NFL QB rankings, Week 15: Patrick Mahomes hits season low while Jordan Love cracks top 5

NOTE: Up/down arrows illustrate movement from the Week 14 QB Index.

TIER 1

• Are you seeking jaw-dropping football thrills? Look no further than Week 14's Rams-Cardinals game, in which Matthew Stafford torched Arizona's defense with a large collection of awe-inspiring passes. Yes, he had all day to throw and took full advantage of it, ripping rockets to Puka Nacua, Colby Parkinson and Davante Adams, producing catches that were only possible because of Stafford's outrageous precision. If he continues at this rate, he'll run away with NFL MVP -- and represents the reason I believe the Rams are going to win it all.
• Josh Allen put on his cape and carried the Bills to victory on a snowy day in Buffalo, propelling them to a key win and staving off what would have been a shocking loss to the Bengals. His 40-yard rushing score and fourth-down touchdown pass to Jackson Hawes were just the latest demonstrations of his rare talents.
• Dak Prescott's two interceptions were the product of excellent defensive plays, and he continues to be the reason Dallas is competitive. He even helped Ryan Flournoy break 100 receiving yards in a road loss to the Lions. The Cowboys might not make the playoffs, but Prescott deserves flowers regardless of how they finish.
• Jordan Love has found the rhythm we always knew he was capable of, delivering clutch performances in key games. His rapport with Christian Watson is sharper than ever and he's making the most of Green Bay's committee of tight ends in Tucker Kraft's absence.
• Justin Herbert is facing the greatest challenge of any contending quarterback in the NFL right now. The Chargers simply cannot protect him consistently, they can only pray for significant production from their running game, and the rest is up to Herbert. He led Los Angeles in rushing on Monday night while playing with a broken left hand. Read that again just so you understand the absurdity of it all. Herbert is making accurate throws out of structure, running for his life and somehow keeping the offense afloat, an unsustainable approach that is seemingly the Chargers' only hope going forward.

TIER 2

• Jared Goff's moxie is back, baby. He made some fantastic throws to keep the Lions' offense moving in what proved to be a shootout win over Dallas. Goff connected with his full stable of receivers for key gains that propelled Detroit toward the end zone and eventually sealed the prime-time victory. Keep it up, Jared.
• Sam Darnold's lull ended with a dominant second half showing in Atlanta, the perfect get-right game for a Seahawks offense that needed to wake up.
• Joe Burrow's return has been transformational for the Cincinnati offense, which once again looks like the machine we've known it to be in the past. His interceptions undercut their upset attempt in Buffalo, but the Bengals look like a playoff team with Burrow under center -- even if they likely won't prove to be one by season's end.
• I know he'll burn me eventually, but Trevor Lawrence looks pretty darn good of late. He's playing with confidence and throwing with consistent accuracy unseen since his first season with Doug Pederson. The Jags are rolling because of it.
• Sunday night's loss to the Texans might have been the swan song for the Chiefs dynasty. Everything seems difficult for them and Patrick Mahomes can't lift the team out of the mess. He accounted for 10 straight passes that were either incomplete or intercepted and suffered because of his teammates' lack of execution at the other end of his passes. Oddly, his passes didn't look great out of his hand, either, displaying a downward trajectory that mirrors the team's current direction.

TIER 3

• Lamar Jackson finally looked more like himself in Week 14, showing off the wheels that had been stuck in park since his return from injury. The interception he threw wasn't pretty, but the total product was much more encouraging than what we'd seen from him over the last month.
• Caleb Williams started slowly against the Packers, but battled back into contention, threw an unbelievable laser of a touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus and learned a tough lesson when he threw a game-sealing interception in the end zone on fourth-and-1. The loss was disappointing, but Williams continues his steady upward climb.
• Aaron Rodgers produced his best showing since his Green Bay days in Week 14, even getting loose with his legs for a rushing score and bringing the Discount Double Check title belt celebration out of the mothballs to dunk on Ravens fans. Getting DK Metcalf involved early and often helped open up the offense, and it was nice to see Rodgers connect on some deep shots for once. It's precisely what the doctor ordered for a Steelers team that seemed to be creeping toward a late-season disintegration before the victory.
• Baker Mayfield desperately needs Mike Evans back to unlock Tampa Bay's offense. He hasn't been the same dynamo he was earlier in 2025 and the Buccaneers' playoff hopes are now in jeopardy.
• Bo Nix didn't throw a touchdown pass but showed incredible effectiveness on third down, completing passes to keep the chains moving as part of a few offensive marches that squeezed the life out of the Raiders. I like what I'm seeing from Nix, who seems to be settling into his role after a tumultuous first 10 weeks.
• Tua Tagovailoa shredded the Jets' defense in quick fashion, leading three first-quarter touchdown drives that blended an effective showing from Jaylen Wright and De’Von Achane with some sharp passes. Then, the entire unit went into hibernation until late in the fourth quarter, illustrating the duality of Miami's offense in 2025.

TIER 4

• After a four-interception showing on Monday night, I've accepted that Jalen Hurts is indeed part of the Eagles' problem. His safe play has long been one of his greatest strengths, but I believe it is now hindering him. When the Eagles go up-tempo and play with urgency, Hurts becomes his former self, an accurate, confident and decisive quarterback who performs with instincts and produces splash plays. Outside of those scenarios, Hurts surveys too patiently, almost as if he's trying to make the perfect play instead of taking a quality gain. It leads to missed targets, fruitless snaps and on Monday night, crushing turnovers. Sure, all four weren't entirely on him, but I think the remedy is to push the pace and simplify the task for the quarterback.
• You know the Daniel Jones story by now. His season-ending Achilles tear closes out a campaign that started out with remarkable promise but lost steam in recent weeks. The injury throws his future into uncertain waters and sinks what was once a heartwarming comeback story for the former first-round pick. The loss of Jones prompted the Colts to bring 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement, so there's that.
• Cam Ward only completed 50 percent of his passes on a cold, snowy day in Cleveland, but he piloted the Titans to a surprising victory built on the legs of Tony Pollard. Ward didn't produce a ton of highlight-reel plays but he steadied the offense and managed to overcome a period of stagnation common for those facing the Browns' defense.

TIER 5

• Hats off to Tyler Shough, who hasn't yet put together a complete game but led an inspiring second-half comeback to propel the Saints to an upset win over the division-rival Buccaneers. As I've written before, Shough largely looks the part. He just needs experience.
• It's difficult to find the right spot for J.J. McCarthy because I still don't know what to expect from him. He looked downright awful in a handful of starts prior to Week 14. Naturally, after missing a game while in concussion protocol, McCarthy returned to light up Washington's old, slow defense, delivering a performance that seemed to invigorate the entire Vikings roster. It's a good start but I need to see some consistency.
• Jacoby Brissett is a good backup quarterback. Brissett is also operating an offense that has no choice but to throw the ball the entire game. He was constantly under fire and clearly on a Sisyphean climb to nowhere against the Rams.
• Shedeur Sanders' stat line told some minor lies, but he deserves credit for nailing a few throws that I'm confident Dillon Gabriel wouldn't complete. His goal-line touchdown pass to David Njoku included a rather high degree of difficulty -- especially considering the inclement weather -- and his strike to Jerry Jeudy for a 60-yard TD was a great example of Sanders working through his progression before firing an accurate pass on time. He still held onto the ball too long; his 3.57 seconds average time to throw was the sixth-longest of any QB this season (min. 20 attempts). Not surprisingly, he was pressured on 63 percent of his dropbacks. Still, there were things to like, including some occasional scrambles through the middle of the defense.

TIER 6

• I do not understand why the Commanders insisted on playing Jayden Daniels again. In Week 14 he aggravated the elbow injury he'd initially suffered at the end of a blowout loss in Week 9. Daniels left Sunday's game after being knocked to the ground by a Vikings defender looking to throw a block for Andrew Van Ginkel during his interception return. Daniels won't play in Week 15, but I believe the team should shut him down for the rest of what is a lost season.
• Tyrod Taylor's Week 14 ended early due to a groin injury, which came after he completed 1 of 4 passes and threw one behind tight end Mason Taylor, resulting in an interception. The Jets don't have an answer at quarterback.