NFL QB Power Rankings, Week 4: Foles tumbles after ugly loss
Week 4 may have provided the most exciting games so far this season, including some incredible quarterback play. Now a quarter of the way through the season, we have a pretty good sense of where each team stands. We also have enough of a sample size to better judge which QBs give their teams a chance to win each week, and which QBs are holding their teams back more often than not. That’s not to say there aren’t still question marks (see: Deshaun Watson, Gardner Minshew), but the bigger picture across the NFL is starting to take shape.
Last week: 31
COMP-ATT: 32-45
YDS: 314
TD: 0
INT: 0
RUSH TD: 1
Our friends at NBC Sports Washington reported that Ron Rivera told Haskins he needs to improve his play on the field before Sunday’s game, but Haskins likely didn’t do enough to buy himself much more time as the Football Team starter. Yes, his 314 passing yards were a season high, but he wasn’t able to help his team score many points, outside of his garbage time touchdown rush. A particularly head-scratching decision came on a 4th-and-goal from the 13-yard line. Haskins decided to check the ball down for a five-yard gain, ruining an otherwise encouraging 17-play drive.
Last week: 30
COMP-ATT: 23-36
YDS: 190
TD: 0
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS: 6-45
Jones and the Giants are officially competing with the Jets for the distinction of “Worst Offense in New York.” They haven’t scored a touchdown in two straight weeks and look completely lost. With only two touchdowns and five interceptions, Jones now owns the worst TD:INT ratio in the league.
Last week: 32
COMP-ATT: 23-42
YDS: 230
TD: 0
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS: 6-84
RUSH TD: 1
Darnold’s awesome 46-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the game was enough to earn him a few slots in the rankings. But Darnold and the Jets weren’t able to punch the ball into the endzone beyond that. His 5.5 YPA was tied for second-worst in Week 4, too.
Last week: 24
COMP-ATT: 18-26
YDS: 200
TD: 1
INT: 2
FUMBLES LOST: 1
After playing admirably in Week 3, Mullens made several mistakes as the 49ers were upset by one of the worst teams in the league. The worst decision of all was a backfoot throw in the red zone that was picked off, costing the Niners a great chance to score points heading into halftime. Mullens was replaced by C.J. Beathard after throwing a pick-six right into the hands of a linebacker that he never saw.
Last week: N/A
COMP-ATT: 20-37
YDS: 172
TD: 1
INT: 3
FUMBLES LOST: 1
It didn’t matter much who was under center for the Pats on Monday night, the result was ugly either way. Brian Hoyer took two bad sacks in Chiefs territory-- one at the end of the second half, and one where he fumbled the ball-- which cost New England at least six points. Stidham on the other hand completed less than 40% of his passes. Hopefully, Cam Newton can recover quickly from COVID-19.
Last week: 29
COMP-ATT: 18-28
YDS: 193
TD: 1
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS: 7-37
RUSH TD: 1
Wentz gets a little bump in the rankings for finally leading the Eagles to their first win. He made two great plays on his touchdown run and his perfect touchdown pass. But Wentz was still inaccurate on several throws and may not have gotten the win if it wasn’t for all the 49ers turnovers.
Last week: 28
COMP-ATT: 19-31
YDS: 242
TD: 2
INT: 3
Rypien earned his first career win, in his first career start and tossed a couple of touchdowns in the process. But he also threw a pick-six and another interception on back-to-back drives to let the Jets back into the game. Rypien and the Broncos may not have escaped with the win if it hadn’t been for the great play of Melvin Gordon, and some timely penalties to bail the Broncos out of tough situations.
Last week: 22
COMP-ATT: 29-45
YDS: 315
TD: 0
INT: 2
RUSH-YDS: 6-47
RUSH TD: 1
The Dolphins defense did a great job limiting the Seahawks offense to give Miami a chance for an incredible upset, but Fitzpatrick couldn’t deliver the big plays in scoring range. He only completed 3-10 passes from Seattle’s 30-yard line and closer, forcing the Dolphins to kick field goals on five straight drives. His interception with under five minutes left in the game set up a Seahawks touchdown that essentially put the game out of reach.
Last week: 20
COMP-ATT: 26-42
YDS: 249
TD: 1
INT: 1
New QB, same story. The Bears offense lacks any rhythm, and Foles didn’t help as he was inaccurate throughout the game. He did hit a couple of deep passes, something Mitch Trubisky couldn’t do through two and a half games. But he also looks incapable of making any plays with his feet, which is a strength of Trubisky’s.
Last week: 27
COMP-ATT: 20-25
YDS: 290
TD: 3
INT: 1
For the second time in three weeks, Herbert went toe-to-toe with one of the best quarterbacks in the league and nearly came away with an improbable upset. This time it took five touchdowns from Tom Brady to spoil Herbert’s chances at his first NFL win. He did have an opportunity to lead a game-tying drive towards the end of the fourth quarter, but he threw an interception which ended up sealing the win for Tampa Bay.
Last week: 23
COMP-ATT: 16-22
YDS: 260
TD: 1
INT: 0
It wasn’t a disastrous start in Week 4, but it wasn’t anything special either. The Vikings finally got their first win of the year, but Minnesota ran Dalvin Cook to the win. Cousins still deserves credit for making the plays he needed to make, when he needed to make them.
Last week: 25
COMP-ATT: 26-37
YDS: 276
TD: 2
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS: 6-32
RUSH TD: 1
For the second-straight week, Bridgewater has led the Panthers to an upset win, but in Week 4 Bridgewater made more plays with his arm. He showed elusiveness and strength as a rusher on a 18-yard TD scamper on a 3rd-and-8 play as well. Bridgewater’s starting to come into his own in Carolina and could be on the verge of creating a Cinderella story in Charlotte.
Last week: 18
COMP-ATT: 20-33
YDS: 300
TD: 2
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS: 5-9
Watson is not as effective of a quarterback when he doesn’t make plays with his feet. So far, his 27 rush yards in Week 1 are his season high. Fourteen quarterbacks have more rushing yards than Watson this season, including Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, Gardner Minshew and Mitchell Trubisky. What doesn’t show up in the box score for Week 4 are Watson’s two fumbles that the Texans recovered.
Last week: 26
COMP-ATT: 25-36
YDS: 300
TD: 1
INT: 1
While Joe Mixon may have dominated the highlight reel, Burrow played his best game of the season to earn his first NFL win. He should’ve had two more touchdowns, too. The first was a beautiful throw in the back of the endzone to Tyler Boyd, but a questionable holding penalty erased it, forcing a Randy Bullock field goal. The other was a pass that went through Drew Sample’s hands, off Sample’s facemask and into Myles Jack’s arms for an unfortunate interception. A quarter of the way through the season, Burrow has thrown for more yards than Deshaun Watson, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson.
Last week: 17
COMP-ATT: 16-29
YDS: 190
TD: 1
INT: 0
Week 4 was the least efficient game for Rivers, who has remained effective by completing passes at a high rate. Other than that, the Colts passing offense isn’t going to strike fear into the hearts of many opponents. That doesn’t mean Rivers is a bad quarterback, but with the Colts’ identity forming around their defense and run-game, Rivers’ upside in the QB power rankings will be limited.
Last week: 21
COMP-ATT: 19-30
YDS: 165
TD: 2
INT: 0
Baker’s abysmal Week 1 is far in the rearview mirror now, as the Browns offense has been one of the most dynamic in the league since then. Yes, their running backs have led the way, but Mayfield and Odell Beckham, Jr. are finally clicking for explosive plays too. Mayfield is starting to blend his ability as an efficient quarterback who can hit two or three deep balls a game.
Last week: 16
COMP-ATT: 27-40
YDS: 351
TD: 2
INT: 1
Minshew has had an up and down start to the season, ranking in the top-10 in passing yards, touchdowns and interceptions. He helped the Jaguars win one game, factored into a loss in another, and was neutral for the other two. Smack dab in the middle of the power rankings feels right.
Last week: 14
COMP-ATT: 17-31
YDS: 206
TD: 3
INT: 1
Stafford threw for three scores to keep pace with the Saints early, but turnovers and inaccurate throws helped the Saints pull away before halftime. Matt Patricia will take the heat for his postgame press conference, but Stafford’s mistakes haven’t helped matters. He’s gotten second chances from penalties and dropped interceptions as well, but hasn’t been able to capitalize on them.
Last week: 19
COMP-ATT: 19-25
YDS: 246
TD: 2
INT: 1
Looks like Drew Brees just needed a few games to get his legs under him. He was finally able to hit on more than dinks and dunks to Alvin Kamara or wideouts running short slants and curls. As a result Brees finally cracked the top-5 in Y/A on the week. Particularly impressive was a perfect rainbow pass to Kamara on fourth down to convert, and a red zone pass where he pump faked about a dozen times to buy his receivers time to get open.
Last week: 13
With the Titans and Steelers on an early bye. Both Tannehill and Roethlisberger will stand pat in the power rankings.
Last week: 15
COMP-ATT: 32-44
YDS: 311
TD: 2
INT: 0
FUMBLES LOST: 1
In a week when Josh Jacobs was stymied, Carr stepped up and nearly provided enough to get the win. He led Las Vegas on four-straight scoring drives to start the game, but a Darren Waller fumble and turnover on downs after that allowed the Bills to pull away. Carr did fumble late in the game, in enemy territory while the Raiders tried to mount a comeback. But on the whole he was dependable with the ball in his hands.
Last week: 9
COMP-ATT: 29-39
YDS: 285
TD: 0
INT: 0
On the first drive of the game, Ryan was a little late, and a little off on a deep ball to Calvin Ridley. Instead of a big play, the Falcons had to punt. That pass ended up being a microcosm of Ryan’s night, as he was a few inches away from several big plays and just seemed a little off all night.
Last week: 10
With the Titans and Steelers on an early bye. Both Tannehill and Roethlisberger will stand pat in the power rankings.
Last week: 8
COMP-ATT: 25-32
YDS: 200
TD: 1
INT: 0
The Rams offense didn’t do much on Sunday, but they didn’t need to do much to make it past the inept Giants. A poor running game didn’t help Goff much, but he didn’t help himself either, going 3-9 on third down with the ball in his hands. He could be in-line for a big next next week though, facing Washington who have allowed 30+ points in three-straight games.
Last week: 12
COMP-ATT: 30-46
YDS: 369
TD: 5
INT: 1
Early in Sunday’s game it looked like Brady was cooking up another stinker. He threw his second pick-six of the season, then followed that up with two three-and-outs. Midway through the second quarter, the Buccs found themselves down 21-7. But a Chargers fumble allowed Brady to score with 20 seconds to go in the half, and from there it was off to the races. In the second half, Brady looked like a new man and led three-straight touchdown drives to take the lead, and win the game.
Last week: 7
COMP-ATT: 24-31
YDS: 133
TD: 3
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS: 6-78
FUMBLES LOST: 1
Murray couldn’t get anything going downfield and the Cardinals were only able to convert 2-8 third downs with the ball in Murray’s hands. That resulted in Arizona punting on five of their nine drives, and the Panthers dominating the time of possession, 37:08 - 22:52. Add in Murray’s fumble and the Cardinals didn’t have much of a chance in their second-straight upset loss. But other QBs in this range didn’t fare much better, preventing Murray from dropping in the rankings.
Last week: 6
COMP-ATT: 14-21
YDS: 193
TD: 2
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS: 7-53
RUSH TD: 1
If it hadn’t been for last week’s head-to-head matchup, Jackson would’ve probably passed Mahomes on this week’s ranking. But over the course of the season Jackson hasn’t done enough to reclaim a top-5 slot. His 50-yard touchdown run, and 25-yard pass to Andrews are big plays we’ve come to expect. Now, Jackson needs to make those plays with more consistency.
Last week: 5
COMP-ATT: 19-29
YDS: 236
TD: 2
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS: 8-28
The score didn’t look all that close, but the Patriots did a good job limiting Mahomes for most of the game. In fact, Mahomes lucked out on two would-be turnovers on Monday night. One, it was ruled his forward progress had been stopped before a strip sack put the ball right into the Patriots’ hands. On the second, Mahomes forced a ball into triple coverage that went right through a defender's hands. Overall, Mahomes did a good job spreading the ball around, and five Chiefs ended with three or more catches.
Last week: 4
COMP-ATT: 41-58
YDS: 502
TD: 4
INT: 1
FUMBLES LOST: 1
The yardage king of the NFL continues to outdo himself, this time with a ***502*** yard game. It’s only the 23rd time in NFL history that a QB has topped 500 yards, and it extended Prescott’s lead over Josh Allen on the leaderboard to 364 yards-- you know, an entire game’s worth of passing. However, Prescott has turned the ball over six times already, which keeps him out of the top three slots.
Last week: 3
COMP-ATT: 24-34
YDS: 288
TD: 2
INT: 0
RUSH TD: 1
Allen might be the most exciting player in the league, making huge throws and plays with his legs too. Through four games, he ranks second in total yards and yards per attempt, and third in passing touchdowns. Allen’s only issue is his propensity to fumble the ball, but in Week 4 he had a clean game.
Last week: 2
COMP-ATT: 27-33
YDS: 327
TD: 4
INT: 0
It’s really disappointing that the Packers and Seahawks won’t face each other in the regular season, as Rodgers is the only man who can challenge Russell Wilson for MVP this season. Wilson may be getting all the hype this season (and deservedly so), but Rodgers is reminding the NFL that anything Wilson can do, Rodgers did first. Oh, he’s the only QB in the league without a pick, too.
Last week: 1
COMP-ATT: 24-34
YDS: 360
TD: 2
INT: 1
It took three and a half games, but Russell Wilson finally made his first mistake of the season. On the Seahawks’ first drive of the second half, Wilson forced a ball in the endzone to D.K. Metcalf and Xavien Howard made a good play to intercept the pass. The Dolphins played defense as well as any team against Wilson and the Seahawks this season, and Seattle still managed to put up 31 points. Even with this “down” game, Wilson is averaging four touchdown passes a game on the season.
