' standards: he's been less efficient, less accurate and more turnover-prone than past Vikings outings. And yet he's proven especially resilient for them this year, always feeding his playmakers at the right time. | |
11 |
Justin Fields
Chicago Bears QB
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Yep, you're reading this right. Fields is far from a polished thing as a passer, but remember he's working with a subpar WR crew. More importantly, the guy has been absolute dynamite with his legs. Now on pace for over 1,200 rushing yards, he deserves actual MVP looks for the way he's made the Bears relevant. (+4) | |
12 |
Justin Herbert
Los Angeles Chargers QB
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What an unfortunately quiet year for an undisputed top-10 talent at the position. Herbert has the total package physically and certainly hasn't been an issue for the battered Chargers; he simply hasn't escaped their unimaginative designs to be more than "a guy" as of late. (-3) | |
13 |
Jimmy Garoppolo
San Francisco 49ers QB
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Stay out of the way; keep Kyle Shanahan happy. Rinse, repeat. Though he's clearly second fiddle to Christian McCaffrey and/or whomever he's handing the ball to, Jimmy G has done a nice job taking what's there -- enough to average 8.1 yards per attempt, third-best (!) among active starters. (-1) | |
14 |
Daniel Jones
New York Giants QB
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You're not turning on Giants games to watch this guy sling it deep, which may or may prove fatal to their chances down the road, but as the shepherd of Brian Daboll's ball-control attack, he's remained steady. The stretch run will be key to his future beyond 2022. (+2) | |
15 |
Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys QB
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We know from his resume he's capable of being top-10 material, but it's been a scattershot year in between the long absence. Against the Packers in particular, he had far more misses than you'd expect from a QB of his caliber. The pressure will be on to deliver down the stretch. (-4) | |
16 |
Kyler Murray
Arizona Cardinals QB
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Colt McCoy's fill-in start in Week 10 was just another reminder how frenetic the Cardinals are with Murray under center. Somehow, despite all his elusiveness and athleticism, he's registered as one of the least efficient QBs in the entire NFL. Enticing but volatile. (-2) | |
17 |
Ryan Tannehill
Tennessee Titans QB
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He's slightly steadier than Kyler Murray when healthy, with a better team track record, but much like Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco, he remains quite tethered to what's happening on the ground. If Derrick Henry is clicking, it's a safe bet he'll be just good enough to win. (+1) | |
18 |
Matt Ryan
Indianapolis Colts QB
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Rightfully returned to the lineup under Jeff Saturday, Ryan will not beat teams with pure arm talent or athleticism (and, frankly, hasn't for years), but he's been a warrior for a battered Colts franchise. The key is keeping the ball in Jonathan Taylor's hands rather than his. | |
19 |
Derek Carr
Las Vegas Raiders QB
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How long until his mournful press conferences come under an interim coach? Josh McDaniels is probably safe through the end of the year, but another reset feels possible in Las Vegas, and who knows whether he's up for that. His grit has consistently failed to elevate a so-so setup. | |
20 |
Trevor Lawrence
Jacksonville Jaguars QB
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The team record isn't as improved as you might've liked, but Lawrence has certainly taken steps under Doug Pederson, proving he can put up a fight with late precision throws. By 2023, of course, you'd hope he's even more efficient with a better supporting cast. (+2) | |
21 |
Russell Wilson
Denver Broncos QB
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New week, same story: he and Nathaniel Hackett are stuck in the mud. In four of his seven games as a Bronco, he's completed fewer than 60% of his throws. If anything, Russ was supposed to bring stability, but instead, he's been wholly erratic. (-4) | |
22 |
Taylor Heinicke
Washington Commanders QB
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Washington fans are right to bask in his energy, which does count for something during their win streak, but on the field, he's essentially been the more accurate version of this year's Russell Wilson: occasionally mobile and willing to air it out, but far too prone to putting the ball in trouble. (-1) | |
23 |
Jared Goff
Detroit Lions QB
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A tough read, Goff at his best could easily sit with the Garoppolos and Tannehills of the world, more than capable of making the throws when everything is clicking. In an era of hyper-efficiency at the position, however, his completion percentage (63) speaks to the inconsistencies in Detroit. (-2) | |
24 |
Jacoby Brissett
Cleveland Browns QB
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The clock is now ticking on Deshaun Watson's takeover here. Brissett has been so-so during his interim run: a few promising big-play showings, and a few games lost because of his inability to control the ball when it mattered most. (-1) | |
25 |
Mac Jones
New England Patriots QB
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If, for whatever reason, the Patriots need him -- and not Rhamondre Stevenson -- to lift them over the rival Jets in Sunday's rematch, that'll be a big test. And not only for Jones, but for Bill Belichick, who's seen Bailey Zappe inspire off the bench before. (+1) | |
26 |
Marcus Mariota
Atlanta Falcons QB
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Arthur Smith has rarely trusted Mariota to throw the ball this year, but for some reason the QB was chucking it up in an ugly Thursday night loss to Carolina. If he can't get back to what he does best -- winning on the ground -- you wonder if Desmond Ridder might get real consideration here. (-2) | |
27 |
Baker Mayfield
Carolina Panthers QB
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Welcome back. Again. Mayfield was promising in his last relief appearance, but as a starter, he's been suboptimal. Let's just hope, for his sake, he doesn't ram his head into teammates' helmets before this one. | |
28 |
Andy Dalton
New Orleans Saints QB
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It's Jameis Winston time, no? Dennis Allen will surely have no choice but to explore another swap if Dalton's turnover woes continue against the slumping Rams. (-1) | |
29 |
Davis Mills
Houston Texans QB
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Dameon Pierce is his best friend. The Texans, as currently constructed, cannot recite that often enough. (-1) | |
30 |
Kenny Pickett
Pittsburgh Steelers QB
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He's a lot like his team right now: messy, inconsistent and scrappy. It'll be a lot more intriguing to assess the rookie once he hopefully has a support staff and lineup built to elevate him beyond this year. | |
31 |
Zach Wilson
New York Jets QB
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Coming off his best game of the year in an upset over the Bills, Wilson can earn another big dose of respect by avenging New York's loss to New England this weekend. | |
32 |
John Wolford
Los Angeles Rams QB
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He's not exactly set up to succeed filling in for Matthew Stafford, who is battered precisely because of the Rams' depleted lineup, but Wolford also looked a bit bewildered against a vulnerable Cardinals "D" in Week 10. |