Kyle Terada-Imagn ImagesAndrew Buller-RussTue, November 25, 2025 at 10:20 PM UTC·13 min readWho’s the NFL’s best quarterback? Who’s the NFL’s worst quarterback? We felt it was only fair to evaluate all 32 NFL starting quarterbacks based on their performance this season. That means the typical greats like Patrick Mahomes won’t rank No. 1, simply because he hasn’t been at his very best this year. Scroll down for the full 2025 NFL QB rankings, from 1-32.
1. Matthew Stafford (Last Week: 1)
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn ImagesHe’s 37 years old, but Stafford is leading the NFL in several categories. That includes touchdowns, first downs, and QB rating. The Rams are playing some of the best football in the NFL, and Stafford’s efficiency is a big reason why.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement2. Drake Maye (LW: 2)
David Butler II-Imagn ImagesThe second-year leap Maye has enjoyed going from last season to this one should be studied. While Maye showed promise as a rookie, he’s already performing as a top five QB. Just 23 years old, Maye is avoiding mistakes like a veteran. He’s amazingly thrown interceptions on fewer than two percent of his passes, but he’s also taking sacks on nearly 10% of his drop backs. Of course, coaches would MUCH rather have him take sacks than turn the ball over, so Maye is making the right play.
3. Josh Allen (LW: 3)
Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesFacing the NFL’s best defense, Josh Allen suffered a career-high eight sacks in the Bills’ loss to the Texans. That’s ridiculous, considering the NFL’s MVP was sacked just 14 times all of last season. While Thursday’s effort was one to forget, Allen has otherwise been excellent, with a new career-high completion rate while being on track to finish with a new personal best in passing yards.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement4. Justin Herbert (LW: 5)
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesHe’s still getting sacked too much, which is partially a product of the Chargers losing both their starting offensive tackles. Otherwise, Herbert has been excellent considering the conditions he’s working in. Coming off a season-low 81 passing yards, we expect Herbert to return to top form after enjoying a bye.
5. Patrick Mahomes (LW: 6)
Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesWhile the game started rocky with a batted ball leading to a pick, Mahomes settled in nicely, especially considering he helped lead two 80+ yard scoring drives to deliver a win in OT. He’s moving the chains, but the Chiefs are having a hard time finding the end zone as of late. Mahomes has just one touchdown across his past three games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement6. Sam Darnold (LW: 7)
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn ImagesDarnold quickly moved on from his four-interception game and got right back to throwing strikes downfield. A week after averaging a season-low 6.3 yards per attempt, Darnold cranked that up to 9.4 YPA on Sunday. He still leads the NFL in yards per attempt, completion, and net yards per pass, making the Seahawks a tough cover on every snap.
7. Dak Prescott (LW: 10)
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn ImagesWorking with one of the best pass-catching tandems in the NFL, Prescott is thriving after last season’s season-ending hamstring injury. The 32-year-old is coming off arguably his best game of the season, rallying the Cowboys back from a 0-21 deficit against the Eagles to deliver a win in the clutch.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement8. Daniel Jones (LW: 4)
Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesHe managed to take the Chiefs to overtime, but Daniel Jones couldn’t deliver when it mattered most. Sure, he was dealing with a calf injury throughout the week, but Indiana Jones finished with a new season-low of 181 passing yards so clearly the Chiefs figured some things out on film. The crazy part is, if Jones had just made a few more plays, they could have emerged victorious instead.
9. Jared Goff (LW: 7)
Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesGoff didn’t have his best day at the office against the Giants on Sunday, where he was frequently pressured and hit several times. Goff had a few clear misses to Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he still managed to get the job done in OT. Still, the former No. 1 overall pick has been a bit rusty as of late, completing just 53.1% of his passes in the past two games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement10. Jalen Hurts (LW: 14)
Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesHurts is coming off his second-highest passing yardage output of the season, and he’s added eight rushing touchdowns this year too. But the Eagles offense is still far too inconsistent. This time they couldn’t score any points in the second half after building a 21-0 lead. We need to see him make plays in the clutch again, when it matters most.
11. Baker Mayfield (LW: 9)
Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesAn injury may end up robbing part of Mayfield’s season, but after three consecutive Buccaneers losses, perhaps some time off will do the former No. 1 pick some good. Despite throwing three interceptions in his past two games, Mayfield is still doing a great job of protecting the football while stepping up to make plays when his team needs it most.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement12. Bo Nix (LW: 11)
Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesHe’s completed just one pass that has resulted in more than a 50-yard gain, but it’s hard to argue with the Broncos’ success. Nix is taking care of the football and avoiding negative plays with the best of them (NFL’s lowest sack rate). He even has an NFL leading five game-winning drives this season, showing he knows how to get the job done when it matters most.
Related: NFL Power Rankings 2025: Week-by-Week NFL Evaluations of All 32 Teams
13. Lamar Jackson (LW: 12)
Scott Galvin-Imagn ImagesOnce again, Jackson completed fewer than 60% of his passes for the third consecutive game. It didn’t matter against a horrid Jets defense, where Jackson’s 153 scoreless passing yards and just 11 rushing yards were enough to get the W. That recipe likely won’t work in the playoffs against stiffer competition though.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement14. Jordan Love (LW: 13)
Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesLove has had fewer than 200 passing yards in three consecutive weeks now (not having Tucker Kraft hurts), but two have resulted in wins. He’s done an excellent job of avoiding interceptions, with a pick rate of fewer than 1% and he’s completing more passes than ever. Love’s helping the Pack move the chains more while avoiding negative plays, and it’s led to more victories on gameday.
15. Caleb Williams (LW: 18)
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn ImagesWe’re still seeing consistency issues from the second-year player, but Williams is also showing drastic signs of growth under Ben Johnson. He’s completed just 54.7% of his passes across the past four games, but they’ve all been Bears victories as he also hasn’t tossed any interceptions in that stretch either. Most impressively, he’s on pace to cut his sacks in half. What else can he improve in the future?
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement16. Brock Purdy (LW: 15)
Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesMaybe it’s time to see what Mac Jones can do again? Purdy had a horrid performance on Monday, tossing three interceptions while having just 193 yards on 32 attempts. He was far too erratic for a $265 million player, but he’s also coming off a toe injury.
17. Aaron Rodgers (LW: 16)
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesRodgers didn’t get a chance to build upon his numbers last week after suffering a fractured wrist. That gave way to career backup Mason Rudolph who kept the Steelers in the game but couldn’t make enough game-changing plays to get the dub.
18. C.J. Stroud (LW: 17)
Sean Thomas-Imagn ImagesPlaying behind an offensive line that ranks as one of the league’s worst, Stroud has a new career-high in completion percentage. Otherwise, there’s not much to write home about here. Davis Mills has replaced him due to injury in the past three weeks, and the former third-round pick has performed admirably in his stead.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement19. Jacoby Brissett (LW: 23)
Joe Camporeale-Imagn ImagesThe Cardinals have become a very pass-heavy team under Brissett, averaging 50 pass attempts across his past three games. They’ve all been losses, but we can’t fault Arizona for being more willing to air it out with the QB who has the lowest INT rate in NFL history. Honestly, Brissett has been far better than anyone could have anticipated this season. He should be able to land in a role that sees him compete or push a rookie for a starting job next year too.
20. Tua Tagovailoa (LW: 20)
Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesTagovailoa didn’t throw any interceptions on Sunday, but he still leads the NFL with 13. He’s just one away from setting a new career high. But we credit him for sticking in there after a horrid start to Miami’s season, even winning their past two games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement21. Trevor Lawrence (LW: 19)
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThe Jags got the win, but even Lawrence will tell you that tossing three interceptions is not acceptable. Luckily, he also had three touchdowns to help balance out his mistakes. Playing without his full cast of receivers, we’ll cut Lawrence a tiny bit of slack. Yet, considering he’s a former No. 1 overall pick, it’s time to overcome personnel issues and put the team on his back.
22. Bryce Young (LW: 21)
Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesSlowly and steadily, the former No. 1 overall pick is improving. He’s up to new career-highs in completion rate, and on track to have more passing yards and touchdowns than ever too. While the progress has been incremental, the Panthers have to be feeling better about Young’s career outlook now. But he still seems doubtful to ever become a top ten QB.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement23. Joe Flacco (LW: 22)
Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesFlacco has helped the Bengals score more points without Joe Burrow, but it hasn’t led to more wins. He’s actually attempted more passes than anyone else and it’s led to an NFL-high average of 245.1 yards per game. The 40-year-old clearly hasn’t lost his arm strength, but we can’t imagine he’ll begin a season as anyone’s starter again, but he’s still a high-end backup.
24. Jaxson Dart (LW: 24)
Mike Dinovo-Imagn ImagesAlready having lost his top pass-catcher and best running back, Dart is under a lot of pressure in New York. He’s tried to do too much at times, which has both won over a tough love fanbase and provided plenty of long-term caution about his head injuries, but there’s potential here.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement25. Geno Smith (LW: 26)
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesChances are, this is the last we’ll see of Geno Smith as an NFL starting quarterback. He’s somewhat settled in after a pair of multi-interception games in Weeks 3 and 4. But he’s still tied for the NFL lead with 13 interceptions. Plus, losing five games in a row won’t do him any favors. At least now we’ll get to see what he can do with a new offensive coordinator.
26. Kirk Cousins
Matthew Hinton-Imagn ImagesIt’s hard to get too excited about a player who couldn’t dismantle the Saints’ defense, but Cousins gave the Falcons some much-needed confidence after Michael Penix Jr’s season-ending injury. We saw some of the same demons that have haunted Cousins in the past, losing a fumble on a strip-sack and later tossing a pick-six. But he also took command of the offense and led a convincing victory.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement27. Cam Ward (LW: 30)
Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesSometimes it’s tough to see the growth, but we’d argue Cam Ward has improved under interim coach Mike McCoy. After all, we’re starting to see Ward take advantage of his athleticism more, rushing for 33 and 37 yards in his past two starts. Keep that up, and defenses will have a harder time stopping him on Sundays.
28. Tyrod Taylor
Peter Casey-Imagn ImagesWith Justin Fields continuing to look better as a running back than QB, the Jets have turned back to 36-year-old Tyrod Taylor. It’s unusual for a rebuilding team to use their old QB rather than the young one, but Taylor gives them the best chance to win. We still think they’re better off playing Fields or another youngster who has at least a slim possibility of becoming the long-term answer in New York.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement29. Shedeur Sanders
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn ImagesHis debut went about as worse as we could have imagined. Then, Shedeur Sanders silenced some haters with his first start. He only completed 55% of his passes, but those 11 completions went for a robust 209 yards. That included a 66-yard gain, which is the longest passing play of the Browns’ season. Most importantly, he led the Browns to their first win since Week 7 and has done enough to earn another start.
30. Marcus Mariota (LW: 27)
Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesOddly enough, Mariota has had exactly 213 passing yards in each of his three starts. At least he’s consistent. But he’s also thrown a few too interceptions (5 in 5 starts) for our liking. We can’t imagine the Commanders being too thrilled with his performance thus far, but others have done much worse.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement31. Tyler Shough (LW: 29)
Bob Donnan-Imagn ImagesShough isn’t looking downfield much, he’s averaging just 6.6 YPA. But it looks like he’s slowly figuring things out in New Orleans. With a small sample size of three starts, it’s hard to evaluate his long-term prospects, but we haven’t seen any signs of him becoming a franchise quarterback, especially considering Shough is already 26 years old.
32. J.J. McCarthy (LW: 31)
Brad Rempel-Imagn ImagesHe’s only made six starts, but the Vikings have to be disappointed with their first-round QB thus far. He has more interceptions (10) than passing touchdowns (6). He’s also had some serious accuracy concerns, with an NFL-worst 54.1% completion rate. Worst of all, now he’s injured again, which opens the door for undrafted rookie Max Brosmer to steal his job.
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