This past week around the NFL was interesting in that top-end quarterbacks struggled in games that seemed to be ripe for the picking. Meanwhile, another Super Bowl signal caller continued his early-season domination.
Two previously high-ranked quarterbacks in that of Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott continued with their recent struggles.
It’s in this that we look at the top-10 quarterbacks in the NFL heading into Week 6.
1- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes completed 22-of-39 passes for 321 yards with a touchdown and zero interceptions in last week’s 19-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. It’s simply shocking that this was considered a down week for the reigning NFL MVP. It also tells us just how sky high expectations are for the third-year quarterback.
Mahomes now heads into a big Week 6 outing against the Houston Texans having completed nearly 66% of his passes for 1,831 yards with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions in five games. These are, quite simply, some amazing stats for the youngster.
2- Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson took that giant leap ahead of Tom Brady after continuing with his early-season domination in a narrow win over the Los Angeles Rams last week. It’s a game that saw him complete 17-of-23 passes for 268 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Wilson continues to make plays that we have not seen from other quarterbacks in the modern NFL. And it has him as a legit MVP candidate heading into Week 6. He’s put up 1,409 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and zero picks this season. Over the course of his past 17 regular-season starts, Wilson has accounted for 40 touchdowns compared to four interceptions for a 120.5 rating. Is that good?
3- Tom Brady, New England Patriots
We have to preface this by indicating that we’re now comparing Brady to himself. The six-time Super Bowl champion has thrown an interception in the red zone in each of his past two starts. That’s not what we’re accustomed to seeing from Mr. Brady. After all, the veteran had accounted for seven scores and zero picks in three games to open the season.
The good news? Brady has a plus-level matchup against a Giants team Thursday night that ranks 28th in the NFL stopping the pass and has yielded a 106.7 quarterback rating on the season. This should be a get-right game for Brady.
4- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
After struggling to an extent in his first three games under rookie head coach Matt LaFleur, Rodgers has picked it up big time recently. He’s averaging 335 passing yards over the past two outings and is coming off a solid overall performance in a road win over the Dallas Cowboys last week.
Rodgers will be marked down some given that he’s thrown just six touchdowns in five games. However, Aaron Jones has vultured eight touchdowns from his quarterback. It’s hard to blame Rodgers for that, especially given the fact that Green Bay’s new offense calls for more balance. As it is, Rodgers has turned the corner in his first season under LaFleur. It’s only going to get better from here on out.
5- Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
What an absolutely amazing performance from Watson in last week’s 53-32 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The third-year quarterback completed 28-of-33 passes for 426 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Statistically speaking, it was one of the best outings we’ve seen from a quarterback over the past decade. That’s not hyperbole. It also enables Watson to ascend the rankings heading into Week 6.
Through the first five games of the season, Watson has accounted for 1,486 total yards with 14 touchdowns and one interception. He’s turned the corner in a big way as a third-year player. It’s going to be fun to watch moving forward on the season.
6- Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Primarily because of a banged-up wide receiver group and all-around team struggles this season, Wentz is flying under the radar. It’s somewhat surprising given that he entered the season as an MVP candidate. What we do know is that Wentz has upped his game in recent weeks for an Eagles team that now heads into Week 6 at 3-2 and in a first-place tie in the NFC East.
The former No. 2 pick has thrown six touchdowns with zero picks in three games since a two-interception performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. He’s now accounted for 10 touchdowns compared to two interceptions through five games. That’s not too shabby, at all.
7- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
A lot was made of Prescott improving his game big time under first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore over the first two games of the season. That span saw him put up north of 750 total yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. It’s been completely down hill since.
Prescott was picked off three times in a brutal all-around performance against the Packers last week. Sure he went for a career-high 463 yards, but those turnovers hurt big time. With four touchdowns and five picks over the past three games, things are not looking great for the suddenly mistake-prone Prescott in a contract year.
8- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Brutal. That’s the best way to describe Jackson’s performance in an overtime win against an injury-plagued Pittsburgh Steelers squad last week. The second-year quarterback threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball in the most mistake-filled start of his young career.
It’s just the continuation of some growing pains for the sophomore signal caller. In fact, he’s accounted for five interceptions and has been sacked nine times over the past two games after throwing seven touchdowns with zero picks and being sacked six times over the course of the first three games. Ouch!
9- Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Much like his Lions team, Stafford is flying under the radar big time. The former No. 1 overall pick comes out of Detroit’s bye on pace for nearly 4,500 passing yards with 36 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. It would be the Pro Bowler’s best season to date.
It must, however, be noted that Stafford’s level of competition has not been great this season. The Chargers and Cardinals have each yielded a 108-plus quarterback rating on the season. Kansas City and Philadelphia have also struggled from a coverage standpoint. Stafford will now have his chance to prove the first four games weren’t a fluke against one of the best defenses in the NFL in the form of the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.
10- Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
All he does is win. Following Monday night’s blowout victory over the Cleveland Browns, Garoppolo is now 10-2 as the 49ers’ starter since joining them midway through the 2017 season. That record is hard to ignore when comparing to other quarterbacks around the league.
There’s still some issues here. Garoppolo is on pace to throw 28 touchdowns compared to 20 interceptions on the season. That’s the bad news. The good news? He still boasts a near 100 quarterback rating and has the quickest release of any quarterback west of New England. Oh, and Garoppolo has his 49ers at a perfect 4-0 on the season.