NFL QB Power Rankings Week 15: Trubisky leaps several spots
Week 15 turned out to be a wild one in the NFL. First, Sam Darnold led the Jets to their first win of the season in an improbable upset against the Rams. Ryan Finley also earned his first career win as the Bengals upset the Steelers on Monday Night Football. Finally, Aaron Rodgers set a new NFL record in the Packers’ win against the Panthers. Scroll on to see how it all shook out in the QB Power Rankings.
Last week: 31
COMP-ATT: 20-32
YDS: 132
TD: 1
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS: 5-37
FUMBLES LOST: 1
After arguably the best game of his career in Week 14, Lock couldn’t get anything going against the Bills on Saturday. He made a few nifty plays on RPO keepers, but also got away with two bad decisions that should have been interceptions. Some QBs can make bad teams look better. So far it does not look like Lock is one of those QBs.
Last week: N/A
COMP-ATT: 38-55
YDS: 295
TD: 1
INT: 2
RUSH-YDS: 3-28
Haskins made some great plays in the fourth quarter to give the Football Team a chance to upset the Seahawks. He was particularly effective finding tight end Logan Thomas who set career highs with 13 catches for 101 yards. In the end, Washington wasn’t able to overcome the two big mistakes Haskins made which led to seven points for Seattle. Each of Haskins’ two interceptions came on poorly thrown balls.
Last week: N/A
COMP-ATT: 7-13
YDS: 89
TD: 1
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 10-47-1
Finley didn’t put up eye-popping numbers, but he did what he needed to help the Bengals pull off a huge upset on Monday Night Football. He took care of the football and ran well, allowing Cincinnati to dominate both the turnover battle and time of possession.
Last week: 27
COMP-ATT: 21-36
YDS: 219
TD: 2
INT: 2
FUMBLES LOST: 1
Taking out short checkdowns, Mullens threw more bad passes than good passes on Sunday. One of his touchdown throws was a cheap tap pass, and he could’ve ended with four interceptions, but the Cowboys dropped a couple of would-be picks. He left the game late in the fourth-quarter after taking a big shot and looked to be hurt, so it remains to be seen whether Mullens will get a chance to redeem himself next week, or if it will be C.J. Beathard time.
Last week: 30
COMP-ATT: 22-31
YDS: 207
TD: 1
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS: 5-18
THE JETS WIN! THE JETS WIN! New York pulled off the upset against the Rams in large part because Darnold did a good job beating the Rams pass rush by navigating the pocket well and hitting quick throws. He also made several great passes down the field for chunk plays. Darnold should have had another touchdown too, but Braxton Berrios dropped a pass in the end zone and the Jets had to settle for a field goal.
Last week: N/A
COMP-ATT: 19-31
YDS: 221
TD: 0
INT: 0
McCoy wasn’t bad leading the Giants offense, but in scoring range he didn’t make plays to help his team win. On a few red zone opportunities, McCoy made non-competitive throws. Pair that with Joe Judge’s decision to roll the dice on a couple fourth downs that the Giants didn’t convert, and New York ended up squandering several chances to score points.
Last week: N/A
COMP-ATT: 22-29
YDS: 226
TD: 2
INT: 0
FUMBLES LOST: 1
Minshew struggled mightily with the Ravens pass rush all day and when he did have time he often overthrew receivers. If not for some spectacular catches and garbage time production, Minshew’s box score would have looked miserable. He should have had an interception as well, but it was wiped away by a roughing the passer penalty.
Last week: N/A
COMP-ATT: 17-28
YDS: 226
TD: 1
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS-TD: 9-88-1
Mariota replaced an injured Derek Carr at the start of the second quarter and played admirably in his first game action of 2020. On his third throw of the game, he threw an absolutely perfect ball to Darren Waller for a 35-yard touchdown strike, and was equally dangerous on the ground. Particularly impressive were a 26-yard scamper, and a diving touchdown over a Chargers defender.
Last week: 26
COMP-ATT: 24-44
YDS: 338
TD: 3
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 11-63-1
Hurts made a few rookie mistakes, like committing an intentional grounding in the endzone for a Cardinals safety. But he also made some veteran throws, and special plays. Highlights included a 4th-and-3 touchdown pass where Hurts didn’t panic after his first read was covered. Instead he checked across the field and found the open man for an easy score. Then he showed elusiveness and strength on two rushes near the end of the third quarter. One of those rushes converted on a 4th-and-6, and the other went for a game-tying touchdown.
Last week: 24
COMP-ATT: 19-33
YDS: 209
TD: 2
INT: 0
Besides one beautiful deep ball to CeeDee Lamb, Dalton was generally inaccurate on throws farther than five yards. But he didn’t turn the ball over, and capitalized on Nick Mullens’ mistakes, helping the Cowboys upset the 49ers. Dalton moves up a slot mainly because Dwayne Haskins and Marcus Mariota debuted in the power rankings behind him.
Last week: 25
COMP-ATT: 15-21
YDS: 202
TD: 1
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS: 8-34
Once again Trubisky played great in a Bears win. He made good reads, hit open receivers with accurate balls and ran for chunks of yards when nothing else was available. But once again, Trubisky also committed an ugly turnover near the end of the game, giving the Vikings a chance to spoil the day.
Last week: 21
COMP-ATT: 20-26
YDS: 145
TD: 0
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS-TD: 3-9-2
While he was efficient with the ball, big plays were hard to come by for Tagovailoa. He continues to experience the growing pains of a rookie QB, as well. Tagovailoa’s interception came on a ball that should have never been thrown. He tossed up a lame duck while being sacked in a goal-to-go situation, ruining an otherwise impressive 15-play, 95-yard drive.
Last week: 19
COMP-ATT: 17-27
YDS: 209
TD: 0
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS: 9-38
Normally the Patriots can find a way to win if Newton isn’t making big plays through the air, as long as he’s making big plays with his feet. But against the Dolphins, nothing was doing for Newton and the Patriots’ offense. He also dodged a bullet on a fumble return for a touchdown, as a Miami defender barely touched the ball while out of bounds.
Last week: 22
COMP-ATT: 34-49
YDS: 356
TD: 3
INT: 0
Up to this point, Ryan has looked awful without Julio Jone in the lineup. But he got out to a fast start on Sunday, finishing the first half 23-31 for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn’t able to keep it up in the second half as the Buccaneers pass rush started to disrupt his timing. Then Tom Brady did Tom Brady things for another huge comeback against the Falcons.
Last week: 17
COMP-ATT: 21-35
YDS: 258
TD: 0
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 4-26-1
FUMBLES LOST: 1
Bridgewater had an uncharacteristically inefficient first half, but played much better in the second half to give the Panthers a chance to tie the game on their final possession. However the most pivotal play of the game was Bridgewater’s goalline fumble, which ended up being a 14-point swing in favor of Green Bay.
Last week: 18
COMP-ATT: 22-32
YDS: 252
TD: 1
INT: 0
Stafford gutted through a rib injury and did all he could to help the Lions. But everything else seemed to go wrong for Detroit on Sunday as the Titans scored on seven of their nine drives (not counting the final “victory formation” drive of the game).
Last week: 16
COMP-ATT: 24-35
YDS: 271
TD: 2
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS: 3-25
Cousins played well enough to win on Sunday, but came up just a few plays short. With the game on the line, he wasn’t able to escape the Bears’ pass rush on a 4th-and-1 play, sealing the loss for Minnesota. His one interception was a garbage time hail mary.
Last week: 14
COMP-ATT: 22-34
YDS: 209
TD: 2
INT: 1
If you lose to the Jets, you have to slide in the rankings. Those are the rules. Goff played well for a stretch in the second half, but on the whole he was inconsistent with his passes. He overthrew receivers, underthrew receivers and in one case bounced a ball a full two yards in front of his target. His one pick was a terrible throw directly into the arms of a Jets cornerback.
Last week: N/A
COMP-ATT: 15-34
YDS: 234
TD: 3
INT: 1
Brees looked rusty in his first game back from a rib and lung injury, but turned it on in the second half. While one of touchdowns was a cheap tap pass, his others were legit great throws to give the Saints a chance to take down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Last week: 15
COMP-ATT: 22-28
YDS: 228
TD: 2
INT: 0
My knock all season on Rivers has been when Colts need him to put the team on his shoulders, he usually can’t come up with the big plays needed. But when the Texans came storming back to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter, Rivers responded. He delivered with a brilliant drive that featured his longest play of the day: a 41-yard bomb to T.Y. Hilton. Rivers capped it off with what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown pass.
Last week: 13
COMP-ATT: 27-32
YDS: 297
TD: 2
INT: 0
Mayfield was uber-efficient in Sunday night’s win over the Giants. He made every read and took exactly what the defense gave him, finding wide open receivers for easy completions throughout the night. If Mayfield continues to play like this, not only will the Browns lock up their first playoff berth since 2002, they’ll be one of the toughest teams to beat.
Last week: 11
COMP-ATT: 22-32
YDS: 314
TD: 2
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 4-14-1
After a few middling weeks, Herbert got back on track with his seventh 300-yard game of the season. He’s now tied with Baker Mayfield for the most touchdown passes as a rookie with 27, and he’s got two games to tack on even more.
Last week: 12
COMP-ATT: 33-41
YDS: 373
TD: 2
INT: 0
FUMBLES LOST: 1
Watson struggled with the Colts pass rush early, but came alive in the second half and nearly nearly led Houston to a thrilling comeback. In the process he achieved the incredibly difficult feat of throwing for over 350 yards while also completing over 80% of his passes. The effort bumped him up to 8.8 yards per attempt on the season, which leads the league.
Last week: 4
COMP-ATT: 20-38
YDS: 170
TD: 1
INT: 1
FUMBLES LOST: 1
Roethlisberger admitted it himself after the Steelers shocking loss to the Bengals on Monday night: he needs to play better to help Pittsburgh win. Of the Steelers’ eight first-half possessions, they went three-and-out five times, Roethlisberger committed a turnover twice and JuJu Smith-Schuster turned over the ball once as well. His first half numbers: 6-15 for 26 yards, an interception and a fumble lost.
Last week: 8
COMP-ATT: 31-45
YDS: 390
TD: 2
INT: 0
After a slow first half where Brady and the Bucs fell behind 17-0, Brady caught fire in the second half. It started with a laser strike to Mike Evans to set up their first score and culminated with a perfect deep ball to Antonio Brown for the game-winning touchdown. No lead is safe when Brady plays the Falcons apparently.
Last week: 7
COMP-ATT: 27-36
YDS: 406
TD: 3
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS-TD: 8-29-1
FUMBLES LOST: 1
Murray made some incredible throws en route to his first career game with over 400 yards through the air. But his interception was a head scratcher, and he also fumbled on a scramble. Those two turnovers led directly to 14 points for Philadelphia and let the Eagles back into the game. He’ll need to play clean football and lead the Cardinals to the playoffs if he wants to move up in the upper echelons of the power rankings.
Last week: 9
COMP-ATT: 21-27
YDS: 273
TD: 3
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 3-21-2
Tannehill was simply masterful against the Lions on Sunday. He was incredibly accurate, hit big deep balls and ran well en route to a career high five-touchdown day. Over the Titans’ last five games Tannehill now boasts a 14:2 TD:TO ratio. He also joins Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers as the only QBs in the league with more than 30 touchdowns and five or fewer interceptions.
Last week: 5
COMP-ATT: 18-27
YDS: 121
TD: 1
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS: 6-52
Wilson didn’t exactly light it up against the Football Team, but he didn’t need to as the Seahawks controlled the game early with their run game and defense. He did have one excellent run, but also became the latest victim of a Montez Sweat tipped ball interception. That pick allowed Washington to work their way back into the game, when Seattle had a chance to seal the win with a score of their own.
Last week: 6
COMP-ATT: 17-22
YDS: 243
TD: 3
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS-TD: 10-35-1
Jackson shook off a bad interception on Baltimore’s first drive and ended up with his first four touchdown game of the season. Over the Ravens’ three-game win streak, Jackson has a 10:2 TD:TO ratio. Most encouraging is that Jackson is making plays with both his arm and his legs.
Last week: 3
COMP-ATT: 28-40
YDS: 359
TD: 2
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 3-33-2
Right now, Allen is playing just as well as anyone in the NFL. He put on a show on Saturday, throwing darts for long touchdowns, making back-foot crossfield completions and eluding pass rushers for effective scrambles. Two plays were legit jaw-droppers. First was a 3rd-and-2 pass that Allen completed with a sidearm throw while being sacked. Later, Allen perfectly executed a sneaky fake pass, behind-the-back handoff to Devin Singletary that went for a touchdown. It was backyard football fun at its finest.
Last week: 2
COMP-ATT: 20-29
YDS: 143
TD: 1
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-1: 5-26-1
While Rodgers only threw for one touchdown on Sunday, it was all he needed to become the first quarterback in NFL history with three 40-touchdown seasons. If the Jordan Love draft pick motivated this kind of season from Rodgers, Green Bay should take a QB in the first round every year.
Last week: 1
COMP-ATT: 26-47
YDS: 254
TD: 3
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS: 7-37
FUMBLES LOST: 1
While Mahomes struggled at times with the Saints pass rush, he still made enough highlight reel plays that only he can make to keep the Chiefs in the driver’s seat for the first-round bye in the postseason. His most incredible play this week was a perfectly placed pass in the corner of the endzone to Mecole Hardman. Mahomes had two defenders in his face, threw off his back foot, and there was so much traffic in the endzone it was initially hard to see that Hardman even caught the ball. But replay revealed one of the most spectacular throws and catches of the year.
