NFL QB rankings, Week 12: Drake Maye vaults Patrick Mahomes; Lamar Jackson falls to Tier 3

NOTE: Up/down arrows illustrate movement from the Week 11 QB Index.

TIER 1

• Matthew Stafford's white-hot run ended when he ran into the Seattle defense, but I won't drop him for one bumpy afternoon against an elite opponent. He still tossed two touchdown passes and did his part to give the Rams a lead they held through the final whistle. I expect this to be a temporary pause in what has otherwise been an MVP-worthy campaign.
• Drake Maye made more excellent plays in the Patriots' Thursday night win, powering a New England offense that was happy to let rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson finish the job in the red zone. They never get there without Maye, who continues to compile a scintillating sophomore season.
• Josh Allen has returned to the familiar confines of the Josh Allen Experience, which occasionally resembles the peak Jameis Winston Experience. It's full of highlights, production and thrilling success, but there are a few cringe-worthy risks, too. Fortunately, Allen overcame early mistakes in Week 11's shootout win over the Bucs, putting the Bills on his back.
• Baker Mayfield has proven he's a streaky quarterback. That isn't criticism -- it's simply an acknowledgement of reality. And in fairness to Baker, this season has been especially challenging for the signal-caller after losing his top weapons to injury. It would be nice if he could get Bucky Irving or Chris Godwin back soon.
• The Broncos sent Patrick Mahomes to the depths of a nightmare, making everything difficult for the superstar quarterback. He still managed to give the Chiefs a chance, but the Week 11 loss was the most challenging game Mahomes has encountered since Super Bowl LIX.

TIER 2

• Dak Prescott is back! Yes, the Cowboys needed to face the Raiders to get back on track, but the matchup came at the perfect time for a Dallas offense that was trudging through knee-deep mud in recent weeks. The cure: A ton of targets for George Pickens against a hapless defense, with some CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson mixed in. I'm projecting a bit with this move up the board for Prescott, who climbs higher because of the struggles of those who were ranked ahead of him. I expect him to continue airing it out, although the Eagles defense will present his greatest test of the 2025 season on Sunday.
• Daniel Jones climbed during the Colts' bye week because some of the quarterbacks ahead of him fell. He has work to do if he's going to remain in this spot.
• It's hard to watch the Chargers play right now because of how poorly they're protecting Justin Herbert. If this were a different world, Herbert could justifiably file a complaint for football malpractice, or at minimum, negligence. He's playing with a hand tied behind his back and an anchor fixed to his legs, courtesy of his blockers.
• Well, Sam Darnold did it again. He crumbled in a big game. Four big, ugly interceptions marred Darnold's Week 11, providing fresh ammunition for his detractors. I think it would be best if somebody close to Darnold told him he didn't need to be a hero to help his team win.
• Brock Purdy connected seamlessly with his favorite targets in his first game back after an extended absence due to injury. It was very much a big-play game, but the explosives were truly majestic.

TIER 3

• Jordan Love is inching closer toward climbing one tier with his performance, bouncing back from an ugly showing against a stifling Eagles defense to throw the Packers to a narrow win over the Giants. He's still lacking reliability on a per-attempt basis, but he's operating the offense more consistently, which is important.
• Lamar Jackson's stat line lied to us in Week 11 -- both of his interceptions were the result of bad-luck deflections. That doesn't wrap up his story, though, because he looked largely powerless for most of the Ravens' win over the Browns and their menacing defense, a product of a lesser reliance on Jackson's legs. If he's going to run less frequently going forward, he'll need to make a bigger difference through the air, a goal that proved elusive in Cleveland. I'm confident he'll get back on track soon, though.
• Jared Goff looked lost in Philadelphia on Sunday night. The Eagles' pass rush essentially broke him, forcing Goff to miss lay-up throws in the second half. While he has posted excellent numbers this season, the blueprint to stop him has undoubtedly emerged.
• Oh, look. Caleb Williams led Chicago to another heart-stopping win. He and the Bears have graduated from winning despite their quarterback to succeeding together, an encouraging sign in his second season.

TIER 4

• Climb that ladder, Bryce Young! I was overwhelmingly impressed by how Young understood the assignment against the Falcons. He carried an offense that lacked a running threat to a win, powering a wild comeback with some beautiful passes and crucial plays in the clutch.
• Bo Nix finally put together a nearly complete game! Denver won an AFC West struggle by complementing a stiff defense with an offense that wasn't afraid to air it out. Nix avoided significant mistakes, spread the ball around and made some key throws to push the Broncos to victory. We'll see if it's the start of something special.
• Jalen Hurts does not deserve to fall this far based on his effort, but this offense is stuck in a bad place right now and he's not lifting the Eagles out of it. I couldn't blame them for being frustrated with the current state of affairs, nor would I bristle at any discontent with offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. This group needs to do some soul searching before the stretch run begins.
• Tua Tagovailoa is on a nice little upward trajectory of late. He appears comfortable with his role in Miami's offense and seems happy to lean on the stylings of explosive running back De’Von Achane when directed to do so. The Dolphins lack an explosive aerial element, but Tagovailoa is handling the responsibilities of his job well right now.

TIER 5

• Davis Mills is good for five or six wow-worthy passes per game. Unsurprisingly, most of those throws head in Nico Collins' direction. Mills is doing exactly what is expected of him as a backup. He's keeping the Texans afloat while C.J. Stroud recovers from a concussion.
• Aaron Rodgers looked old in a Week 10 loss to the Chargers and continued to appear frustrated with his teammates in the first half of a Week 11 win before exiting with a wrist injury. Now we're waiting to find out how fast the 41-year-old can heal.
• Jacoby Brissett set the completions record in Week 11 because the Cardinals' only hope of staying in the fight against the 49ers required them to air it out. He gave his best effort but also tossed two interceptions, including a poor throw intended for Elijah Higgins. I can't hold it all against Brissett. He's playing with a handcuffed offense.
• Joe Flacco's ability to throw the Bengals into contention fell apart in Pittsburgh. An incredibly frustrating day for the entire Cincinnati offense neared rock bottom when Flacco took the bait on a Cover 1 Robber look and threw it right to Kyle Dugger for a pick-six.

TIER 6

• Quietly, Cam Ward is playing some quality football as the quarterback of a bad team. He continues to make a few highlight-worthy throws each week.
• Michael Penix Jr.'s season ended with a knee injury, bringing a tumultuous campaign to a close. He had some awful performances along with a few bright spots, but there seemed to be pervasive frustration regarding an apparent lack of fit between quarterback and offensive scheme. I send my best wishes to him as he embarks on the long recovery that comes with ACL surgery.
• In his first start with the Giants, Jameis Winston delivered exactly what I thought we might see from the lovable veteran, who has a mercurial style of play. He handled the responsibilities of the starting job well, for the most part, but he threw an interception in the final minute of a one-score loss. The interception wasn't his fault -- his intended receiver stopped his route on an anticipation throw -- but the conclusion was all too fitting for a Winston game.
• Marcus Mariota tried his best to lead his team to a win in Madrid. Unfortunately, he threw the game away when Dolphins corner Jack Jones picked him off early in overtime. That's just the way this season has gone for the Commanders.

TIER 7

• In a perfect world, we reset the Raiders' offensive line and give Geno Smith adequate protection (and Ashton Jeanty a shred of daylight). We live in an imperfect world, though, as Smith knows that all too well, given his 2025 experience in Las Vegas.
• Justin Fields played one of his better games of the season in Week 11, using his legs successfully on designed runs and throwing a handful of pretty passes. Too many were dropped (especially by Adonai Mitchell), though, and coach Aaron Glenn decided to give the same treatment to Fields, who is headed to the bench in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor.
• J.J. McCarthy has played some very ugly football in the last two weeks, posting a 2:4 TD-to-INT ratio and leaving his superstar teammate Justin Jefferson visibly frustrated. McCarthy has still managed to turn it on in crunch time but isn't performing well enough to give the Vikings more than a desperate hope in the final stages of games. Right now, McCarthy looks like a sped-up rookie who trusts his arm a little too much and lacks pocket awareness. It's somewhat stunning, too, considering McCarthy had a full year to learn from the sideline. We'll see if he can turn it around.
• Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion in Week 11, and he underwhelmed prior to exiting the game with the injury. His departure cleared the way for Shedeur Sanders to make his NFL debut, but he performed even worse. We'll see if a full week of preparation benefits Sanders, who will make his first career start when the Browns visit the Raiders on Sunday.