Week 1 of the NFL is in the books and it had all the twists and turns we’ve come to expect each year. The Bucs traveled to Minnesota and pulled off an upset victory. The Rams butted their way back into the conversation of top teams in the conference. Along the way, some QBs proved they needed to be significantly higher on this list (Brock Purdy). Others slid several spots (Daniel Jones). Here’s where all the quarterbacks in the NFC rank after one week of play.
NO. 16: JOSH DOBBS - CARDINALS
Last week: 16
Passing yards: 132
Passing TDs: 0
COMP%: 70
Rushing yards: -3
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 2
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As expected, not a great debut for the Cardinals quarterback.
NO. 15: DESMOND RIDDER
Last week: 15
Passing yards: 115
Passing TDs: 1
COMP%: 83.3
Rushing yards: -1
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 0
Ridder did what was required to beat the rebuilding Panthers, which was to complete his few pass attempts at a high rate and not turn the ball over. At some point the Falcons will need Ridder to get the ball to Drake London and Kyle Pitts, though. Jury’s still out on if he can make that happen.
NFL
NO. 14: BRYCE YOUNG
Last week: 13
Passing yards: 146
Passing TDs: 1
COMP%: 52.6
Rushing yards: 17
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 2
Young had a pretty typical welcome to the NFL, in the sense that he struggled at times and made some rookie mistakes. He also had a few moments– like a savvy 16-yard scramble– that showed why the Panthers made him the No. 1 pick in the draft.
NO. 13: SAM HOWELL
Last week: 14
Passing yards: 202
Passing TDs: 1
COMP%: 61.3
Rushing yards: 11
Rushing TDs: 1
Turnovers: 2
Howell didn’t exactly bring the house down in the Commanders’ debut, but he scored a big rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter to put his team ahead and did just enough to secure the win over the lowly Cardinals.
NO. 12: GENO SMITH
Last week: 9
Passing yards: 112
Passing TDs: 1
COMP%: 61.5
Rushing yards: 6
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 0
Genopalooza from the first half last season seems to have faded away. Uninspiring performance at home against a division opponent to start the season.
NO. 11: DANIEL JONES
Last week: 7
Passing yards: 104
Passing TDs: 0
COMP%: 53.6
Rushing yards: 43
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 2
Bears fans who are incredibly bummed out about the Week 1 dud against the Packers should be thankful they’re at least not Giants fans.
NO. 10: BAKER MAYFIELD
Last week: 11
Passing yards: 173
Passing TDs: 2
COMP%: 61.8
Rushing yards: 11
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 0
Everyone in the NFL wrote off both the Bucs and Mayfield this season, but the Bucs shocked the league by heading to Minnesota and pulling off an upset victory. Mayfield did exactly what the team needed him to do, especially at the end of the game when he made a few key throws to salt away the final four minutes of game clock.
NO. 9: JORDAN LOVE
Last week: 12
Passing yards: 245
Passing TDs: 3
COMP%: 55.6
Rushing yards: 12
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 0
Love wasn’t particularly special on Sunday, but the Packers made his job easy and he did the job well. There were a few ugly overthrows, but overall it was a really solid game for his second career start.
NO. 8: JUSTIN FIELDS
Last week: 5
Passing yards: 216
Passing TDs: 1
COMP%: 64.9
Rushing yards: 59
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 2
If the Packers collectively made things easy for Love, the Bears collectively made things tough for Fields. The playcalling was suspect. The protection was bad. But Fields made a few mistakes of his own, like the poor decision he made on his pick-six. He and the other 10 guys on offense will all need to be better moving forward.
NO. 7: DEREK CARR
Last week: 8
Passing yards: 305
Passing TDs: 1
COMP%: 69.7
Rushing yards: 4
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 1
Derek Carr had a quintessential Derek Carr game. Very efficient. Lots of yards. But only one score and one turnover. The 16 points were enough to beat the Titans, but probably won’t be enough to beat many other teams.
NO. 6: BROCK PURDY
Last week: 10
Passing yards: 220
Passing TDs: 2
COMP%: 65.5
Rushing yards: 20
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 1
Last year wasn’t a fluke. Purdy is legit, and if he keeps playing like he did on Sunday he’ll keep climbing this list.
NO. 5: JARED GOFF
Last week: 6
Passing yards: 253
Passing TDs: 1
COMP%: 62.9
Rushing yards: -1
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 0
Goff picked up right where he left off last season, and put together a statement performance in the Lions’ win over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. He’s a big reason why the Lions have people excited about their chances in the NFC North.
NO. 4: KIRK COUSINS
Last week: 3
Passing yards: 344
Passing TDs: 2
COMP%: 75
Rushing yards: 7
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 3
Cousins managed the tough task of completing 75% of his throws while throwing the ball over 40 times. His 344 yards were second-most in the NFL, too. But the three turnovers played a big role in the Vikings’ loss. Can’t have it.
NO. 3: DAK PRESCOTT
Last week: 4
Passing yards: 143
Passing TDs: 0
COMP%: 54.2
Rushing yards: 6
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 0
No team made a bigger Week 1 statement that they should be considered serious Super Bowl contenders than the Cowboys. However, Prescott had little to do with it. Instead, the Boys leaned on their run game and their defense. He still moves up a spot because he didn’t turn the ball over like Cousins did.
NO. 2: MATT STAFFORD
Last week: 2
Passing yards: 334
Passing TDs: 0
COMP%: 63.2
Rushing yards: 11
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 0
Don’t let the zero touchdowns fool you. He’s back.
NO. 1: JALEN HURTS
Last week: 1
Passing yards: 170
Passing TDs: 1
COMP%: 66.7
Rushing yards: 37
Rushing TDs: 0
Turnovers: 1
Neither the rain nor Bill Belichick and his infamous defensive gameplans could stop Hurts in Week 1. His TD pass to Devonta Smith was a brilliant throw along the boundary of the endzone. He’s the man to beat in the NFC.