NFL

2024 NFL Quarterback Rankings Week 8: The Return of Russell Wilson and the Curious Case of Patrick Mahomes

Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar23/10/2024 - 09:27 am
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Week 7 in the NFL proved to be very eventful for the quarterbacks. Several players made their first start of the season, including a Russell Wilson win in Pittsburgh that vindicated Mike Tomlin. But we also have a new favorite for MVP, we say au revoir to the worst starting quarterback in the league, and we have some really peculiar numbers to sort out from Patrick Mahomes and the still undefeated Chiefs.

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. Injured starters will be replaced.

Note: Many statistical references will be made to data from Next Gen Stats (NGS).

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Week 7 rank: 3 (+2)

For the first time in 2024, Lamar Jackson is back on top of the MVP odds with +195 odds at FanDuel. He didn’t rank this high in 2023 when he won his second award until after Christmas. This is what happens when you throw five touchdown passes on Monday night to continue a 5-game winning streak for the red-hot Ravens.

Jackson also improved his QBR up to 74.3, which ranks No. 2 behind only Josh Allen (77.6) this season. He’s on a heater now, but it’s far too early for people to talk like a third MVP is in the books. A lot of time left, and there will be tougher defenses to come as the Ravens have played a lot of the bottom of the barrel during this run.

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Week 7 rank: 4 (+2)

The Bills made that big trade for Amari Cooper last week, and by Sunday he was already catching a touchdown, even if it took rookie Keon Coleman to tell him what route to run before the snap. But the Bills got off to a slow start against Tennessee, falling behind 10-0 and going three-and-out three times, before they got it going.

Allen found Cooper for that touchdown, Coleman produced over 100 yards in the biggest game yet for the rookie, and in the end, it was a 34-10 win for the Bills. However, we’re going to need to see them click against a better team as their season has a sharp contrast in the caliber of opponents for their wins and losses.

Allen didn’t show up basically for the Baltimore game, then completed 9-of-30 passes in Houston in a loss. The Bills are in Seattle this week, so that could be a bigger challenge this Sunday afternoon.

3. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Week 7 rank: 1 (-2)

It’s a shame Jayden Daniels left in the first quarter with a rib injury, because he would have destroyed this Carolina defense with a stellar stat line. Instead, it was Marcus Mariota who did that in a 40-7 blowout. Daniels still had a 46-yard run before he left the game.

The Commanders are hopeful the injury is less serious than they feared, so let’s hope he is in action next week as the team is hosting the Bears in a battle of the top rookie quarterbacks.

4. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Week 7 rank: 8 (+4)

Jared Goff is in a zone unlike we’ve ever seen in his career. He’s averaged over 11.0 yards per attempt in three straight games, something you only see from historic offenses. He completed his first 15 passes in this game, so the completion percentage continues to be outstanding.

Goff also hung in there and dissected the blitz of the Vikings, the defense that has been confusing every quarterback. While Goff took 4 sacks, he did more damage to that defense than he did to his team in this one. It also wasn’t Goff’s fault that David Montgomery coughed up a fumble for a touchdown to give up the lead in the fourth quarter. But he found a way to get it back, leaning on Jahmyr Gibbs for the game-winning drive.

Goff belongs in the MVP discussion as he leads this potent offense in the toughest division in the NFL this season. I didn’t think much of his season when this offense started slowly against the Rams and Buccaneers, but he is on a heater now.

5. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Week 7 rank: 5 (0)

Patrick Mahomes improved to 5-0 against the 49ers in his career, but Sunday was certainly the least impactful performance by Mahomes in those wins. Mahomes finished with 154 passing yards after losing another wide receiver (JuJu Smith-Schuster) to a nagging hamstring injury that was predictable given his pre-game status.

But it was a 33-yard run by Mahomes when the game was tight at 14-12 that caught the most attention this week. He shook a defender near the sideline for a huge gain that set up his first touchdown run since the 2022 season on 4th-and-goal from the 1.

The Chiefs remain the NFL’s last unbeaten team, but their season is creating a very interesting case study for how people interpret quarterback statistics and the impact on winning. Mahomes is 6-0 despite throwing 6 touchdowns to 8 interceptions, which doesn’t make much sense at face value. In fact, it is historic company as a rarity in recent NFL decades:

That particular Peyton Manning start at the end of his career wasn’t good, but what Mahomes is doing reminds me more of Manning in the 2006 Super Bowl run. The Colts finished 4-0 despite him throwing 3 touchdowns to 7 interceptions.

But the context people always leave out is that most of the interceptions came early in games, most on third-and-long, and they just didn’t do much to hurt the Colts’ chances of winning those games. Not all interceptions are created equal. He also still moved the ball well and led the team to enough points (24.5 offensive points per game) to win, something most quarterbacks with a bad TD:INT ratio simply don’t do. It also is worth pointing out that postseason is the only time a team ever defeated the top three defenses, so he was facing stiff competition.

Manning’s passing success rate in the 2006 postseason was 49.7%, which was easily the highest that postseason. Only three quarterbacks, including Manning, surpassed that mark in that 2006 regular season.

With Mahomes this year, we see similar results:

  • His passing success rate (50.5%) is the sixth highest in 2024.
  • Kansas City’s offense has scored at least 17 points in every game and at least 20 points in 5-of-6 games.
  • Kansas City’s offense ranks No. 7 in yards per drive and No. 8 in points per drive as it has had one of the lowest possession totals in the league this year.
  • The Chiefs just scored 28 points on 10 drives in San Francisco, a very efficient game despite the turnovers and the failed fake punt.
  • Mahomes is currently No. 9 in QBR (61.2) for the season.
  • The Chiefs are 6-0 against a schedule that’s had five teams who entered 2024 with a preseason win total of at least 9.0 wins, including three division favorites (Ravens, 49ers, Falcons).

Now try comparing this to someone like Will Levis of the Titans, who has thrown 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions this year. But Levis ranks 30th in QBR (27.5), 28th in passing success rate (37.9%), and he’s never led the Titans to more than 17 points on offense in any game he’s finished this year. Comparing these quarterbacks on the basis of TD:INT ratio is preposterous given all the other metrics.

We have passing success rate data going back to 1994 from Pro Football Reference. There have been just 67 seasons since 1994 where a quarterback played in his team’s first six games, threw at least 100 passes, had an interception rate of 4.0% or higher, and a touchdown rate of 4.0% or lower. Of those 67 seasons, only Mahomes (2024 Chiefs), Jay Cutler (2007 Broncos), and Philip Rivers (2011 Chargers) had a success rate over 50%. Only Mahomes led his team to at least 17 points in each game, and obviously only Mahomes had a 6-0 record to show for this kind of start.

All the Mahomes numbers look solid except for his touchdown passes and interceptions, which together make up a small percentage of any quarterback’s overall plays in a season. You also can end up with lucky touchdowns and unlucky interceptions, and that ratio is way out of whack for Mahomes as he’s not throwing the short ones in the red zone this year, and his last three picks have included two deflections and Xavier Worthy falling on his route in San Francisco.

For someone with one of the highest touchdown rates and lowest interception rates in modern NFL history, you can bet on this to continue for Mahomes, or you can trust that he’ll turn these numbers around, which would make this team even more lethal to deal with as they roll on with 12 straight wins.

At the end of the day, it’s about doing what it takes to win the game. Mahomes isn’t winning 13-10 games where the defense has to do everything to provide the win like he’s Rex Grossman or something. I didn’t even mention the best receivers he has left are a 35-year-old tight end and a 21-year-old rookie with a limited route tree. They’ve also kicked the tires on Kareem Hunt to take over for Isiah Pacheco in the backfield. This is pretty solid work given the circumstances, and the Chiefs still have their easiest games ahead of them.

Mahomes has set such a high standard for himself that it’s not unreasonable to question him when he’s clearly not living up to it. But at the same time, comparing him to the likes of Levis and Deshaun Watson because of one silly stat that ignores over 94% of his plays this season is not the way to go either.

Make Mahomes the underdog at your own peril. With the win in San Francisco, he’s now 11-3 SU as an underdog in his NFL career.

6. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Week 7 rank: 6 (0)

Plenty of interest in how Sam Darnold would fare after the bye, after his worst game against the Jets, and in a big game against Detroit’s scoring juggernaut. While the Vikings are no longer undefeated, Darnold was not the one who lost the game for them. He completed 22-of-27 passes for 259 yards, only had one turnover, and the team was leading late thanks to the defense scoring on a fumble return.

But Darnold took four sacks, and the Vikings went into a funk after taking an early 10-0 lead, then struggled to finish drives in the end zone in the fourth quarter. But the 31-29 loss was not discouraging for this team’s ability to win big with Darnold at quarterback.

7. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Week 7 rank: 2 (-5)

Remind me to bet big on Detroit when the Lions play Houston, because the NFC North has made life tough on C.J. Stroud’s team this year. The Vikings already destroyed them 34-7, and this game was another loss, albeit close, where the offense really struggled to score. If it wasn’t for a dominant running game and short fields, who knows what that score looks like.

Stroud passed for a career-low 86 yards and he also lost 31 yards on four sacks. He didn’t turn it over, but he really struggled to sustain offense without Nico Collins available at receiver.

Stroud still had the team ahead late, but it wasn’t enough to run out the clock and secure the win. They’ll have to get better play than this until Collins returns.

8. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Week 7 rank: 12 (+4)

Jordan Love is a shameless gunslinger, and I’m here for it all. Just look at this touchdown throw that was inches away from another interception against Houston:

Not many quarterbacks are willing to play like this anymore, but Love does not care. That’s why he’s thrown multiple touchdowns in 15 of his last 16 games. He had three scores in this one to balance out his two picks in a back-and-forth game with Houston’s great pass rush.

But something important to see was how Love responded at the end of the game when he just needed a field goal to win. He was in that spot a few times last year and usually didn’t deliver, including the game-ending interception in the playoffs against the 49ers. This time, he calmly set up his new kicker for the walk-off win, a nice 24-22 win over another contender.

The Packers are playing like a Super Bowl contender with a quarterback who is starting to get on a roll again after a slow start to 2024.

9. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

(Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Week 7 rank: 7 (-2)

A couple of weeks ago all the talk with Cincinnati was an elite offense held back by a terrible defense. Well, when you play two terrible quarterbacks and offenses in the Giants and Browns, your defense has some opportunities to step up. The Bengals have done that, but it’s still a shock to see the offense produce so little in terms of points with Joe Burrow. If not for that 100-yard kickoff return touchdown to start this game, who knows what the score ends up being.

The Bengals are going to need to be sharper than this against the Eagles, who just sacked Daniel Jones 7 times, and we know about Burrow’s issues with the pass rush at times.

10. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 7 rank: N/A (Justin Fields was No. 23)

Mike Tomlin took a lot of overblown criticism for benching Justin Fields for Russell Wilson. But the fact is Wilson was going to have the job in Week 1 before his calf injury, and Tomlin needed to see what he has in the quarterback who was well on pace to be in the Hall of Fame one day.

Well, it was a rough start, but Wilson eventually threw for 264 yards and a few touchdown passes in a huge 37-15 win that makes Tomlin look like a genius with two options at quarterback now.

Wilson has better touch on his throws than Fields, and he’s more likely to give his talent opportunities down the field to make plays for him, which they did. He also finished the game with just 1 sack taken and no picks thrown, a stat combo that Fields has never achieved in any start in his NFL career.

It was also the first time in 100 games that the Steelers produced more than 30 points and 400 yards in a win. You have to go back to 2018, almost six whole years ago, to find that game. The Steelers should feel very good about how Wilson performed in his first game since last December with Denver.

11. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Week 7 rank: 9 (-2)

Brock Purdy had a really tough game on Sunday with three interceptions, looking nothing like the quarterback who actually had some poise in the Super Bowl against that Kansas City defense. But he also had a full offense around him that night.

On Sunday, Purdy was operating without Christian McCaffrey again, and he didn’t have his top three wide receivers at one point as Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL, Deebo Samuel left with a pneumonia-like illness, and Jauan Jennings was already inactive. That’s pretty rough.

Of course, it’s hard to feel sympathy when the Chiefs are on the other end and were also without their starting running back and top three wide receivers in this game. They managed as Mahomes did some of his best damage with his legs. Purdy has been doing that a bit lately, but it was a boneheaded interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter of a 21-12 game that really sunk the hope for the 49ers of finally getting a win over the Chiefs.

The job is only going to get tougher for Purdy without Aiyuk going forward. At least he gets the Dallas defense this Sunday night.

12. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 7 rank: 10 (-2)

Baker Mayfield threw for a season-high 370 yards against the Ravens, but a lot of that was in what sure felt like garbage time with the Ravens playing soft with a huge lead. Mayfield also threw some really ugly picks, and he has five of those over the last two games as he’s gotten very reckless. He also threw some hospital balls in this game, and Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (dislocated ankle) left the game with injuries that will keep them out for a long time, if not the season in Godwin’s case.

That’s going to really put a strain on this offense, and the timing couldn’t be worse with the Falcons and Chiefs coming up. Suddenly, Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes look fragile. Mayfield needs to play smarter than he has despite leading the league with 18 touchdown passes. That number won’t last much longer without Evans and Godwin available.

13. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

Week 7 rank: 16 (+3)

Geno Smith shredded the Falcons with nearly 200 yards in the first half, then turned things over to the running game and defense the rest of the way. The result was a dominant 34-14 win that was as complete as any game the Seahawks have played this year. A nice response after he struggled on his birthday against the 49ers.

14. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Week 7 rank: 14 (0)

It took six games in the Jim Harbaugh era for the Chargers to blow a fourth-quarter lead, but this was another low-scoring game for the team. Figures, leave it to Justin Herbert to throw for 349 yards with no turnovers in a game where his offense doesn’t find the end zone and settled for five field goals.

But this game showed the limitations of this revamped receiving corps that got rid of most of the talent. It’s not fair to Herbert when he’s leaning on Jalen Reagor and Will Dissly as his top targets. Reagor had a lot to do with the Chargers not scoring a touchdown as he fumbled a big pass through the end zone for a touchback.

Herbert did what he could late, but the Chargers lost on a last-second field goal, a familiar scene for this team.

15. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Week 7 rank: 18 (+3)

Kyler Murray struggled to throw against a top-ranked defense on Monday night, but his legs are still something to behold. He ripped off a 44-yard touchdown run to put the Cardinals ahead in the fourth quarter, then he led a game-winning drive for a field goal late.

His legs are definitely saving this offense right now, which still has been held under 18 points in 4-of-5 games. But the Cardinals are currently 3-4, and that’s good enough for second place in the NFC West, ahead of the 49ers too.

16. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Week 7 rank: 15 (-1)

Jalen Hurts had it on autopilot against the Giants as it was the Saquon Barkley show with a monster game against his old team (176 rushing yards). Hurts only had to throw for 114 yards with 41 coming on one touchdown throw to A.J. Brown on a great fourth-down pass as the Eagles smoked the Giants 28-3.

Tougher tests are coming for this passing game.

17. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

Week 7 rank: 11 (-6)

The Seahawks were not as banged up defensively in Week 7 as they had been in previous weeks when Jared Goff and Brock Purdy absolutely shredded them. However, I was surprised that Kirk Cousins struggled as much as he did with multiple turnovers, including a return touchdown in the fourth quarter that blew the game open in a bad loss.

At the very least, Cousins can bounce back with a game against Tampa Bay this week, the defense that he torched for 509 yards earlier this month.

18. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Week 7 rank: 17 (-1)

The Cowboys had their bye week, and it came at a pretty good time as that team needs some major refocusing on this dreadful start. Dak Prescott did not lead a touchdown drive in his last game against Detroit, and now he gets a San Francisco defense that picked him off three times last year and is desperate for a win at 3-4.

Tough spot for Dak coming up. Many such cases this year for Dallas.

19. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Week 7 rank: 19 (0)

The Bears had their bye week in preparation for the rookie showdown between Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams next week. At least, let’s hope it’s a rookie showdown as Daniels has that rib injury to return from.

Williams is going to have some advantages there with the bye week and the flaws in that Washington secondary that Carolina couldn’t take advantage of last week. We’ll see if the No. 1 pick can keep up his improved play in a suddenly big game that few imagined would be this important this season.

20. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Week 7 rank: 20 (0)

There are some trade rumors swirling around Cooper Kupp right now, but it’s not like Stafford has had him since Week 2. He just threw for a season-low 154 yards against the Raiders, but it was enough to manage a low-scoring win.

But I would have some real concerns about how Stafford will fare against the Vikings on a short week without good receivers available. That could be an ugly game and he might be dropping a few spots in these rankings next week.

21. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 7 rank: 24 (+3)

Not many people were going to get up to watch Trevor Lawrence take on the Patriots in London, but good on him to come back from a slow start and pile up some points in another victory. His numbers are coming around on the season, and rookie Brian Thomas Jr. looks like a legitimate No. 1 receiver. Tank Bigsby also might be a new weapon worth exploring at running back for this offense.

22. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

Week 7 rank: 21 (-1)

Firing the coach? Didn’t work. Changing play callers? Didn’t work. Trading for Davante Adams? Didn’t work. What’s next for Aaron Rodgers’ Jets to end this losing streak? Does he lure Jordy Nelson out of retirement? Ask for David Bakhtiari at left tackle?

Rodgers had a difficult game in Pittsburgh, because it didn’t start that bad, he had a 15-6 lead, but then Garrett Wilson sold him out with a horrible drop that turned into an interception. The Steelers went off from there and the Jets lost 37-15 with Rodgers unable to score a point in the second half.

The Jets are 2-5 and running out of chances to turn this around. Rodgers is going to keep getting the majority of the blame, but that’s what happens when you are the “missing piece” they traded for to end this playoff drought.

23. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

Week 7 rank: 27 (+4)

The Patriots may not be winning games, but that’s not Drake Maye’s fault. The defense is horrible for rookie coach Jerod Mayo, and even Bill Belichick has already called him out from his cozy new media jobs.

But Maye has done some solid things in two starts for this offense that lacks receiving talent and of course not a good line in front of him. He threw for 276 yards and another pair of touchdowns in London, but the Jaguars came back from an early 10-0 hole to blow out New England.

Still, Maye’s sack rate is 9.30%, which isn’t horrific, and it’s even better when you ignore the game against the Jets where he came off the bench. Maye’s pressure rate is 40.6% according to NGS, which is better than Jacoby Brissett’s rate (50.0%).

24. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers

Week 7 rank: 22 (-2)

Let’s address the serious news first in that Andy Dalton was in a minor car accident with his family present in the car on Tuesday. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, and everybody should be fine going forward.

With that said, Dalton did not play well in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Commanders, and the pick-six he threw to start the game was the funniest play of the day:

Not laughing if you’re a Carolina fan, however. This has been a brutal season and, in many ways, worse than last year when the team was 2-15. I’m not sure how much longer the Dalton experiment needs to last here, but thankfully it sounds like he should be okay to keep playing after a scare on Tuesday.

25. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Week 7 rank: 26 (+1)

We know Bo Nix can run after another 75 yards on the ground against the Saints, but his accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. Nix blew people away when he managed to throw an incomplete pass in between two wide open receivers.

Is he the new Tim Tebow in Denver? Nix did not target No. 1 wideout Courtland Sutton in New Orleans, but the team still had a blowout win because of the defense and running game. The Broncos have their formula with Nix, but he’ll need to start throwing better too.

26. Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Week 7 rank: 25 (-1)

You know why Bo Nix is a spot higher than Daniel Jones? At least he is willing to run these days. Jones is going on two years since he led a touchdown drive at home, and he took 7 sacks against the Eagles while only rushing for 20 yards. If he can’t get out of the way of the pass rush, maybe he should try taking off and running.

It’s not like his passing is producing many points. He threw for 99 yards on 14-of-21 passing in the 28-3 blowout loss. Good luck to him in Pittsburgh against T.J. Watt this week.

27. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

Week 7 rank: N/A (Joe Flacco was No. 13)

The Colts got the win with Anthony Richardson technically getting his first game-winning drive in the NFL. However, it was a rough accuracy performance from him, and it felt like another game where the Colts would have been better off with Joe Flacco.

At this rate, that’s probably going to be every game until Richardson can prove he’s improved his accuracy on short throws. He can throw it deep, but he isn’t that good at moving the chains right now.

28. Tyler Huntley, Miami Dolphins

Week 7 rank: 29 (+1)

Well, it sounds like Tua Tagovailoa is ready to return from a concussion, and that’s good news for Miami after blowing a 10-0 lead in Indianapolis to fall to 2-4. Tyler Huntley was knocked out with an injury, and Tim Boyle is not the quarterback you want to lean on here.

We’ll see if Tagovailoa can salvage this season for the team as the AFC is not deep or playing great as a conference so far. But Tagovailoa also wasn’t playing well even before his latest concussion, so he has a lot to prove too.

The Dolphins are sitting on 70 points through six games after they scored 70 points against Denver in one game last season.

29. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

Week 7 rank: 28 (-1)

It’s not like Spencer Rattler had an easy job against Denver last week. A tough defense, a short week, and he was down his top two wide receivers. But it was still rougher than expected, and the team was down 33-3 at one point. He was benched with an injury late in the game, which led to the Saints’ only touchdown drive.

But it sounds like Derek Carr will be back for Week 9. That still means another week of Rattler.

30. Mason Rudolph, Tennessee Titans

Week 7 rank: N/A (Will Levis was No. 31)

Mason Rudolph got his first start for the Titans after Will Levis was shut down with an AC joint injury. Things started well with a 10-0 lead in Buffalo, but similar to the playoff loss Rudolph had there with the Steelers, he couldn’t get anything going the rest of the game and the Titans lost 34-10.

But Rudolph didn’t provide the meme fodder that Levis does, which is a good thing in a way. He threw for 215 yards and got his wide receivers more involved. He’d probably be the better option going forward over Levis, but we’ll see what the Titans do.

31. Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders

Week 7 rank: 30 (-1)

It was hard to judge Aidan O’Connell in Week 7 as he left the game early with an injury. Gardner Minshew replaced him, struggled to finish drives for touchdowns, and ended up throwing a game-ending interception, cementing his status as the 2020s’ version of Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Funny enough, O’Connell is the last quarterback to beat the Chiefs, and it was the game last Christmas where he didn’t complete a pass after the first quarter. But it will be Minshew this Sunday against Kansas City as O’Connell is on injured reserve for at least the next four games with a thumb injury.

32. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

Week 7 rank: 32 (0)

For the last time this season, we’ll have Deshaun Watson ranked as the worst quarterback in the NFL after he tore his Achilles on Sunday, ending his season. For Cleveland fans, it’s actually a relief in a way as his play was killing the offense and he needed to be benched. It could even provide some relief in cutting ties with the quarterback down the road, or at least setting the scene for not going into Week 1 of the 2025 season with him as the starter.

It was a weird day given the news that Jameis Winston was demoted to third string, prompting Dorian Thompson-Robinson to replace Watson in the second quarter. DTR was awful too, but Jameis made his appearance in the fourth quarter and will reportedly get the start in Week 8.

Watson finishes the season with a 23.5 QBR, the fourth lowest season out of 582 seasons since 2006. He won’t officially stay there since he won’t have enough plays to qualify by season’s end, but that’s a good example of just how far down he is on the list.

Without Watson, expect fewer sacks and more big plays from Winston. Probably more interceptions too, but that’s the price you pay sometimes for taking shots down the field. At least Cleveland fans aren’t stuck with Watson anymore this season.

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Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar23/10/2024 - 09:27 am