Week 18 is in the books and the playoff picture is now set. Let’s take a gander around the league and power rank every team’s starting quarterback.
32. New England Patriots Bailey Zappe (Last Week #29)
Week 18 was another stinker for Bailey Zappe. The up-and-down Patriots quarterback had nothing for the Jets defense in the snow week. Zappe finished the game having completed just 12 of 30 passes for 88 yards and two interceptions with no TDs.
31. Carolina Panthers Bryce Young (Last Week #31)
Week 18 marked yet another unimpressive showing from the Panthers rookie quarterback, Bryce Young. The former University of Alabama star completed just 11 of 18 passes for 94 yards with no touchdowns.
This one was probably particularly painful for Panthers fans to watch after seeing C.J. Stroud, who they passed on, go off again and lead his team to a division title in his rookie season.
30. Cleveland Browns Jeff Driskel (Last Week N/A)
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So, safe to say that Jeff Driskel didn’t do himself any favors career-wise with the way that he played while Joe Flacco was on load management this week. The former UF star looked like the NFL moved at a speed too fast for him.
29. Washington Commanders Sam Howell (Last Week #26)
Sam Howell had another tough week, as he struggled to protect the football against the Dallas Cowboys. He completed 19 of 27 passes, but only for 153 yards—and surrendered two picks in the process, while only delivering one TD.
28. New York Jets Trevor Siemian (Last Week #25)
Trevor Siemian was as close to being a nonfactor in this game as a quarterback can. The Jets signal-caller completed just eight of 20 passes for 70 yards and no touchdowns with no interceptions.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars Trevor Lawrence (Last Week N/A)
Tough scene for Trevor Lawrence in the Music City this weekend, as the former Clemson star came up short with a playoff berth on the line. He had a couple of critical misses down the stretch of this game that cost the Jags the game and ultimately a playoff berth.
26. Kansas City Chiefs Blaine Gabbert (Last Week N/A)
No one in mistaking Blaine Gabbert for Patrick Mahomes any time soon. The journeyman backup struggled with Mahomes on the bench, completing just 15 of 30 passes for 154 yards,with no touchdowns, and an interception.
25. Los Angeles Chargers Easton Stick (Last Week #27)
Week 18 was one of Easton Stick’s best starts. He completed 28 of 47 passes for 258 yards and added an impressive 77 rushing yards on 13 carries, demonstrating some athleticism.
24. Denver Broncos Jarrett Stidham (Last Week #21)
Jarrett Stidham showed some signs this week, completing 20 of 34 for 272 yards and a touchdown, but he did hold on to the football too long, taking five sacks and put the ball in harm’s way on more than one occasion.
23. Indianapolis Colts Gardner Minshew (Last Week #18)
Gardner Minshew unfortunately came up short this week for the Colts with a postseason bid on the line. The journeyman QB completed just 13 of 24 passes for 141 yards and no scores. It was particularly disappointing considering how effective the run game was.
22. Baltimore Ravens Tyler Huntley (Last Week N/A)
With Lamar Jackson having likely locked in the MVP award for this season and helping the Ravens clinch the one-seed, he got some well-deserved rest this week. Tyler Huntley managed the game well, but his performance was ultimately mediocre. He finished having completed 15 of 28 attempts for 146 yards and one touchdown through the air and an additional 40 yards on the ground.
21. Atlanta Falcons Desmond Ridder (Last Week N/A)
The Falcons offense might’ve looked disjointed this week, but Desmond Ridder actually had one of his better games… At least statistically speaking.
Atlanta’s embattled, young QB completed 22 of 30 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception.
20. Tennessee Titans Ryan Tannehill (Last Week #30)
Credit to Ryan Tannehill for piecing together a quality start Week 18 to play spoiler against the Jags. The veteran quarterback completed 17 of 26 passes for 168 yards and two scores to only one interception.
Tannehill, also to his credit, made a couple of critical throws in the fourth quarter to help put this game to bed.
19. New York Giants Tyrod Taylor (Last Week #23)
Week 18 was an impressive statement from Tyrod Taylor. The long-time backup shredded the Eagles D for just under 300 yards and a touchdown.
The dual-threat QB also managed to chip in eight carries for 38 yards on the ground.
18. Minnesota Vikings Nick Mullens (Last Week #32)
After the puzzling Jaren Hall cameo last week, Nick Mullens played some good ball for Minnesota on Sunday. The journeyman quarterback slung the ball all over the field (as he’s one to do) and went for nearly 400 yards of through the air, as well as two touchdowns.
The interceptions, however, do remain a concern, as he did surrender two.
17. Los Angeles Carson Wentz (Last Week N/A)
Carson Wentz did just enough right for the Rams this week to help them secure the win on the road against San Francisco. The journeyman completed 17 of 24 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns with only one interception.
16. Las Vegas Raiders Aidan O’Connell (Last Week #22)
Week 18 was definitely one of Aidan O’Connell’s better starts as a pro. The Raiders QB1 finished the afternoon having completed 20 of 31 passes for 244 yards and two score with no interceptions.
15. San Francisco 49ers Sam Darnold (Last Week N/A)
Sam Darnold looked decent in his first start as a 49er. The former Jet managed to complete 16 for 26 for 189 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions, something that always seemed to plague him during his days as a starter.
14. Chicago Bears Justin Fields (Last Week #9)
Week 18 was a tough one for Justin Fields. The Bears dual-threat quarterback went for only 148 yards through the air on 16 attempts and was uncharacteristically quiet on the ground turning his eight carries into 27 yards.
13. Seattle Seahawks Geno Smith (Last Week #20)
Geno Smith played well this week, completing 16 of 28 attempts for 189 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
12. Cincinnati Bengals Jake Browning (Last Week #19)
Jake Browning continues to prove himself as an extremely competent NFL-caliber quarterback. Joe Burrow’s understudy had no issue carving up an admittedly depleted Browns defense on Sunday.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Baker Mayfield (Last Week #14)
Baker Mayfield was relatively quiet this week, as the Bucs leaned heavily on the run game to knock off the lowly Panthers. Tampa Bay’s QB1 finished the outing having completed 20 of 32 passes for 137 yards with no touchdowns, but also no interceptions.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers Mason Rudolph (Last Week #15)
Mason Rudolph delivered again this week. The Steelers third-stringer had an efficient showing, completing 18 of 20 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown, helping Pittsburgh to its 10 win of the season.
9. Miami Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa (Last Week #16)
It wasn’t exactly the MVP-caliber showing we’ve seen from Tua in stretches this year, but the Dolphins quarterback played a quality game on Sunday Night with the AFC East crown on the line against Buffalo.
8. Arizona Cardinals Kyler Murray (Last Week #12)
Kyler Murray balled out this week, perhaps heartened by the announcement that Arizona has officially decided to move forward with him as the starter going forward.
Murray finished Week 18 with 262 yards and one touchdown on 22/30 passing—and tacked on an additional 55 yards on the ground.
7. Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Hurts (Last Week #3)
Tough afternoon for Jalen Hurts… Not only were his Eagles massively outplayed, he also was forced out of the game with an injury to his throwing hand after completing just seven passe for 55 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.
6. Detroit Lions Jared Goff (Last Week #17)
After struggling against Dallas in Week 17, Jared Goff bounced back nicely on Sunday against the Vikings. The former Pro Bowler completed 23 of 32 passes for 320 yards and two scores with no interceptions.
5. Buffalo Bills Josh Allen (Last Week #8)
Sunday Night was the typical Josh Allen experience. A couple of Superman-esque throws, but a few maddening errors as well. It seems that the Bills are forever going to have to take the good with the bad when it comes to their star quarterback.
4. New Orleans Saints Derek Carr (Last Week #13)
Derek Carr quietly put together a nice close to the 2023 season. The Saints signal-caller shredded the Falcons defense with relative ease this week, completing 22 of 28 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
3. Green Bay Packers Jordan Love (Last Week #11)
Jordan Love is really starting to make a case that he is going to be the guy in Green Bay for a long time. The first-year starter showed up big-time with a potential postseason berth hanging in the balance. He completed 27 of 32 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
2. Houston Texans C.J. Stroud (Last Week #10)
C.J. Stroud is an absolute machine. The Texans rookie played an excellent game on Saturday, completing 20 of 26 passes for 264 yards and two tudders in the playoff-clinching win.
1. Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott (Last Week #5)
Dak Prescott put up another monster game against a bad team this week. The Cowboys QB1 completed 31 of 36 passes for an impressive 279 yards and four touchdowns to only one interception.
