Week 4 QB Index; Josh Allen jumps into the top 3

By: Josh Shippen, Sid Kalyani

We are back with a ranking of all QB’s that played in week 4. Bye Week Quarterbacks were not included in our rankings. Check out our week 3 QB Index.

1. Aaron Rodgers (+1)

I think that the times that sum up how this season has gone for Rodgers are times when in the Falcons game, he was grinning ear to ear at the end of the game, and you got the sense that he is SO GOOD that at this point he is just toying with this ultra bad Atlanta defense. He is looking like MVP Aaron Rodgers and that’s a problem to the rest of the league. He is a definite top 3 MVP candidate and he is showing the Packers organization that they should have drafted someone else besides Jordan Love because Aaron Rodgers is not going anywhere anytime soon.

2. Russell Wilson (-1)

Wilson had an off day of not throwing 5 touchdowns, but he was still looking really good against Miami. Except for the one interception, Wilson had a great statline of 360 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns. He is definitely getting at least 1 MVP vote this year.

3. Josh Allen (+1)

Bills Mafia hasn’t been this happy in a long time, and I mean a long time. Their team is 4-0, the rest of the AFC East is bad, and Josh Allen is playing like an MVP caliber player. He was airing the ball out really well against the Raiders, and this type of performance is surely going to get the Bills into the top 3 in the Conference.

4. Patrick Mahomes (-1)

Patrick Mahomes had a pretty good game against the Patriots, even though his numbers don’t really show it. He has shown us that he can win games without having to carry the team on his back. He may not be the MVP this year, but he is getting more and more consistent.

5. Lamar Jackson 

It’s a very underrated narrative how much Jackson and the Ravens have come down to earth from where they were. For being one of the best defenses in the league, the Ravens sure gave up a whole lot of points, and to be quite frank didn’t do nearly enough on offense to cram a win down Washington’s throat. Jackson is still top 5, but he is no longer playing like an MVP QB

6. Joe Burrow (+1)

Burrow is on fire to the highest degree possible! Even though the Bengals beat this incredibly average Jaguars team, Burrow still looks like the future of this franchise, and certainly is doing more than the Red Rifle was ever about to do. Burrow and the Bengals will probably not be a playoff team this year, but they will be a tough team to deal with, and if they draft well (big if I know) then the Bengals will be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC.

7. Dak Prescott (+3)

The Prescott narrative is a confusing one this year. Prescott is on pace to shatter the single season passing yards (over 7000), and he has been pretty good as far as overall accuracy and stats are concerned. So why is he getting slammed, because the Cowboys are 1 Falcons onside kick away from 0-4? OK here’s the thing, the Cowboys defense is an operation with the backbone of a jellyfish. Don’t pay attention to 1-3, Prescott has been playing great this year, and although he is not an All-Pro as of yet, he is still a top 10 QB. For now.

8. Tom Brady (+9)

Brady finally did what the Buccaneers gave him big bucks to do, throwing for 5 TD’s against the Chargers defense, and giving us a little throwback to the days of old, when Brady would take the league by storm almost every week. The Buccaneers are the prime candidate to win the division, and should be considered an NFC threat.

9. Jared Goff (+2)

I’m not too worried that the Rams didn’t destroy the Giants even though the Giants are so God awful, and here’s why. Goff and McVay are one of the best QB/coach pairings in the NFL. Think about it, who is better besides Carroll/Wilson, McDermott/Allen, and Reid/Mahomes? Goff has a limited skillset, but McVay is utilizing it so much that he makes Goff look like one of the best in the league.

10. Deshaun Watson (+3)  

It’s impossible to grade Watson over the sample size we have right now, Watson is playing with three WR2’s, an offensive line that couldn’t protect Watson if their lives depended on it, and a head coach that well.. Got fired. That said, I refuse to say that Watson has come down to Earth, the Texans have been in almost every game they have played, and they have done it with possibly the hardest season this year. Don’t go writing off Watson, he has what it takes!

11. Matthew Stafford (+4)

Man what team is worse at blowing leads than the Lions (besides the Falcons but you know that’s their identity). Stafford is stuck with a coach who in my opinion is the worst head coach in football. Yes I know we have Adam Gase and Dan Quinn, but Patricia is even worse. If the Lions had won all of the games in the past two years that they barely lost, they’d have about 7 more total wins. This is not a Stafford issue, this is coaching. Stafford consistently plays like a QB in the 10-15 range, and should not be considered for benching anytime soon.

12. Kyler Murray (+4)

To be quite honest, Murray has been a little disappointing in this 2020 season. The Cardinals have lost in back to back weeks to a hobby horse operation in the Detroit Lions in week 3, and a Carolina Panthers team in week 4 that has one of the worst defenses in the league, and is missing the best RB in the league. Arizona may be 2-2, but they are falling far under expectations, and so is Murray.

13. Nick Foles (+1)

Let’s be honest, we saw this coming. Foles did not look bad by any means, but he realized this week that he wasn’t playing a team with a coach that should be tied to a raft and gently pushed out into the sea (Falcons, Dan Quinn). Foles is 100% a better option than Mitch Trubisky, but he is not torching the NFL. The Bears need a new quarterback, and should grab one in the draft.

14. Justin Herbert (+7)

Herbert has been on fire on his past two starts! Don’t pay attention to the W-L column, Herbert has nearly beaten the Chiefs, the best team in the NFL, and a white hot Bucs offense. Herbert was a great add, and will continue to light things up in LA.

15. Matt Ryan (-6)

This Falcons team continues to be a raging disappointment, and the cancer of mediocrity is beginning to spread to this offense, which has the effectiveness of a clown attempting to run the controls of a Boeing 747. Ryan will unfortunately be leading the Falcons to a top 5 pick in 2020, and the Falcons would do well to get Quinn out of there as well.

16. Drew Brees (+2)

Brees is boring, old, and without Michael Thomas. The Brees- led Saints should not be considered for Super Bowl contention this year, and I think it is time for the Saints to consider changing quarterbacks next year. Brees has made a lot of mistakes this year that he does not usually make, and do not be deceived by their high scores, this is an Alvin Kamara led offense.

17. Gardner Minshew II (+2) 

Minshew still does not need replacement, especially since they are playing without DJ Chark. The Minshew Mania train is stopping for fuel, but it has not de-railed, and neither should Jaguars fans faith in the future of their franchise. Minshew, with the talent he has now, can probably lead the Jags to 7 or 8 wins, and assuming the front office doesn’t screw up, can get ready for some nice playoff games in 2021

18. Derek Carr (+2)

To be quite honest, I don’t think Derek Carr has changed at all for about 3 or 4 years. There are about 6 or 7 teams that could probably use him as an upgrade, but he is a progress stopper. Carr is not going to suddenly become a quarterback that comes in clutch in the playoffs, and leads your team to a wild Super Bowl run. Carr’s future is murky, but we do say that every year, and he does always come back.

19. Baker Mayfield (+4)

Baker Mayfield is in an offense that for whatever reason is deciding to go berzerk every single week, but Mayfield is not the driving force behind this super fear. Mayfield is not killing this offense like he was in week 1, but he is not the reason for their success. He is a perfectly average quarterback

20. Philip Rivers (+2)

Rivers is leading a successful offense in 2020, but Rivers lacks any excitement whatsoever. This team is effective, but it is a milktoast operation, and Rivers is nothing more than a game manager. All of you people crowning the Colts as AFC South champs need to take a breath, and realize that the Colts are an 8-8 operation that lacks almost any exciting players on their roster, beginning with their quarterback.

21. Teddy Bridgewater

Bridgewater has been playing progressively better over 4 weeks, and will probably continue to improve to a degree. Bridgewater is not the wild future that the Panthers really need for the quarterback position, but don’t look for him to be benched. I would also have my eye on the Panthers as a sneaky Wild Card team, especially when CMC returns.

22. Ryan Fitzpatrick

You’ve seen this in 3 QB Index’s, but Fitzpatrick does Fitzpatrick things. He looked perfectly fine against a Seahawks defense that is not running on all cylinders (even though the offense is). I’d watch out for a benching coming Fitzpatrick’s way, but that’s just part of the Fitzpatrick narrative. 

23. Carson Wentz (+4)

Congratulations Eagles fans, you finally got a win against the 49ers practice squad and Carson Wentz was still pretty bad. Jalen Hurts better get ready to carry this team because Carson Wentz is not cutting it this time. He is consistently showing us that his MVP run in the 2018 season was a fluke. 

24. Brett Rypien 

I’m not about to call Rypien the quarterback of the future, he still threw picks after all, but if you watched the game you could totally see that Rypien was effectively moving the ball down the field at spots. Granted, this Jets defense is an epic tomato can, but Rypien did look more effective than Driskel at least. Maybe Rypien will do just enough to help them enough until Lock comes back, and get them into contention after all.

25. Daniel Jones (+4)

Poor Jones. Having to play the Rams was an awful task for a Giants team that has no direction whatsoever. I don’t blame Jones for being on the third worst team in football (Falcons/Jets at 1 and 2), because I do not believe in Joe Judge this year, they are extremely injured this year, and to be honest Jones has still shown us flashes, even through the midst of his turnover issues.

26. Dwayne Haskins 

We just got the announcement, but Haskins is FINALLY going to be benched, and good heavens is it time for that. Unfortunately, the Football Team has decided to start Kyle Allen, so I think i’ll just be copying and pasting my Haskins reviews into the next QB Index, and replacing all instances of Haskins with Allen.

27. Kirk Cousins (+4)

I don’t care that the Vikings won this game, Cousins looks terrible this year. I’m pretty sure that if the Vikings didn’t have Dalvin Cook looking like the field is on a downward slant when he is running, the Vikings would be a team lost in the wilderness, without any direction, any offense, and any playoff hope. Cousins can’t be benched because Sean Mannion is infinitely worse, but he should be considered for replacing next year.

28. Sam Darnold (+4)

Well it got officially announced, Sam Darnold will be benched in week 5 for Joe Flacco who is coming up on 74 years old this week (congratulations Flacco). While I do continually blame coaching and the front office for Darnold’s failure, there comes times when I feel like we need to question Darnold himself. Darnold has shown flashes of being something in his career, but he has never really had a defining game that has said wow! This guy is a starter!

29. Nick Mullens (-5)

Remember the good old days when Mullens used to look like a quarterback that was average? Not bad, just average. Well it looks like we will finally be waving goodbye to those days, Mullens was pulled for ineffective play in a mega snoozapalooza against the Philadelphia Eagles, and let’s just say that being benched for C. J. Beathard is not the most opportune situation.

30. Brian Hoyer

Hoyer looked pretty bad, but Hoyer also has not won a game since 2016 (yep believe it or not that’s true) so that isn’t surprising in the least. Hoyer is on the team because the Patriots like him inside the building, Hoyer is not a viable backup quarterback option.

31. C. J. Beathard

Gardner Minshew’s redhead cousin did not come through as was needed for a struggling 49ers team, and should not be seen as the future for this 49ers franchise, or even their backup quarterback

32. Jarrett Stidham

Stidham is among a group that features TJ Yates, Jeff Tuel, and Ryan Lindley. The 5% of my audience who even know who these clowns are know where I am going with this, but for all the rest of you, I am placing him amongst some of the worst quarterbacks to ever start in the NFL, and boy he deserves it. Stidham has never looked good in an NFL game, and nobody should expect that to change.