Throughout the 2021 NFL season, we’ll be ranking all 32 current starting quarterbacks from best to worst. Here’s the breakdown following Week 11.
32. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: Week 11 was another mediocre performance for the No. 1 overall pick. He has the lowest on-target rate in the NFL by a significant margin.
31. Zach Wilson, New York Jets: The league’s lowest-rated passer is finally set to return from injury. He’s had some nicer moments than Lawrence but the numbers aren’t much better.
30. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: He’s averaging just 2.5 completed air yards per attempt. No other qualified NFL passer is below 3.0 in that metric, which explains why he has the lowest QBR in the NFL. This might seriously be his last season as an NFL starter.
29. Tyrod Taylor, Houston Texans: The veteran journeyman actually led the NFL with a QBR of 84.6 before going down early, but then he missed a ton of time before bombing in Weeks 9 and 11. He has a 52.3 passer rating in his last two games.
28. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears: The rookie first-rounder came alive in a comeback effort against the Steelers before a Week 10 bye. But then he struggled before getting hurt in Week 11. It’s been a roller-coaster.
27. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: The 36-year-old had a 106.1 passer rating the last six weeks before bombing in back-to-back games. He’s a mess, as are the Falcons.
26. Trevor Siemian, New Orleans Saints: Back to earth with a pair of picks and a 74.4 rating in a Week 11 loss. We all know he’s a solid backup at best.
25. Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos: In his defense, he’s been under a lot of pressure. Still, Bridgewater just isn’t making plays. He was off in Week 11.
24. Daniel Jones, New York Giants: Up, down, up, down, up, down. We’re all running out of patience.
23. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns: Just when it looked like he was turning it around post-OBJ, Mayfield has been horrendous. I’m losing hope, but injuries are a major factor.
22. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers: I guess it’s his job now? Jury’s still out, but he’s been one of the worst regular starting quarterbacks in the NFL the last half-decade or so
21. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: It’s been an up-and-down sophomore season for Tua, who does at least rank second in the AFC in terms of on-target rate.
20. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans: It’s been a stunningly inconsistent season for the 33-year-old. He’s not about to lose his job but is by no means a top-10 signal-caller like he was in 2019 and 2020.
19. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: The sophomore No. 1 overall pick has had some high points, but he now has a sub-80 passer rating in his last two games. Hopefully he isn’t hitting a wall.
18. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: The highest-rated passer in NFL history still hasn’t been right at all. At least the Chiefs are winning. He gets some benefit of the doubt for now.
17. Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts: He was hardly a factor as the Colts beat the Bills but Jonathan Taylor did his thing. Wentz has bounced back well overall this year, but is by no means a star right now.
16. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers: Big Ben started slow and hasn’t exactly become a hero, but he has a solid 104.3 passer rating and a 9-to-0 touchdown-to-pick ratio in his last five games.
15. Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team: The 28-year-old was losing it big-time before busting out with a 127.0 passer rating during Washington’s current two-game winning streak. Maybe there’s hope!
14. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: The consistency isn’t entirely there with his arm, but the guy just makes plays and the Eagles are winning. I think he can become a strong franchise quarterback.
13. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers: He might not be a gunslinger, but that 113.2 passer rating in his last four games is very encouraging.
12. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: It’s become real ugly for Wilson, who has a 55.6 rating since returning from a finger injury.
11. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: Of course he’s remarkably dynamic, but a sub-80 passer rating his last four games is concerning. Ditto for the fact he missed another game in Week 11.
10. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders: The rate-based numbers aren’t all there, but Carr leads the league by a significant margin with 30 big-time throws.
9. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: Allen’s overall numbers are solid and the Bills offense has been great, but he and that unit have bombed too often this season.
8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: He’s lacked consistency for much of his sophomore season, but that was a mega Week 11 performance against the Steelers. This is a critical juncture for him.
7. Mac Jones, New England Patriots: You can see the progress for the league’s second-ranked quarterback in terms of completion rate.
6. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: Two duds in a three-game span is concerning for the potentially unhealthy Prescott. His overall numbers have him in the MVP mix though.
5. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings: Say what you will about his consistency and his ability as a downfield passer, but Cousins has the highest PFF passing grade in the NFC right now. He has a 109.1 passer rating in his last five games.
4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: It’s been a bit rocky but he’s suddenly the league’s second-highest-rated passer after a huge performance in a losing effort against the Vikings.
3. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: The sensational third-year dual-threat is the league’s highest-rated passer for the league’s winningest team.
2. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: He’s still the NFL’s QBR leader, but the 33-year-old had really come back to earth with a 69.4 passer rating in back-to-back losses before a Week 11 bye.
1. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The league leader with a 29-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio rebounded from a rut in Week 11 and is in the MVP race at 44.