Four weeks remain in the 2020 regular season in the National Football League, and many teams are learning how important it is to have a healthy franchise quarterback. Dallas had Super Bowl visions before the season (although given how poorly their front office dealt with restocking their defense, that was more pie in the sky than anything else), but then Dak Prescott (fractured ankle) went down for the season, and backup Andy Dalton missed time due to a concussion and COVID-19. San Francisco went to the Super Bowl last year, but injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and a number of other starters have scuttled visions of a return. Philadelphia has Carson Wentz, but he seems to have lost confidence in his game, and so now the team turns to Jalen Hurts.
Let’s look at the latest NFL rankings of the 32 starting signal-callers.
NFL News: QB Power Rankings after Week 13
#1 Patrick Mahomes (KC)
Do you need a scoring drive in the waning minutes of a game? Is there anyone else you would call on right now instead?
#2 Aaron Rodgers (GB)
OK, you might call on Rodgers. He’s delivered time and time again in the clutch. However, while Rodgers is still putting up MVP level numbers, he only has one win against a winning team this year.
#3 Russell Wilson (SEA)
He was at the top of this chart near the beginning of the season, but then Wilson threw five picks in the four games after their bye, and he just took too many sacks in an ugly loss to the Giants this weekend.
#4 Deshaun Watson (HOU)
It’s a shame that Bill O’Brien traded away DeAndre Hopkins. If he hadn’t, he’d probably still have a job, because the Texans would be leading the AFC South.
#5 Ryan Tannehill (TEN)
He’s efficient, he’s ruthless out of the play-action set, and his arm is sneaky strong.
#6 Tom Brady (TB)
The Bucs come out of their bye looking for redemption after an ugly loss in Week 11. Can Brady get back to where he was before the Giants game? That’s the level the Bucs need to push into the postseason.
#7 Lamar Jackson (BAL)
His accuracy is down, and he’s coming off a bout with COVID-19. We saw what that did to Cam Newton’s game this season.
#8 Kyler Murray (ARI)
Now that teams have committed to keeping Murray from running, the Cardinals have dropped three straight. How will he adjust?
#9 Matt Ryan (ATL)
If the Falcons play this will next year, Ryan will lead them to the playoffs. His arm has been terrific, but injuries to Julio Jones and other key players have hampered them this year, as have some awful losses.
#10 Josh Allen (BUF)
Allen has returned to his early-season form, hitting tough passes while moving his feet, and the Bills keep winning.
#11 Matthew Stafford (DET)
It’s a shame that the Lions’ front office has never had these three things in the same season during Stafford’s time in Motown: an offensive line, a credible defense, and a quality running back.
#12 Justin Herbert (LAC)
He has the arm and the accuracy to become an NFL franchise quarterback for years to come. Now the team needs leadership.
#13 Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
Ben’s not hitting the deep ball like he used to. However, his steady leadership has the Steelers heading into the postseason once again. The team has hit a bumpy patch on offense, though. Can he adjust?
#14 Kirk Cousins (MIN)
Some weeks, Cousins is transcendent, and some weeks, he makes dreadful mistakes. Sometimes he does both in the same game. But he has the Vikings on the verge of the postseason.
#15 Jared Goff (LAR)
Much like Cousins, we don’t know which Jared Goff will show up each week. Goff’s ceiling seems higher, but he doesn’t get there as often.
#16 Bakery Mayfield (CLE)
How about that first half against Tennessee, with four touchdown passes? Mayfield made the game look simple. Then came the second half, when the Browns scored just three points and Mayfield fumbled on a fourth-and-one sneak, and the Titans almost made it way too interesting. Consistency is the key, but this is one great leader.
#17 Philip Rivers (IND)
Rivers is the quintessential bus driver, leading his team on conservative drives up and down the field. When he needs to turn into a gunslinger, though, things get messy.
#18 Derek Carr (LV)
He has a cannon of an arm, when he decides to throw the ball down the field. It’s too easy to pressure him into dump-offs, though, and so too many Raider drives stall.
#19 Teddy Bridgewater (CAR)
Bridgewater needs to stretch the field more than he does, but his defense has betrayed him too often this season.
#20 Cam Newton (NE)
At this point, Newton is more a danger with his legs than he is with his arm. Hopefully more of the COVID-19 cobwebs will fall away, and he’ll throw like he threw in seasons past.
#21 Tua Tagovailoa (MIA)
His arm looks solid, and his accuracy is coming around.
#22 Alex Smith (WAS)
This terrific comeback story could lead the Football Team to an NFC East title, especially since none of the other teams seem to want that title all that much.
#23 Sam Darnold (NYJ)
It would be interesting to see how Darnold could blossom with a quality head coach and with NFL talent around him on the field.
#24 Mitch Trubisky (CHI)
His latest pratfall involved fumbling the game away to Detroit on Sunday.
#25 Drew Lock (DEN)
He came back strong against Kansas City on Sunday, but he just turns the ball over too much.
#26 Nick Mullens (SF)
He’s gritty, he makes some terrific throws down the field. He also makes eye-popping errors. Such is life with a backup quarterback.
#27 Andy Dalton (DAL)
He looked outstanding in a win at Minnesota. He threw a gorgeous 54-yard touchdown against Washington. But then the two starting offensive tackles went down to injury on the same drive, and he couldn’t recover. He might be the best quarterback in the NFC East, but the Cowboys don’t know how to build a roster around a quarterback.
#28 Jalen Hurts (PHI)
Hurts will start for the Eagles after coming on for Carson Wentz in the loss to Green Bay. He threw a touchdown pass and an interception in the setback. He had some tense moments at Oklahoma; can he deliver now?
#29 Mike Glennon (JAX)
Glennon almost led the Jaguars to victories against the Browns and the Vikings. Not bad for the Jags’ third quarterback of the season.
#30 Taysom Hill (NO)
He’s fun to watch for a few plays, but we see why he’s been the Saints’ gadget player. Why can’t we see what Jameis Winston can do?
#31 Colt McCoy (NYG)
Yes, McCoy led the Giants to a win in Seattle. However, that was a lot more about the Giants’ running game and defense.
#32 Brandon Allen (CIN)
Would you be surprised if Allen leads the Bengals to a win over Dallas on Sunday? Neither would I.
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