The NFL is still a quarterback league in 2024, and the gap between the haves and the have nots may only be increasing if Week 1 was any indication.
Very similar to Week 1 last year, passing offenses struggled in many of the games. Teams only averaged 188.3 passing yards in Week 1, which would be the lowest for a season since 1992 (187.6), the height of an offensive lull period before free agency and the salary cap were introduced as well as some subtle rule changes.
How confident are you in your team’s quarterback situation right now? Spoiler alert: Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL, and nothing that happens this season will change that. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he will be the best quarterback based squarely on the 2024 season.
Each Wednesday at 365Scores, we are going to rank all 32 NFL quarterbacks from top to bottom. The methodology is to start with our preseason quarterback rankings from July, which was based on a mixture of career value and emphasis on recent play. Then each week, we will adjust the rankings to account for the latest game to get a sense of which quarterbacks are performing the best in the 2024 season.
The Week 2 rankings below reflect where we had these quarterbacks before the season (if they were ranked) and what happened in Week 1.
Table of Contents
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Preseason rank: 1 (0)
Patrick Mahomes was his usual efficient self against the Ravens in a 27-20 win to start the 2024 season. He threw for 291 yards and averaged 10.4 yards per pass attempt, making him the only quarterback to ever have three games against the Ravens with over 10.0 YPA.
Mahomes threw a 35-yard touchdown to his rookie speedster Xavier Worthy on a busted coverage, making it the second-longest touchdown pass by air yards for the Chiefs since 2022.
Oddly enough, one of Mahomes’ best plays in the opener was his second-career reception on a pass to himself after a deflected ball was pulled down by Mahomes between two defenders when the game was still hanging in the balance.
Mahomes improved his MVP odds that were already the highest coming into the season, but he’ll face some good competition for that award this year from the next few quarterbacks on our list.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Preseason rank: 2 (0)
Arizona probably thought it was cooking when the Cardinals led 10-0 after two long drives and a forced fumble on Josh Allen. But it’s not like it was sustainable to hold the ball for 13-of-15 minutes to begin the game.
Once the Bills started getting possessions, Allen was close to unstoppable. He led the Bills to 34 points on his last 8 drives, and his 89.9 QBR was the highest in Week 1.
Allen’s first game without Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis was a big success. He threw for 232 yards, rushed for 39 yards, and had 4 total touchdowns, including another pair on the ground.
Let’s keep in mind the Cardinals might have the league’s most “no-name defense” right now, so we’ll see how Allen handles a better opponent in Miami, especially after his hand injury late in Sunday’s game. It’s his non-throwing hand at least.
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Preseason rank: 3 (0)
I promise there will be changes to the list starting with the next pick, but we’re not going to overreact to Week 1 and start claiming Baker Mayfield and Derek Carr are the best quarterbacks in the league.
The top three is still the top three until proven otherwise. While Lamar Jackson took yet another loss to the Chiefs, I have to say it was much more encouraging than the way he played the Chiefs in past losses (especially 2019 and 2020), including his awful performance in January in the AFC Championship Game.
Derrick Henry did not look very useful, so Jackson took things into his own hands again with 41 pass attempts and 16 runs for 122 yards. He’s not going to be able to run like that all year and expect to stay healthy for the playoffs, but it felt like he realized this was a big game, and a quarterback should use his legs more in a big game. That’s what Mahomes does in the playoffs.
Jackson had his shot on the final drive, and it looked like he pulled off an 87-yard miracle to possibly win the game if the Ravens were able to make a 2-point conversion. But Isaiah Likely’s toe landed out of bounds on the final play in the end zone, handing the Ravens a tough 27-20 loss.
I would have loved to see the Ravens go for two or overtime there, but that’s the ending we got instead. Jackson will have better scoring days ahead of him, but this was one of the few times where it felt like his “one man army” approach was good enough to beat a good team.
It would also help if his linemen could line up properly and not draw five illegal formation penalties. They had one such penalty in the entire 2023 season.
4. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Preseason rank: 8 (+4)
C.J. Stroud was my MVP pick this year. I expected big things from him in Week 1, and he did not disappoint outside of taking 4 sacks. But his play in the fourth quarter was outstanding in holding off an Indianapolis offense that kept coming with Anthony Richardson.
- Leading 15-13, Stroud led a 70-yard touchdown drive to take a two-score lead.
- Leading 22-20, Stroud delivered on a 4th-and-goal on a gutsy call by the Texans as he found Stefon Diggs for their second touchdown of the day to go up two scores again.
- Leading 29-27, Stroud converted a clutch 3rd-and-11 to Nico Collins at the two-minute warning to help run out the clock to secure the win.
The only thing surprising was just how dominant the running game was with Joe Mixon carrying 30 times for 159 yards in his team debut. We’ll see if the Colts are just a lousy run defense this year, or if the Texans are going to have a strong running game to go with a deep set of talented receivers for Stroud to operate with.
5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Preseason rank: 5 (0)
If Brock Purdy is just a system quarterback, then is Christian McCaffrey a system running back? He missed Week 1 against the Jets, and all the 49ers did was stick Jordan Mason in there and watch him run for 147 yards and a touchdown against what was supposed to be a great defense.
It just gets annoying to see who gets the credit in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. But Purdy looked solid against a good pass defense, and he led the 49ers on eight straight scoring drives to end the game after a quick three-and-out drive to start it. Purdy’s 51.6% passing success rate ranked No. 4 in Week 1.
6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Preseason rank: 4 (-2)
Did we already see the Jim Harbaugh effect on the Chargers in Week 1? They were able to win a division game, 22-10, against the Raiders that was relatively drama free, and Justin Herbert didn’t have to do too much for a change.
In fact, the Chargers had 11 first downs, the fewest in any game in the Herbert era. They also had 176 rushing yards, which was more than the passing output as Herbert only threw for 144 yards.
But he’s adjusting to his new receivers and life without those old reliables like Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler. He threw a touchdown to rookie Ladd McConkey already.
Herbert will have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate his value this year. Week 1 just wasn’t one of those times they needed him.
7. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Preseason rank: 7 (0)
Maybe Jason Kelce was crucial to the Tush Push after all. In their first game without Kelce, the Eagles were stopped multiple times on their famous play, but you could at least put the last one on Jalen Hurts when he botched the snap from center.
Honestly, it was an ugly game for Hurts, who had three turnovers and was lucky it wasn’t higher. Some of his decisions just looked baffling to say the least. But even with all the mistakes, the Eagles still put up 34 points and came away with the win.
The field was also terrible, so I’m willing to give him a pass for that part of it. Will be easier to judge him in Week 2 when the Eagles host Atlanta this Monday night.
8. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Preseason rank: 10 (+2)
Dak Prescott had a far greater Sunday off the field than anyone as Dallas extended him to a 4-year deal worth $240 million, making him the first $60 million quarterback.
He didn’t play like one in Cleveland, but after a good start, he really didn’t need to do much as the defense took care of Deshaun Watson, and the special teams were fantastic with long field goals and a punt return touchdown.
Prescott gets another opportunity to show his worth this Sunday when the Cowboys host the Saints, who won 47-10 against Carolina.
9. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Preseason rank: 6 (-3)
I already rank Joe Burrow lower than most, but he has to drop further after another poor Week 1 to begin a season. This has become a bad habit for the Bengals in the Zac Taylor era, and the only reasons I’m not dropping Burrow out of the top 10 after this 16-10 dud at home against New England is because Tee Higgins was out, Burrow only had eight possessions, and Tanner Hudson cost the team with a terrible fumble near the goal line. If Hudson wasn’t going to score on that play, he at least should have set up 1st-and-goal.
With the Bengals in Kansas City in Week 2, it would be typical NFL for this team to lose as the biggest Week 1 favorite at home to New England and then go knock off the champs on the road again.
But the Bengals need to start showing up for the “small games” too on the schedule. There are no big games to play if you keep blowing enough of these.
10. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Preseason rank: 9 (-1)
What did I say in last week’s preview for the Brazil game between the Packers and Eagles?
“Let’s hope the playing surface is great as that can often be the deciding factor in how good these international games are. Obviously, this stadium is not traditionally used for American football, so hopefully they have a good surface that plays fast and safe as these teams both have the ability to score a lot.”
The field was a mess with players slipping all night. We saw Jordan Love slip several times, and he was forcing a lot of throws from bad positions. He also may have been cramping during the game.
Now, I won’t blame the field for his injury with seconds left to go. He was making a desperation play on a lateral, and he was on the bad end of a high-low hit with someone at his feet. This could have happened at Lambeau Field too.
It looked bad, but thankfully, it shouldn’t be a season-ending injury or an ACL injury. Love has an MCL sprain, and he’s actually not yet ruled out for Week 2. Maybe the Packers should be cautious and think about giving him the week off, but we’ll see what happens. All I know is Malik Willis is a terrible backup and things will not go well offensively with him starting any games.
But Love should be back, and hopefully on a better field, we’ll see he plays much better as he was spraying the ball erratically like he did early last season before his great run to finish the year, which gave me the confidence to pick Green Bay for the Super Bowl.
Already feeling some regret there after one game, but the season is not over, Packers fans.
11. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Preseason rank: 11
To show I’m not going to be deterred by win-loss outcomes of single games, here’s Matthew Stafford ahead of Jared Goff after losing another game to Goff in Detroit.
But Stafford was quite arguably the more impressive quarterback on Sunday night. The Rams had offensive line injuries and issues, and Puka Nacua missed the second half with an injury that is going to cost him at least the next month too. Stafford went to what he knows best, and that’s forcing 21 targets to Cooper Kupp.
But the two connected on a late touchdown to give the Rams a 20-17 lead before the Lions came back to force overtime where Stafford never touched the ball. He did his part late in the game this time.
12. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Preseason rank: 13 (+1)
Jared Goff had a very uneven game against the Rams, but that defense did one of the best jobs anyone has on Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was held to 13 yards on 6 targets. Instead, Goff got Jameson Williams involved, and he showed off his speed for 121 yards and a touchdown.
But after some late mistakes, Goff was able to get the team into field goal range to force the first overtime game of the 2024 season. The offense turned things over almost exclusively to the ground game as Goff only threw one short pass on the game-winning drive.
The Detroit Lions offense is still versatile, but Goff will need to be a bit sharper when they play better teams this year.
13. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Preseason rank: 14 (+1)
There were only two 300-yard passers in Week 1, and Tua Tagovailoa was the only one to do it in a win. It helps when you have Tyreek Hill getting behind the defense for an 80-yard touchdown, the longest touchdown catch of Hill’s career after the wildest day yet for him given the arrest incident in the morning.
But with no real help from the running game, Tagovailoa was able to lead the team back from 14-0 and 17-7 deficits in a 20-17 win on a late field goal.
A tougher test awaits against Buffalo this Thursday night.
14. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Preseason rank: 12 (-2)
We’ve been waiting since spring 2023 to see what Aaron Rodgers would look like for the Jets. It’s been a long wait, and Monday night didn’t exactly deliver a great sign. However, Rodgers is 1-7 in his career against the 49ers when they are a playoff team, so even when he was in his 4-time MVP mode, he usually struggled with this opponent.
We saw Rodgers can still make a team jump offsides and hit them with a free play with the best of them as he did on his only touchdown pass to Allen Lazard, his former teammate in Green Bay.
But there wasn’t much else to talk about in his debut as he passed for 167 yards and a pick before getting pulled with the score lopsided in a loss. We just need to see the Jets against a lesser team than the 49ers to get a better idea of how this might go.
I will say Rodgers looked better physically than Kirk Cousins, our other old quarterback who tore his Achilles in 2023 and is on a new team. Also, it’s not like Rodgers hasn’t had some bad Week 1 performances before and still went on to have an MVP year. Just look at his Week 1 games in Seattle (2014) and against the Saints (2021).
15. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Preseason rank: 18 (+3)
Through Week 1, Baker Mayfield leads the NFL with 4 touchdown passes and a 146.4 passer rating. I don’t know which part of this I like more. Is it the fact that Baker has been easily outperforming Deshaun Watson since the latter returned from his suspension in 2022, or is it the way Mayfield doesn’t have anyone in Tampa Bay talking about missing Tom Brady at quarterback?
But before we go all in on Mayfield, let’s remember the Commanders were the worst defense last year and still have a long way to go there. But Mayfield was great on Sunday, and he looks just as comfortable with his weapons and a new offensive coordinator as he did late last year when he led a playoff run in Tampa.
But go figure. The preseason hype in the NFC South was for the Falcons getting Kirk Cousins, the Panthers hopefully seeing the real Bryce Young in Year 2, and here we are with Baker and Derek Carr (3) leading the whole NFL in touchdown passes after Week 1.
16. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Preseason rank: 16 (0)
In our Jacksonville preview, I may have unlocked something interesting about Trevor Lawrence and just how important it is for him to get in a rhythm with shorter passes if the Jaguars are going to have success.
Including Week 1 against Miami, Lawrence is now 4-18 (.182) when his average depth of target exceeds 8.0 air yards, the worst record among 43 quarterbacks with at least 15 such games since 2018. He only threw 21 passes in Miami, but they came at an average of 9.2 air yards past the sticks.
Lawrence is also a stunning 2-20 when he doesn’t complete 60% of his passes. He was 12-of-21 (57.1%) in this game.
However, it was such a weird game for Lawrence as he was a perfect 7-for-7 for 109 yards and a touchdown when targeting his new receivers, Gabe Davis and rookie Brian Thomas Jr. Those are supposed to be his speed and deep guys who are a little harder to throw to. But his bread and butter plays underneath with Christian Kirk and Evan Engram? Lawrence was 2-of-8 for 35 yards when throwing to them Sunday.
We’ll keep an eye on this throughout the season.
17. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Preseason rank: 21 (+4)
You might say “it’s just the Panthers” for Carr, but he played them in Week 2 last year and struggled to score 20 points while throwing no touchdowns and a pick. Even when he played them at home in December, Carr threw for just 119 yards and averaged 4.58 yards per attempt.
But on Sunday, Carr was 19-of-23 for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 47-10 blowout of Carolina. He had two touchdown passes before Bryce Young even completed a pass. Even though the Saints changed offensive coordinators this year, Carr looked to be continuing the strong finish he had in 2023.
Fortunately, we get to see him in Dallas this week to face a much tougher test.
18. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Preseason rank: 24 (+6)
First, let’s congratulate Anthony Richardson for playing 100% of the snaps in a game for just the second time in his NFL career. He even took a nasty hit against Houston and was able to move past it.
But Richardson had one of the most perfect “boom or bust” games you’ll ever see from an NFL quarterback, which summarizes the kind of quarterback he is right now. Can make the spectacular play for the highlight reels, but he’ll air mail the easy throws that stall drives. He’s inexperienced, he’s raw, but he has some incredible athletic skills that were on full display in Week 1.
Richardson’s 60-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce is seriously one of the greatest throws I have ever seen in a football game.
The pass traveled 65.3 yards in the air, the third-longest completion in the NFL since 2016 according to Next Gen Stats. The craziest part is he wasn’t even set well on the play, and it’s not like he really stepped into it, and it wasn’t a desperate Hail Mary situation. Just an incredible play.
Richardson managed to complete two more passes that gained at least 50 yards, which can explain why he’s the first NFL quarterback since Brian Hoyer in 2014 to throw for over 200 yards despite completing single-digit passes. Richardson was 9-of-19 for 212 yards. He also ran 6 times for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Indy’s defense could not get a stop in the fourth quarter, so Richardson took the loss in his return game. But there was enough here that was promising to feel good about his potential in this offense. That’s why he was my biggest riser this week, climbing six spots from the preseason.
19. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Preseason rank: 19 (0)
Kyler Murray only averaged 7.7 yards per completion in Buffalo, but between his short passing and scrambling ability, he had the Cardinals going on long drives early to build a 14-point lead.
But it eventually evaporated, and down 34-28 in the final moments, Murray was unable to recreate his magical win against the Bills in 2020 (“Hail Murray”). He threw incomplete on a fourth down instead this time.
Still, it was a solid road effort as a 6.5-point underdog. We’ll need to see him get rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. more involved and on the same page together.
20. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Preseason rank: 17 (-3)
Geno Smith didn’t have eye-popping numbers as a passer with 171 yards and a touchdown against Denver. But he turned back the clock on Father Time with an excellent 34-yard touchdown run.
That was the longest run of his career as his only other 30-yard scamper came in his 2013 rookie season with the Jets. Geno also made a clutch throw on a third down to Tyler Lockett to put the game away in Seattle’s 26-20 win.
21. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Preseason rank: 15 (-6)
It should be noted that Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles on October 29, so he had a little less time to recover than Aaron Rodgers did from that injury. But this was one of the roughest games I’ve ever seen from Cousins.
It didn’t help that T.J. Watt was destroying his offensive line, but Cousins threw a couple of picks, including one in crunch time in a one-score game, and he also forced several other dangerous passes that were well short of the sticks on third down, so it wasn’t even worth it.
He looked rusty and a little confused in a new system. It also looked like Arthur Smith was calling plays for both teams. This was always my worry with Atlanta with the tough schedule to start as Cousins will have to face the Eagles and Chiefs the next two weeks, so an 0-3 start is quite possible, if not expected at this point.
Do they turn to rookie Michael Penix Jr. sooner than later? Captain Kirk might need to pull out an upset with a great performance one of these next two games.
22. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
Preseason rank: N/A (J.J. McCarthy was No. 30)
It was just the Giants, but let’s give credit to Sam Darnold for using his weapons and shredding that secondary to build a big lead early in the team’s 28-6 road win.
Darnold hit 13-of-14 passes for 151 yards at halftime. His only turnover was a pick when the team was up 28-6.
We’ll see if he can stack good performances in Kevin O’Connell’s quarterback-friendly offense.
23. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders
Preseason rank: 27 (+4)
Gardner Minshew’s passing numbers (75.8% complete, 7.8 yards per attempt) look better than you’d expect for a quarterback who led his offense to 10 points on 13 drives.
But he had a couple of turnovers, and all four of his sacks were on the Los Angeles side of the field. Those are the mistakes you worry about with him, but he has a solid trio of weapons in Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and rookie tight end Brock Bowers.
Minshew might put up decent surface numbers in this offense, but he’s going to need to finish drives for more points.
24. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Preseason rank: N/A (Russell Wilson was No. 20)
The Steelers were very careful with Justin Fields as they often used runs or short passes on 3rd-and-long. He also seemed to keep up the Matt Canada tradition of not using the middle of the field even though Arthur Smith is the new offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh.
But Fields overcame some early fumbled snaps to finish a win where he was just in the role of a game manager. It sounds like he will start in Week 2 in Denver as well with Russell Wilson still nursing his calf injury.
25. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots
Preseason rank: N/A (Drake Maye was No. 31)
While I still think Drake Maye could have started in Week 1, the Patriots probably don’t win in Cincinnati for the upset of the week with a rookie quarterback. Jacoby Brissett only threw for 121 yards, but he had 32 rushing yards, no turnovers, and he only took one sack that lost one yard.
The lack of negative plays was crucial in a 16-10 game where the Bengals could have pounced on a turnover to help their struggling offense. I’m still not convinced this is a consistent winning formula for the Patriots with Brissett, but it is what they can try doing with the lack of proven receivers around him. Feed it to Rhamondre Stevenson, who had 120 rushing yards.
26. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Preseason rank: 29 (+3)
Jayden Daniels did not have a stellar NFL debut like Robert Griffin III once did for this franchise in 2012, but he was the best of the three rookie quarterbacks who started on Sunday.
However, the bar was low, and this was very much the good, the bad, and the ugly type of day for Daniels.
The good: His passing success rate was 50%, half of his 16 runs went for first downs, and his rushing success rate was 62.5% as he joined Kenny Pickett as the only quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to rush for two touchdowns in their NFL debut. He also didn’t throw a pick or register a turnover.
The bad: Daniels was down 37-14 in the final minutes before he put together another touchdown in garbage time in Tampa. He also barely got his wide receivers involved as Terry McLaurin was held to 17 yards. Running backs Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson accounted for 101 of Daniels’ 184 passing yards.
The ugly: While he technically didn’t have a turnover, Daniels fumbled 3 times and had some reckless runs where he took helmet contact. He also lost his helmet on a run at the goal line, which negated the score before he eventually got it two plays later.
It’s a work in progress for the rookie, but he did more to move the ball and offense than what the other rookies did in Week 1. Let’s also acknowledge that Daniels only had the ball eight times, and his kicker missed two field goals.
27. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Preseason rank: 22 (-5)
We’ve reached the tier of quarterback play where it’s just all bad news in Week 1. Daniel Jones had some of his best games under coach Brian Daboll against the Vikings in 2022, but that was two seasons and a different defensive coordinator ago for Minnesota.
This time, Jones was abysmal with a 16.6 QBR as he averaged 4.4 yards per pass attempt. He also threw one of the fastest pick-sixes in the last few years when he tried to throw a quick screen.
Somehow, that performance was made even uglier by the jerseys the Giants wore.
Jones also took 5 sacks, on par with his previous problems in that department. The opponents will get much tougher than Minnesota too, so it’s looking like a long season for Jones. It could also be a short one if they just decide it’s over for good for him in New York.
28. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Preseason rank: 29 (+1)
Well, I was right in my Week 1 NFL picks about the Bears winning a close game in Caleb Williams’ debut. Just never imagined it would look like a game with Rex Grossman and the 2006 Bears.
Chicago was down 17-0, Williams was not moving the offense at all, but the Bears came back thanks to return touchdowns on a blocked punt and interception. They won 24-17 in the end with little contribution from the offense.
Williams was 14-of-29 for 93 yards, a miniscule 3.2 yards per attempt that ranked last in Week 1. He ran 5 times for 15 yards, but he had basically no highlight reel for this game unlike his preseason efforts.
But September football isn’t August football in the NFL. Hopefully we’ll see better things quickly from Williams, but Offensive Rookie of the Year is a much more open race than expected.
29. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Preseason rank: 23 (-6)
Frankly, no ranking is too low for Deshaun Watson at this point. This is the worst trade in NFL history, and the Browns have no one to blame but themselves for locking into such a ridiculous contract that makes it near impossible to get rid of him before 2026.
On Monday, a new accusation of sexual assault was raised in a lawsuit against Watson from alleged events that happened in 2020. But even this apparently is not enough to void his deal.
Watson looked physically washed against the Cowboys. He threw for 169 yards on 45 pass attempts, took 6 more sacks, and his 9.3 QBR was the lowest among all Week 1 quarterbacks.
Kevin Stefanski is a good coach, and I wish he would just bench Watson for Jameis Winston, who would absolutely play better than this. It’d be hard not to find quarterback play better than this.
Not to mention better leadership and character.
30. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Preseason rank: 25 (-5)
It should be noted that Bryce Young had a rough game in New Orleans last December in a 28-6 loss too. But how does he get even worse to start his second season than how he played in Week 2 of his rookie season against the Saints? In that one, he at least completed two-thirds of his passes for 153 yards and a touchdown in a 20-17 loss.
This time, Young was down 17-0 before he even completed a pass. I mean a pass to his teammate as he did throw an interception to the Saints. That made winning the game nearly impossible on Sunday, but Young couldn’t get much going at any point in the 47-10 loss in the debut for coach Dave Canales.
Things were supposed to be better this year, but there should be some major concerns in Carolina after that performance. Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud in the 2023 draft is starting to rival Tim Couch over Donovan McNabb in 1999 as the worst mistake a team with the No. 1 pick made in a draft where the top two picks were quarterbacks.
31. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Preseason rank: 26 (-5)
It’s one thing for Caleb Williams to struggle in his NFL debut. But Will Levis was in his second season, they upgraded the offense in Tennessee, and he has a new offensive coach in Brian Callahan.
Levis, who also struggled to throw for 100 yards, should know better. But he did about as much as any quarterback in Week 1 to throw the game away for his team in a loss.
Levis had three turnovers on Sunday, but the most egregious came halfway through the fourth quarter with the Titans clinging to a 17-16 lead. It was 3rd-and-6 at midfield, so under any sign of trouble, Levis was better off taking the sack and allowing his punt team to pin the Bears, who had done zilch offensively, back deep in their own end.
Instead, Levis forces one of the worst passes you’ll ever see, and it goes to the Bears for a touchdown that ultimately lost the game as Chicago won 24-17.
We know some of the 2023 quarterbacks are likely to be busts, but this was very discouraging to see from Levis in Week 1.
32. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Preseason rank: 32 (0)
How would coach Sean Payton fare with the first rookie quarterback in his career that he gets to mold from Day 1? Well, he might want someone to remind him that isn’t Drew Brees out there.
Bo Nix had 49 dropbacks on Sunday in Seattle, and it was a record-setting performance in all the wrong ways. Nix shattered the record for the fewest passing yards (138) in a game in NFL history with more than 25 completions. The previous record was 165 yards on 28 completions by Keith Null for the 2009 Rams.
The Broncos did something similar in Week 1 last year when Russell Wilson set the record for fewest passing yards (177) in a game with exactly 27 completions.
But Wilson didn’t make as many mistakes as Nix did, who threw 2 interceptions and had several more dropped as he mixed a very reckless approach with a very safe approach in a weird debut.
I’ll be stuck watching the next Nix game live instead of Burrow vs. Mahomes, so we’ll see how he survives the wrath of T.J. Watt next.
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