Week 18 NFL QB Power Rankings: Drake Maye reclaims top spot over Matthew Stafford

Imagn Images

Quarterbacks are the most valuable position in football. The league's top-paid contracts hammer home this point: these players are the most critical component in every franchise's chase for Super Bowl glory. While many quarterbacks are often a reflection of their offensive ecosystems, a select few transcend circumstance.

Which teams are best equipped to make a run down the stretch over the final weeks of the season because of who is under center? Which quarterbacks are the sport's most gifted or talented right now? Who could use a change of scenery? Let's take stock of all 32 starters with a snapshot of the current moment in time.

These rankings are fluid and designed to tell the story of each starting quarterback's respective rise and/or fall. In a vacuum, Patrick Mahomes would remain No. 1 and so on. However, he will not be found in this week's rankings after suffering a season-ending torn ACL. So where do the league's biggest names stack up entering the last week of the regular season?

Enjoy our Week 18 edition of the 2025 Quarterback Power Rankings:

NFL QB Power Rankings

1	Drake Maye New England Patriots QB
Drake Maye became the first player in NFL history with a 90% completion percentage (19-21, 90.5%), 250 or more pass yards (256) and five passing touchdowns (5) in a game in a 42-10 victory over the New York Jets . That performance plus his overall body of work this season powers him to regaining the top spot in these rankings. Maye leads the league in completion percentage (71.7%) and is on pace to be the youngest player to lead the NFL in that statistic as well yards per pass attempt in NFL history. He also leads the NFL in yards per pass attempt (8.9), passer rating (112.9) and expected points added (EPA) per dropback (0.27). That's why Maye is now the betting favorite to win league MVP with -330 odds per DraftKings Sportsbook. (+1)
2	Matthew Stafford Los Angeles Rams QB
Matthew Stafford likely threw away his shot at winning the 2025 NFL MVP award after tossing three interceptions, including a pick-six, in a narrow 27-24 loss on "Monday Night Football" against the Atlanta Falcons . He struggled to find top target Puka Nacua most of the night, connecting on just 5 of 10 targets for 47 yards receiving and a touchdown. Stafford still leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (42) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (42-8, 5.3) and ranks second in passing yards (4,448) and passer rating (108.8). (-1)
3	Dak Prescott Dallas Cowboys QB
Dak Prescott overcame suffering a season-high six sacks on Christmas against the Washington Commanders to throw for 307 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-23 victory. The performance marked Prescott's fifth game this season with over 300 yards passing and multiple touchdowns thrown, the most such games in the NFL in 2025. He leads the NFL with 4,482 yards passing, serving as a steadying force for a Cowboys squad that has the league's worst scoring defense (29.8 points per game allowed) on the other side of the ball. (+1)
4	Josh Allen Buffalo Bills QB
Josh Allen has cooled off of late with 392 yards passing and no passing touchdowns in the last two games. He did add two rushing touchdowns in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles , but he missed a wide open Khalil Shakir in the back of the end zone on what should have been the game-winning two-point conversion. Instead, the Bills ' 13-12 loss allowed the New England Patriots to snap Buffalo's streak of five straight AFC East division titles. He's still one of the best quarterbacks in football. (-1)
5	Jordan Love Green Bay Packers QB
The Bears knocked Jordan Love out of Week 16 early with a helmet-to-helmet hit that sent the Packers quarterback into concussion protocol, and he was unable to clear the protocol before the Packers' Week 17 loss against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. He's still played top-five caliber football this season. Love ranks fifth in the NFL in touchdown-to-interception ratio (23-6), seventh in passer rating (101.2) and third in expected points added (EPA) per dropback (0.22). The Packers are headed to the playoffs for the third time in Love's three seasons as Green Bay's starting quarterback. (No change)
6	Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers QB
The 49ers are on a six-game winning streak and enter Week 18 as the NFC's top wild-card team with an 12-4 record, in large part due to quarterback Brock Purdy. During the team's six-game winning streak, which coincides with his return from a turf toe injury, Purdy leads the NFL in passer rating (111.5), first-down rate (48%) and success rate (56%). A whopping 48% of his throws are going for a first down this season, which is the highest by any quarterback in the last 35 seasons. Purdy also became the seventh quarterback in NFL history with at least five total touchdowns in consecutive games. That's why the 49ers have a shot at the NFC's top seed entering a massive Week 18 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. (+4)
7	Justin Herbert Los Angeles Chargers QB
Justin Herbert is a miracle worker. Without starting offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt , Herbert is being pressured on 42.8% of his dropbacks, the highest rate in football. As a result, Herbert is the most pressured (263 quarterback pressures) and most hit (129) quarterback this season. His 129 quarterback hits taken are tied for the second-most in a season in the past 20 seasons. He is overcoming a limited offensive line, offensive coordinator Greg Roman's simplistic passing concepts and a surgically repaired left hand to help power the Chargers back to the postseason with an 11-5 record. That's impressive stuff. (No change)
8	Joe Burrow Cincinnati Bengals QB
Joe Burrow is all the way back. He's strung together consecutive weeks with over 300 yards passing and multiple touchdown passes without an interception in wins against both the Miami Dolphins and the Arizona Cardinals . Burrow's 12 touchdown passes since he returned from injury in Week 13 are tied for the most in the league in that span. Burrow is playing so well he may save head coach Zac Taylor's job for another year. (+1)
9	Caleb Williams Chicago Bears QB
Caleb Williams almost went throw for throw with Brock Purdy on the road on "Sunday Night Football" in a 42-38 defeat at the San Francisco 49ers. Williams has four consecutive games with multiple passing touchdowns, the longest streak of his career, and he's just 270 yards away from becoming the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history, 106 seasons into the franchise's existence. (+2)
10	Sam Darnold Seattle Seahawks QB
Sam Darnold is quarterbacking the NFC's current No. 1 seed, but his play is trending down at the wrong time. He has eight total touchdowns to 10 turnovers since Week 11. His league-leading 20 turnovers are holding him back from being truly considered a top-five quarterback, but his 8.5 yards per pass attempt (second-best in the NFL) and passer rating (99.2, 10th best in the NFL) have him inside the top 10 entering Week 18. (-2)
11	Trevor Lawrence Jacksonville Jaguars QB
Trevor Lawrence found his groove in first-year head coach Liam Coen's offense. Jacksonville has won seven consecutive games. Lawrence in total touchdowns (21) during the Jaguars ' seven-game winning streak, and he's thrown for a career-high 26 passing touchdowns this season. He's also become the fourth QB in NFL history with at least 25 passing touchdowns (26) and 9 rushing touchdowns (9) in a season, joining Cam Newton (2015), Kyler Murray (2020) and Josh Allen (2023-2025). (+2)
12	C.J. Stroud Houston Texans QB
C.J. Stroud bounced back in a big way for the Houston Texans ' 20-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers that gave Houston the top AFC wild card spot entering Week 18. He began the game with touchdown passes of 75 and 43 yards, making him the first quarterback in 19 years with two touchdowns of 30-plus air yards on the first two drives of a game. Stroud has helped lead the Texans to five consecutive wins while throwing seven touchdowns to only three interceptions since returning from a concussion in Week 13. (+3)
13	Jared Goff Detroit Lions QB
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores showed a total disregard for Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff's abilities, blitzing on 55.9% of his dropbacks, the 11th-highest rate any team has blitzed in a game this season. Goff completed just 6 of his 16 throws when blitzed on Christmas by Flores' Vikings for 74 yards, no touchdowns and both of his interceptions. His passer rating of 13.0 against Flores' blitz in Week 17 was the lowest by any quarterback to start and finish a game against Minnesota this season. Despite Goff's overall sparkling production for the Lions since 2022, Week 17 showed he still has some of the same weaknesses that led the Los Angeles Rams to trade him away in 2021. (-7)
14	Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens QB
Lamar Jackson left in the second quarter of the Ravens' narrow "Sunday Night Football" home defeat against the New England Patriots with a back injury and didn't return. Jackson is having an up-and-down season with eight passing touchdowns to five interceptions over his last eight games. In Jackson's 21 games prior, he threw 51 passing touchdowns to five interceptions. After not suiting up for Week 17, hopefully he can return to give the Ravens their best possible chance to pursue an AFC North title in Week 18 at the Pittsburgh Steelers . (No change)
15	Aaron Rodgers Pittsburgh Steelers QB
Aaron Rodgers had a chance to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to an AFC North division title in Week 17 against a Cleveland Browns team that entered the matchup with three wins all season. However, he couldn't do it, averaging a season-low 4.3 yards per pass attempt. Rodgers completed just 8 of his 21 passes for 60 yards targeting wide receivers in a 13-6 loss, his second fewest yards per attempt in a game targeting wide receivers in his future Hall of Fame career. (-3)
16	Tyler Shough New Orleans Saints QB
Tyler Shough set a Saints single-game rookie passing yards record for the second week in a row with 333 yards and two passing touchdowns in a 34-26 victory over the Titans in Week 17. He's been producing nicely during the Saints' four-game winning streak with 264.3 passing yards per game, 25.3 rushing yards per game, six total touchdowns and one turnover during the longest single-season winning streak for the Saints since 2020, Drew Brees' final season with New Orleans. (+4)
17	Jalen Hurts Philadelphia Eagles QB
Jalen Hurts has three consecutive games with under 200 yards passing, and he didn't complete any of his seven passes in the Eagles' 13-12 road win at the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. He is fortunate Philadelphia's defense is allowing an NFL-best 225.3 total yards per game across the last four weeks. (-1)
18	Bo Nix Denver Broncos QB
Bo Nix is a unique quarterback. He's the only player this season with more than 3,700 passing yards (3,790, the sixth best in the NFL) and a yards per pass attempt average under 7 yards (63.2%, 28th out of 32 qualified quarterbacks). Nix's up-and-down play is the reason the Broncos , who have one of the five best defenses in football, won by just one score (20-13) against Kansas City Chiefs third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun on Christmas in Week 17. (+1)
19	Baker Mayfield Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB
Baker Mayfield is in total free fall. After throwing 12 touchdowns to just one interception in the Buccaneers ' first six games, he's thrown 13 touchdowns to 9 interceptions over Tampa Bay's last 10 games. He also got outdueled by Quinn Ewers to run Tampa Bay's record to 7-9 this season. Fortunately for Mayfield, the Buccaneers are in the NFC South and still have a chance to win the division in Week 18. (-1)
20	Cam Ward Tennessee Titans QB
Cam Ward had an up-and-down Week 17. He threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions, but he also lost a fumble on a strip-sack by Chase Young that resulted in a touchdown for Young. He is finding his footing overall with four consecutive games with multiple passing touchdowns, the most by a Titans quarterback since Ryan Tannehill in 2020. (+1)
21	Jaxson Dart New York Giants QB
Jaxson Dart went off in the Giants ' 34-10 victory over the 2-14 Raiders . He completed 22 of his 30 passes for 207 yards while adding 50 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on the ground. He now has the most rushing touchdowns (nine) by a Giants quarterback in team history and the third-most rushing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. (+1)
22	Bryce Young Carolina Panthers QB
Bryce Young had a chance to lock up the NFC South division title for the Carolina Panthers at home on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, but that didn't happen in a 27-10 loss that occurred mostly because he had his worst game of the season. Young threw for a season-low 54 yards on 14 of 24 passing while also tossing an interception. He did add 27 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 9 carries. Now, the Panthers have to go on the road in Week 18 and beat the Buccaneers to clinch the division. ... or hope the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints to create a three-way tie for first place, which Carolina would win. However, the Panthers won't know the result of the Falcons-Saints game when they take the field on Saturday afternoon. (-5)
23	Kirk Cousins Atlanta Falcons QB
Kirk Cousins might be over the hump from his Achilles injury. He did just enough -- 126 yards passing and one passing touchdown on 13 of 20 passing -- to help lead the Atlanta Falcons to a stunning 27-24 "Monday Night Football" victory over the Los Angeles Rams. (No change)
24	Jacoby Brissett Arizona Cardinals QB
Jacoby Brissett's overall stats this season are solid (3,123 passing yards, the second most in the NFL since becoming a starter in Week 6), but they're not impactful, with a significant amount of his production occurring with the game out of reach. The Cardinals have lost 10 of his 11 starts, with the only victory coming against the Cowboys. Losing to Brissett caused Dallas to trade for All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and Bengals veteran linebacker Logan Wilson . Even after those moves, the Cowboys remain the NFL's worst scoring defense (29.8 points per game allowed) this season,. (No change)
25	Philip Rivers Indianapolis Colts QB
Philip Rivers has played admirably at the age of 44 -- 544 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns and 3 interceptions with a 63% completion percentage. However, he just doesn't have enough juice to get the Colts over the hump, losing all three of his starts. (No change)
26	Quinn Ewers Miami Dolphins QB
Quinn Ewers balled out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 20-17 upset victory in Week 17. He threw for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 of 22 passing to become the first Miami rookie with multiple passing touchdowns in the first half of a game since Dan Marino. (+4)
27	Shedeur Sanders Cleveland Browns QB
Shedeur Sanders and the Browns upset Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers despite Sanders' middling day: 186 passing yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions on 17 of 23 passing. He is 2-4 as as starter while averaging 207.0 passing yards per game to go along with 7 passing touchdowns and 9 interceptions. (No change)
28	Chris Oladokun Kansas City Chiefs QB
Chiefs third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun threw for 66 yards and a touchdown on 13 of 22 passing in his first NFL start, a narrow 20-13 defeat against the top-seeded Denver Broncos. The 2022 seventh-round pick of the Steelers has been on the Kansas City practice squad for the last four seasons, and he showed he deserves to remain in the NFL in 2026. (No change)
29	Kenny Pickett Las Vegas Raiders QB
Kenny Pickett will likely start in Week 18 with Geno Smith suffering an ankle injury in Week 17. He threw for 64 yards and an interception on 15 of 25 passing in a 31-0 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14, his only start of the 2025 season. (N/A)
30	Josh Johnson Washington Commanders QB
Josh Johnson completed 15 of his 23 passes for 198 yards in a 30-23 Christmas Day loss against the Dallas Cowboys, the worst scoring defense in football, on Christmas Day. The 39-year-old has now played for an NFL record 14 different teams. (-1)
31	Brady Cook New York Jets QB
Brady Cook has fewer than 200 yards passing in all three of his starts and just one passing touchdowns to seven interceptions this season. (No change)
32	Max Brosmer Minnesota Vikings QB
The Minnesota Vikings made history on Christmas, winning in spite of Max Brosmer in a 23-10 upset of the Detroit Lions. He threw for just 51 yards on 9 of 16 passing while being sacked seven times. He is now the only NFL quarterback in the Super Bowl era, since 1966, to play the entire game and finish with under 70 yards passing and 7 or more sacks and still win. (No change)