We are through 10 weeks of the 2021 season, and quarterback play has been all over the place. Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers returned this week, but both posted sub-30 QBRs in their head-to-head matchup on Sunday afternoon. But Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Mac Jones and Patrick Mahomes all turned in stellar performances in 40-plus-point outbursts. And on Monday night, we saw both ends of the spectrum: Jimmy Garoppolo had the week’s highest QBR, while Matthew Stafford was doomed by turnovers.
Oh, and Cam Newton returned to Carolina, rushing and throwing for touchdowns on his first two snaps in his first game back with the Panthers.
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: Nov. 16
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Rankings | Week 10 takeaways
Tannenbaum’s current QB rankings
Biggest takeaways from Week 10
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Jimmy Garoppolo leaned on the quick game in the 49ers’ 31-10 victory over the Rams on Monday night. He averaged the second-quickest time to throw of his career (2.30 seconds), and the Rams didn’t have much of an answer for it. In fact, Garoppolo was 12-of-14 for 138 yards, two touchdowns and a plus-16.5% completion percentage over expectation (CPOE) when given at least 2.5 seconds to throw on Monday. On those 14 dropbacks, he had a plus-14.2 pass-play expected points added. Oddly enough, Garoppolo finished with one play-action dropback (career-low) and one dropback from under center (tied for career-low). San Francisco stuck to the run, and it neutralized what the Rams do best: Rush the passer. I moved Garoppolo up from No. 25 to No. 19 this week.
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The Patriots’ Mac Jones had a big game for the surging Patriots, completing plus-16.2% of his passes over expectation, the highest CPOE for a rookie QB in a game this season. Jones was especially accurate throwing downfield, completing six of his seven passes thrown at least 10 yards downfield for 103 yards and a TD. He simply was the better QB on the field on Sunday, significantly outplaying Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield. Jones is playing with more anticipation than he did earlier in the season.
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Seattle had never been shut out with Russell Wilson as its quarterback … until Sunday. Wilson went 20-of-40 for 161 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions and 4.0 yards per attempt — and he failed to complete any of his seven deep passes. An interception in the end zone at the beginning of the second half was a particular momentum killer. The Seahawks were trailing 3-0 at that point and needed points. But as John Madden use to say, the hardest points in a game are the first ones.
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Cam Newton is back! The newly signed Carolina QB posted his 43rd career game with at least one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, extending his own NFL record. He only played eight snaps in his first game back with the Panthers, but he made them count. It was the third time in his career that he accounted for a TD on each of the first two possessions — and his first since 2012. I still don’t understand why he was a free agent as long as he was; he would have been a great option for the Saints, Broncos or Steelers not only for this year but also as a potential starter in 2022. The 2022 draft class isn’t stacked with franchise quarterbacks, and I believe Newton is still one of the 32 best QBs on the planet.
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Ryan Tannehill has quietly led the Titans on a six-game winning streak, and the past five victories have come against playoff teams. Even more impressively, the past two have been without star running back Derrick Henry, who is out with a foot injury. His air yards are down a bit as the offense condenses (3.1 air yards per completion over those two wins, down from 6.2 over the first eight weeks), but he has been accurate and decisive. And it helps that Tannehill has a true No. 1 receiver in A.J. Brown.
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Miami’s quarterback situation was a little confusing on Thursday night, with Jacoby Brissett starting and Tua Tagovailoa beginning as the backup (fractured finger) before entering the game following a hit on Brissett. It now looks like the Dolphins will go fully back to Tagovailoa, and that’s a positive for a team on a two-game winning streak. Miami needs to see as much of Tagovailoa as possible over the next two months to know what it has here — and what it needs to do, or not do, in the offseason.
