QB Stock Market Week 4: Aaron Rodgers looks rejuvenated. Where’s Patrick Mahomes’ mojo?
There's really no question who's No. 1 this week, is there?
If you watched Monday Night Football(s), you saw the human Buffalo. It's Josh Allen, the guy I picked to win MVP and the Super Bowl before the season started. He's unstoppable. That didn't surprise me. But another fun thing happened: Jayden Daniels showed up Joe Burrow. It seemed last week like Daniels was ascending, particularly in the second half. The signs were there, as he found open receivers all over the field against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It was a wild and wacky week for QBs. Let's get into the market.
And never forget that we weigh one question above all others: What have you done for your team lately?
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (⬆️ 1)
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (⬆️ 10)
3. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets (⬆️ 7)
Roll your eyes all you want — I know I will, plenty — but we're seeing elite Aaron Rodgers, formidable and faulty.
You must have caught the video of Rodgers shoving his coach Robert Saleh after a Jets touchdown? According to Saleh, that was Rodgers' challenge to Saleh to step up on defense — in a game where New York allowed just three points. (It was absolutely a jerk move from Rodgers, the guy who once stared down the Packers' bench in Green Bay.)
But you've also probably caught the video of Rodgers' pinpoint, fadeaway jumper to Garrett Wilson at the pylon. Just nasty. I don't care if you're 40. I don't care if you're 24. That kind of throw is often the best play of a guy's career. It's routine again for Rodgers, who seems healthy and lively despite his Achilles injury.
Nothing stops Rodgers from getting what he wants. Nothing stops him from doing things his way. … But it's only easy to root for him if you're an ends-justifying-the-means kind of person.
4. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (⬆️ 1)
5. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (⬆️ 15)
6. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (⬆️ 5)
7. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (⬆️ 6)
8. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (⬆️ 8)
I'll admit that I tend to weigh quarterback wins higher than what is socially acceptable in the world of media analysis. Watch Tom Brady. Watch Patrick Mahomes. Watch any truly great quarterback, and you'll see just how much power they can have over the outcome of the game.
But Dak is a good example of why wins are far from an equitable measurement.
He leads the NFL in passing yards with 851 despite playing three defenses we expected to be among the NFL's best: Cleveland, New Orleans, Baltimore. (We now know the Browns stink, but the other two defenses have been solid.) Dak has also carried his offense despite having zero run support. And to make matters worse, the Cowboys can't defend the run, which is why they're 26th in the NFL in time of possession (27:56).
That should give you a snapshot of what Prescott is coping with.
So maybe the Cowboys are 1-2. Maybe they look like pretenders. And, definitely, Jerry Jones was gaslighting when he said the Cowboys were "all-in." But Prescott's competence has been a bright spot for this team. He nearly engineered an incredible comeback against the Ravens. He whooped the Browns. But he can't settle. He will need to be the reason the Cowboys pull out of their nosedive.
9. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (⬆️ 9)
10. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (⬇️ 1)
11. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (⬇️ 8)
12. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (⬇️ 4)
13. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (⬇️ 9)
Mahomes will tell you, "I haven't played very well."
It's that simple.
Of course, Mahomes has figured out how to go 3-0. The prevailing narrative has been that he has needed the officials' help to remain undefeated. And that wasn't true until Sunday night when they absolutely missed a defensive pass interference penalty on Bryan Cook that would have given the Falcons a new set of downs with 51 seconds left.
If the refs call that, maybe it's a different game.
Either way, Mahomes isn't carrying his offense in the same way that he did last year when he was the master of patience. No, he's itchy this year. He wants to push the ball downfield. His (frayed) connection with Travis Kelce is perplexing. If the Chiefs weren't undefeated, we'd be in a panic about the state of this offense.
This doesn't look like a team ready to three-peat. Not yet.
14. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (⬇️ 13)
15. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (↔)
16. Daniel Jones, New York Giants (⬆️ 10)
17. Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers (⬆️ 11)
18. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (⬇️ 4)
It was startling how Hurts turned into a one-read quarterback against the Saints.
Hurts hit quick slants and bubble screens. And then when Nick Sirianni's concepts came together to get guys open downfield, Hurts found the open man, often Dallas Goedert. But even with 3.17 seconds to throw per dropback (first in NFL), Hurts looked confused or unconfident in what was happening downfield.
The Saints secondary was good. But not unbeatable. This might be a case of Hurts still gaining confidence in the systematic adjustments. It's definitely a case of a quarterback who is losing swagger without his top receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Losing Lane Johnson will only compound the issue. But Hurts has showed he can play so much better than this. It's just that — ever since he and Sirianni grew disconnected during the 2023 season — Hurts hasn't been the same guy.
19. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers (new)
20. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (⬇️ 14)
21. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (⬆️ 3)
This is exactly what Fields needed.
Watching his film is like a breath of fresh air. A reminder (here's looking at you, Bryce Young) that talented, smart quarterbacks can excel when they get the right second chance.
One thing you don't see is hesitation. He is anticipating his throws, particularly with George Pickens on the receiving end. Fields is in the zone with the Steelers' bang-bang quick game, which is perfect because — as we saw in the preseason — this offensive line is not built to hold up for very long.
There's plenty of work to be done on Fields' game. He's too gutsy right now, trusting his arm strength to rifle the ball into dangerous windows. He will only get away with that when he combines the strength with accuracy. And the accuracy isn't quite consistent enough to keep the ball out of harm's way. His interception was the perfect example, with Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley getting a hand on a ball for Cordarrelle Patterson. The deflection went to Chargers linebacker Bud Dupree.
But it was Fields' first turnover of the season.
This is what good coaching and careful game-planning can do for a wayward quarterback prospect. It brings a literal smile to my face.
22. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (⬇️ 15)
23. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (⬆️ 6)
Nix did something pretty simple to ascend in these rankings for the first time. He 1) stopped turning the ball over, and 2) increased the clip at which he ran the football.
It worked for Josh Allen as a rookie. That's when he began to control his play — and elevate the play of his teammates.
Nix is actually a smart and efficient runner, ranked third in EPA on the run among QBs (behind Anthony Richardson and Lamar Jackson). Nix now has 18 carries for 107 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Because he had nine carries at 5.2 yards per attempt, he found more throwing lanes downfield and completed 69.4% of his passes, a career high.
I'm not saying Nix is good, per se. He's just not quite as bad.
24. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (⬇️ 7)
25. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots (⬇️ 4)
26. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (⬇️ 3)
27. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders (⬇️ 2)
28. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (⬇️ 1)
29. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts (⬇️ 7)
30. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (⬆️ 2)
31. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (⬇️ 1)
32. Skylar Thompson, Miami Dolphins (new)
Henry McKenna is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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