As goes the quarterback, so goes the team. It's not always true in the NFL, but it usually is. And it makes sense: In a passing league, the passers are like royalty -- the biggest influences on whether a team is destined more for a Super Bowl title or a No. 1 draft pick.
It's with that in mind that we come to you with the most important pecking order outside of traditional team power rankings: QB Power Rankings. Consider this your cut-and-dry guide to the best and worst of the NFL's signal-callers -- a weekly 1-to-32 rundown of every starter under center.
How are the QBs ranked? We try to factor in both current standing and future upside. So a long resume doesn't always guarantee an edge over untapped potential, just as a cold streak doesn't always erase a history of success. At the end of the day, we're simply trying to sort the QBs based on 2021 value, both now and in the near future.
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Now, without further ado, let's get to our Week 3 rankings:
Week 3 QB Power Rankings
| 1 | 
Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs QB
|
| His acrobatic tendencies actually led to a bad late-game pick against the Ravens, but nine times out of 10, his freewheeling style is what makes the Chiefs special. | |
| 2 | 
Russell Wilson
Seattle Seahawks QB
|
| It's either short pass or monster bomb from Russ, but who cares when he makes it look so pretty? Seattle is going to be competitive all year, as usual, because of his arm. | |
| 3 | 
Tom Brady
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB
|
| It's not even a debate at this point: He is in his prime at 44. Until anyone proves otherwise, the Bucs remain NFC favorites with the ageless wonder under center. | |
| 4 | 
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers QB
|
| Week 2 sure looked a lot easier for Rodgers. Yes, he was picking on the Lions, but still, a full-speed effort for 60 minutes might've given him six TDs through the air. He's still got it. | |
| 5 | 
Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys QB
|
| Solid, as always. What he lacks in transcendent talent he makes up for with a steady hand. He's also one of the top reasons Dallas is probably the favorite in the NFC East. | |
| 6 | 
Justin Herbert
Los Angeles Chargers QB
|
| He's got to be a little smarter when trusting his arm to bail him out on certain key downs, but the whole package is still there. | |
| 7 | 
Matthew Stafford
Los Angeles Rams QB
|
| So this is what Stafford looks like on a good team, eh? His big arm will be a season-long highlight for a loaded offense. (+1) | |
| 8 | 
Kyler Murray
Arizona Cardinals QB
|
| Anyone looking for MVP candidates should definitely look here. Arizona is 2-0 in large part due to Murray's early reminder that he has one of the game's best combos: A rocket arm and near-unmatched mobility. (+2) | |
| 9 | 
Josh Allen
Buffalo Bills QB
|
| It's too early to hit the panic button, especially after a 35-0 win, but his accuracy has definitely dipped back to pre-2020 levels. Let's see if he can tighten things up, lest the critics suggest his MVP candidacy was an anomaly. (-2) | |
| 10 | 
Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens QB
|
| What a tough and triumphant performance on prime time against the Chiefs. He still has to get more efficient through the air, but he's darn near unstoppable when he has space. He's only down a spot because of Murray's surge. (-1) | |
| 11 | 
Ryan Tannehill
Tennessee Titans QB
|
| Life is so much easier when Derrick Henry is rushing for almost 200 yards. And when Julio Jones shows up. | |
| 12 | 
Baker Mayfield
Cleveland Browns QB
|
| He would be higher if it weren't for the guys directly ahead of him. Mayfield has proven time and again that he's got the fire and wherewithal to shepherd Kevin Stefanski's offense for the foreseeable future. | |
| 13 | 
Kirk Cousins
Minnesota Vikings QB
|
| The Vikings may be stumbling, but anyone who tunes in can see that Kirk's still slinging it. He's not perfect, but he consistently gives Minnesota a chance to win by hitting his star wideouts for big plays. | |
| 14 | 
Derek Carr
Las Vegas Raiders QB
|
| Raiders fans won't settle for this after Carr's hot start, but let's see him keep it going a bit longer first. He's definitely playing with confidence, and suddenly Vegas looks like a really tough out. | |
| 15 | 
Teddy Bridgewater
Denver Broncos QB
|
| It's one thing to go off against the Giants and Jaguars; it's another to stay aggressive against good opponents. We'll see if Teddy does the latter, but there's no denying his poise has rubbed off on the Broncos. (+4) | |
| 16 | 
Jalen Hurts
Philadelphia Eagles QB
|
| Week 2 was really uneven for him, with few deep shots working and only late-game scrambles moving the chains, but his coach's play-calling didn't always help. He's still playing quickly and smoothly for a surprisingly competitive team. (+1) | |
| 17 | 
Joe Burrow
Cincinnati Bengals QB
|
| So much for Burrow looking completely comfortable post-knee surgery. Week 2 was chock-full of poor decisions, though it's fair to wonder how much Zac Taylor's strategy hindered the offense as well. (-2) | |
| 18 | 
Mac Jones
New England Patriots QB
|
| The numbers aren't wild, but he's been very structured and reliable for a guy making his first NFL starts. | |
| 19 | 
Sam Darnold
Carolina Panthers QB
|
| Another post-Adam Gase success story! Or so it seems. Darnold is moving around and zipping it with a confidence rarely, if ever, seen in New York. The Panthers just might be good! (+5) | |
| 20 | 
Jimmy Garoppolo
San Francisco 49ers QB
|
| Jimmy G made some nice plays in crunch time to beat the Eagles, but only after at least a half of misses on routine targets. The 49ers are a deceptive 2-0. Trey Lance time might be closer than most realize. (-4) | |
| 21 | 
Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons QB
|
| He at least showed some life against the Buccaneers, playing with urgency and hitting on some big plays to keep pace with Tampa for a while. But this still feels kinda like two sides playing out a relationship that's already over. (+1) | |
| 22 | 
Jameis Winston
New Orleans Saints QB
|
| After Week 1, some Jameis fans insisted he belonged ahead of Aaron Rodgers on this list. Ha. We're all for Winston's big arm, but he's still a boom-or-bust starter until he can string together reliable starts. (-1) | |
| 23 | 
Ben Roethlisberger
Pittsburgh Steelers QB
|
| He's made some important throws during the Steelers' 1-1 start, but it's fairly clear, for physical and/or schematic reasons, he cannot be counted on to pick up the slack if Pittsburgh's defense falters and Steel City needs a shootout to win. | |
| 24 | 
Justin Fields
Chicago Bears QB
|
| With Andy Dalton down, the rookie is set to make his first start. It probably won't be extremely pretty against the Browns, but he at least offers dual-threat play-extending abilities that Dalton has never possessed. | |
| 25 | 
Jared Goff
Detroit Lions QB
|
| Is it possible he's a bit underrated -- an outcast stuck on an afterthought of a team? Maybe. He still looks good throwing from a clean pocket. But the Lions are the Lions, which means he doesn't have nearly enough help to relive his Rams glory days. (+3) | |
| 26 | 
Trevor Lawrence
Jacksonville Jaguars QB
|
| He looked his sharpest out of the gate in Week 2, but from then on, he once again struggled with forcing plays -- an understandable flaw on a bad team. More reps will help. | |
| 27 | 
Tua Tagovailoa
Miami Dolphins QB
|
| You can substitute Jacoby Brissett here in the event Tua is forced to miss Sunday's game with a rib injury. Both guys are what they are: Conservative and not particularly special, but good enough to get you a win if everything else is working. | |
| 28 | 
Taylor Heinicke
Washington Football Team QB
|
| He's not lacking in either mobility or energy, which goes a long way. But he's still unproven as a regular. Let's see how he fares when he has to face tougher defenses over the course of several weeks. (+2) | |
| 29 | 
Daniel Jones
New York Giants QB
|
| He was actually one of the least of the Giants' issues in a Week 2 loss to Washington. But the bigger picture tells us he's too mistake-prone to trust, especially if the supporting cast around him becomes increasingly dejected. (+2) | |
| 30 | 
Zach Wilson
New York Jets QB
|
| We are still big believers in his arm, but man did he get schooled by Bill Belichick in Week 2. It's not even that, but the fact he looked so ... apathetic? ... just chucking it up with the game getting out of hand. (-5) | |
| 31 | 
Jacob Eason
Indianapolis Colts QB
|
| With Carson Wentz nursing injuries to both ankles just weeks after returning from ankle surgery, Eason is in line to start for the Colts in a huge game against the Titans. Let's hope Frank Reich has a plan to keep him protected. | |
| 32 | 
Davis Mills
Houston Texans QB
|
| With Tyrod Taylor out, it's the rookie's turn to take over as Deshaun Watson remains an anonymous member of the QB room. He's got the build and tools to be something, but he's still making his first career start for a ragtag rebuilding team. | |
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