We are through seven weeks of the 2021 season, and we are continuing to see young quarterbacks excel. Kyler Murray continues his MVP-caliber campaign, while Joe Burrow has his Bengals in the playoff conversation. But Patrick Mahomes has struggled, especially in the turnover department.
On a weekly basis throughout the season, I will rate my current confidence in each quarterback’s play. Who is unstoppable and in the MVP conversation? Who is struggling and needs to find consistency? Who is rising, and who is falling, after each week’s game slate? Which rookies are exceeding expectations, and which veterans are leading their offenses to playoff contention? And remember, this is based on the present, not future potential.
True backups will not be included, though teams with multiple legitimate starting options might have multiple QBs listed in the rankings. Backups in line to play for injured starters will also be ranked. The list will be accompanied each week by some of the biggest takeaways and lingering thoughts from the recent performances under center, including what both the tape and numbers say about some of the game’s starting quarterbacks. Here are this week’s QB rankings and some notes regarding the position.
Last updated: Oct. 27
Jump to:
Rankings | Week 7 takeaways
Tannenbaum’s current QB rankings
Biggest takeaways from Week 7
-
From a big-picture standpoint, the Bengals’ Joe Burrow leading the Bengals to a 41-17 victory against the Ravens was, as Tedy Bruschi said on NFL Countdown, a perception-shattering win. Burrow played exceptionally well, throwing for over 400 yards and three touchdowns. And despite being under pressure on 34% of his dropbacks, per ESPN Stats & Information, he threw for 183 yards in those situations. On the season, Burrow is second in yards per attempt (9.2) and eighth in completion percentage (68.9%). The one area where he can improve: He has eight interceptions. But Burrow is now a top-10 QB, and I fully expect him to stay there for years to come if he stays healthy.
-
What’s wrong with the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes? It starts up front. Orlando Brown Jr. isn’t playing as well as Eric Fisher did a year ago, and the Chiefs overall are ranked 13th in the league in pass block win rate. While he remains the most talented player in the sport, Mahomes is arguably the third-best QB in his division at the moment. And while I expect Kansas City to dramatically improve and make the playoffs, the lack of any consistency on the other side of the ball is going to make Mahomes and the offense’s margin of error very, very small. Here’s some context: Mahomes has 11 turnovers through seven games. In the first seven games of the 2018-2020 seasons combined, he had seven turnovers.
-
Derek Carr‘s incredible season continues. The Raiders QB’s 91.2% completion percentage on Sunday against the Eagles was the second highest of any QB in NFL history when throwing at least 30 passes. Carr is averaging 324.3 yards per game, second to only Tom Brady.
-
Two quarterbacks impressed me off play-action on Sunday. Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa was efficient in a loss to the Falcons, and on play-action, he was 13-of-15 for 131 yards and one touchdown pass. And Kyler Murray‘s MVP candidacy remains firmly in place, as he moved the Cardinals to 7-0 in a win against Houston, going 11-of-13 on play-action for 133 yards and three touchdown passes.
-
The Rams’ Matthew Stafford was very effective against the Lions’ blitz in Week 7, going 10-of-11 for 142 yards and three touchdowns. His 94.8 QBR against the blitz is third in the NFL on the season.
-
I don’t know how much Joe Flacco has left in the tank, but he’s now back for his second tour of duty with the Jets. Regardless, Mike White has the opportunity of a lifetime for the next month while Zach Wilson recovers from a PCL injury.
-
Carson Wentz has done a great job on cutting down on the turnovers in his first season with the Colts; he has only one interception on the season. He has clearly improved over the past few weeks. And while the Colts have struggled in the red zone, they’ve been balanced. They have the fourth-highest rate of first-down runs, and that balance has helped Wentz to rebound from last season.
