NFL Quarterback Ratings: The Best Five And Worst Five Through Four Weeks

We are essentially a fourth through the season, and the best and worst quarterbacks in the league are starting to take shape. These rankings, focusing only on current starters, evaluate performance based on stats, gameplay, and the specific demands placed on each quarterback.

We are essentially a fourth through the season, and the best and worst quarterbacks in the league are starting to take shape. These rankings, focusing only on current starters, evaluate performance based on stats, gameplay, and the specific demands placed on each quarterback.

Recent play weighs heavier than games at the beginning of the season, though that will matter more as we move further into the season.

28. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

Stats: 67/103, 65%, 503 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT

The first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is off to a slow start in Carolina. I don’t think it’s anywhere close to time to panic, but his performance forces me to put him in the bottom five.

I think the film looks better than the statistics, and the biggest issues are completely unrelated to Bryce Young. The offensive line is terrible, and former top-ten pick LT Ikem Ekwonu has been a turnstile. And, a bottom-of-the-league receiving corps has been among the worst in the league at creating separation.

But, some of the warts that critics warned us about when it came to Bryce Young have already started to show up. He’s already missed a game due to injury, and with his small size that’s always going to be a factor. His stature also can make it tough to pass over the middle, and that has shown up as well. Ultimately, I’m betting on his incredible talent as a point guard-style quarterback. But, it’s not pretty right now.

29. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

Stats: 79/123 64.2%, 861 yds, 7 TD, 5 INT

A week after debuting on the bottom of the list, Justin Fields played the best three quarters of his NFL careers against the Broncos on Sunday. For much of the game, Bears fans had to have been thrilled, as he looked like the quarterback they thought they were getting this year when he bizarrely received MVP buzz.

But, a 23/24 and 3 TD start turning into a nightmare for Fields and the Bears. In the fourth quarter, he was strip-sacked for a touchdown to cut a lead that was as large as 21 in the second half to 14. The team didn’t trust him on a 4th and 1 late in the quarter on what was the most important play of the game, instead handing off from the shotgun for a loss. And, on the team’s final drive, he had the Bears approaching tying field goal range, only to take a horrific intentional grounding penalty and follow it up with a game-ending interception.

He had to move up a few spots, as he was one of the better quarterbacks in the league in week 4. Ultimately, the body of work prior to week 4 keeps him in the bottom five.

30. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers

Stats: 77/127, 60.6%, 803 yds, 4 TD, 4 INT

In a game that many Steelers fans expected to win on Sunday to get to 3-1 at Houston, the dichotomy between Texans rookie CJ Stroud and the second-year Kenny Pickett was stunning.

Despite being a few days shy of 22, CJ Stroud looked like the far better quarterback on Sunday. Compared to the 25-year-old Pickett, Stroud showed much more poise and command of the pocket than Pickett has in any of his NFL starts the last two years. While CJ glided in and out of the pocket with his eyes downfield to deliver strikes, Pickett looked completely overwhelmed, moving into multiple sacks, not getting the ball out on time, and showing nothing that would lend you to believe that this is a quarterback that will be an above-average starter at any point in his career moving forward.

Yes, the offensive coordinator situation in Pittsburgh is not good, and the offensive line isn’t great. But, other quarterbacks have significant headwinds against them and look much worse than Kenny Pickett. He was a complete waste of a first round pick in 2022.

31. Zach Wilson, New York Jets

Stats: 72/123, 58.5% 712 yds, 4 TD 4 INT

In the bizarre Sunday Night Football game between the Jets and the Chiefs, it seemed like Zach Wilson and Patrick Mahomes had switched bodies in the middle part of the game. After the Jets fell behind 17-0 in front of 27 million viewers and Taylor Swift, Zach Wilson turned into the guy the Jets thought they were drafting when they took him 2nd overall in 2021. He was absolutely ripping throws all over the field, and looked decisive in the pocket for arguably the first time in his NFL career. His play led the Jets back to tie it at 20, and he had the team driving in the 4th quarter to take the lead.

But, it’s Zach Wilson and the Jets. The other shoe was always going to drop. And, when he dropped a shotgun snap midway through the quarter near midfield, the Jets never got the ball back.

Still, there were some positive signs for Wilson during the game. Am I betting on that carrying over into the future? No. But, it at least earned him another week as the starter.

32. Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Stats: 90/131, 68.7%, 765 yds, 2 TD, 6 INT

$82 million. That’s how much guaranteed money the New York Giants decided to give Daniel Jones following a season in which he threw for just over 3000 yards and 15 touchdowns. Daniel Jones is now one of the highest-paid players in the league, and is the league’s worst starting quarterback.

Yes, the offensive line situation is terrible in New York. Jones was sacked eleven times on Monday night against Seahawks. Make no mistake, the offensive line is responsible for some of those. But, the film shows that Daniel Jones is responsible for arguably more than the offensive line.

Whether it’s not getting the ball out on time, not seeing the proper check before the play, or poor movement in the pocket, he’s making an already bad offensive line look even worse. When he does have time, he’s simply not a good enough natural thrower of the ball to make up for all the other deficiencies. Yes, he will have a few good drive-extending scrambles a game. No, he is not a quarterback you build a franchise around. It should be tanking time for the Giants, but I don’t think owner John Mara quite understands the concept. Luckily for him, they may lose that much anyway.

5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Stats: 81/112 72.3%, 1019 yds, 5 TD, 0 INT

I am reluctant to put Brock Purdy in the top five, but he’s been too efficient to ignore any longer. Yes, it’s the easiest quarterbacking job in the league. But, he has that offense absolutely humming.

All he’s got to do is get the ball to those star-studded playmakers in San Francisco, and he’s got a great scheme led by offensive genius head coach Kyle Shanahan to do it. But, there are a lot of quarterbacks that wouldn’t be able to get the ball to those playmakers as efficiently as Purdy is.

The next step for Purdy is to expand this offense and make some more contested throws in tight windows. The Niners are my top-ranked team in the league, but there will come a time this year when Brock Purdy will have to make some advanced throws if they want to win a Super Bowl.

4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Stats: 92/143, 64.3%, 1006 yds, 8 TD 4 INT

The offense isn’t totally clicking yet in Kansas City for Patrick Mahomes and crew. While he’s still probably the league’s best quarterback, there are three guys playing better than he is so far this year.

His play did take a dip in week 4 on Sunday Night Football against the Jets. Two bad interceptions in the middle of the game helped the Jets erase a 17-0 deficit and tie the game at 20. Ultimately, Mahomes made the plays that he needed to make to win the game in the fourth quarter, but an elite Jets defense did make things tough on him.

Teams would be smart to try to take away Travis Kelce right now, as the chemistry with his young wide receivers isn’t quite there right now.

3. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

103/145, 71.0%, 1106 yds, 7 TD, 1 INT

There’s an argument to be made that no quarterback in the league is carrying their team more than Justin Herbert has so far. He’s overcoming injuries at skill positions, inconsistent play on defense, and baffling coaching decisions to keep the Los Angeles Chargers treading water.

The week 4 win against the Raiders was his worst statistical performance of the year, but he’s done nothing to knock himself out of the top 5, especially considering the things he has to overcome.

With Austin Ekeler sidelined for the time being and star wideout Mike Williams out for the season, there was definitely a lack of good weapons for Justin Herbert to throw to on Sunday. But, he’s still arguably the league’s fastest processor and his turnover avoidance is excellent. Sometimes I wish he’d unleash his prodigious arm talent a little more, but he’s playing at an MVP-candidate level early in the season.

2. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Stats: 97/136, 71.3%, 1306 yds, 9 TD 3 INT

The top two quarterbacks on the list played each other in week 4. And while our number one signal caller came out on top, Tua Tagovailoa is still playing at an incredibly high level.

Yes, the Dolphins offense was held to ‘only’ 20 points and 393 yards of offense. But, when he had time to throw, Tua still looked like the guy that was absolutely the league’s best quarterback through three weeks. His precision on crossing routes is the best in the league, and those crossing routes in stride free up all that speed on that offense for big gains.

I expect the Dolphins offense to return to form against the lowly New York Giants this week, and Tua will be a big part of that.

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Stats: 101/135 74.8%, 1048 yds, 9 TD, 4 INT

After week one’s implosion against the Jets, nobody could have predicted he could get all the way to number one in just a few weeks. But, Josh Allen has played incredible football since then, and he finds himself on top of the rankings.

His 21/25, 320 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT performance against the Dolphins earned him a perfect 158.3 passer rating, and it showed off all the ways that Josh Allen can beat you. There’s the prodigious arm strength and ability to create plays with his feet that’s as good as anyone in the league. But, the most encouraging thing for Bills fans is that since that week 1 loss, he’s played within himself and has been content with taking what the defense is giving to him.

His MVP odds have skyrocketed to the top, and that’s certainly the level he’s played at the last few weeks. As long as he avoids the turnovers and keeps the red zone efficiency up, he could indeed bring home the MVP.