Week 7 NFL QB Rankings: Caleb Williams, Jared Goff and Jordan Love dazzle in big wins

The Week 5 version of Tyler Huntley was much better than the one who took the field in Week 4. He had more than double his previous passing yardage total but still recorded just 194 yards and an interception. Huntley didn’t even add much as a rusher, finishing with seven yards on the ground. If Miami had played a more competent opponent, their 13 points wouldn’t have been enough to get a win.

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The fifth-round rookie’s starting debut went about as expected. He flashed his big arm, connecting with Foster Moreau on a 41-yard play-action pass. Yet, Rattler also took too long to read the field, taking five sacks and throwing two interceptions that were entirely his fault. We’ll see if Dennis Allen sticks with the rookie, or turns back to Jake Haener in Week 7 on a short week against Denver on Thursday.

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Will Levis has a knack for making at least one crucial turnover that changes the outcome of the game. We saw it again in Week 6, with the Titans trailing by three when he found Colts safety Julian Blackmon on an ill-advised pass into double-coverage with five minutes remaining. When he wasn’t throwing interceptions, Levis was sailing incompletions over the heads of his receivers on his way to 95 passing yards. Leading the NFL with seven interceptions, it might be Mason Rudolph time.

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Predictably, switching to the backup didn’t lead to better results. The Raiders didn’t have Davante Adams, and this was already an offense lacking playmakers. O’Connell has more potential than Minshew, but finishing with just 227 yards on 40 attempts doesn’t provide much inspiration that this offense is about to turn a corner.

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The 12th overall pick is a better rusher than passer at this stage in his career. He was at his best on Sunday, rushing for a career-high 61 yards on just six attempts. He also tied for his second-most passing yards, with a 216-yard day while having his second consecutive game with two passing touchdowns. Nix also had an interception on a tipped pass in what could have been the difference-maker in the seven-point loss.

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His head coach Kevin Stefanski has to address the situation each week, which is never a good sign, but Deshaun Watson will remain the Cleveland Browns’ starter. Watson finished with his second-highest completion rate of the season (69.5%), but he still doesn’t have more than 196 passing yards in a single game. Today he maxed out at 168, while taking five sacks. From allowing the league’s most sacks, to leading the NFL in dropped passes, this Browns offense is a travesty everywhere you look.

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Drake Maye finally got to make his starting debut, but it came against a very good Texans team that came into Week 6 with the NFL’s seventh-most sacks. Still, he had more passing touchdowns in one game than Jacoby Brissett had all season. Maye turned the ball over three times (two INTs, one fumble), and one of those picks was tipped at the line. He also showed more mobility (38 rushing yards) and had a 40-yard dime to Kayshon Boutte for his first NFL touchdown. We’re intrigued to see how he handles his next start but this was a positive step.

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The “Red Rifle” continues to lead a more potent scoring attack, but it’s not necessarily leading to a winning effort. Dalton was partially to blame on Sunday, throwing two interceptions while trying to make something happen as the Panthers were trailing. The passing offense still looks a lot more functional with the vet than it did with Bryce Young but at some point the Panthers have to turn back, there’s no future with Dalton.

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You almost had to feel bad for Trevor Lawrence playing across the pond in London against the Bears in Week 6. He had several would-be touchdown passes that were simply dropped by his receivers. Yet, Lawrence wasn’t without fault either, he missed his fair share of throws too. Doug Pederson doesn’t think he’s on the hot seat yet, but the Jaguars need to make some changes. Now.

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Daniel Jones couldn’t repeat his magic without Malik Nabers in Week 6. This time around, Jones failed to capitalize against a Bengals defense that allowed the ninth-most yards per attempt coming into Sunday. New York’s offense committed multiple drive-stopping penalties, and they lacked the playmakers to overcome their own shortcomings. But by completing just 53.6% of his passes, plus tossing an interception, it’s clear Jones could have been better.

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It helps to have talented players. With DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown back in the lineup, Jalen Hurts averaged an explosive 10.6 yards per attempt, needing just 16 completions to tally 264 passing yards. Yet, this was his fourth game with 33 or fewer rushing yards this season. It’s not like he didn’t give it a shot, he attempted 14 rushes, but the 2.4 YPC average is slightly concerning.

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To no surprise, Caleb Williams keeps improving as he gets more comfortable operating Chicago’s offense. Perhaps having multiple players request coaching adjustments after a slow start helped. Either way, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick was at his best in London, completing a career-high 79.3% of his passes while tallying four passing touchdowns in what was a nearly flawless performance, aside from an interception. The race to win Offensive Rookie of the Year is officially on.

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Flacco continues to look like the better starter for the Colts in the short term. But he struggled more against Tennessee than he did in his first two appearances. The 39-year-old totaled just 189 passing yards, completing 57.8% of his 38 attempts. Flacco passed for two touchdowns but he also sailed a pass that ended up in the arms of Amani Hooker. If the Colts didn’t get a late interception off Will Levis, Flacco’s performance may have set Indianapolis up for a loss.

Until Matthew Stafford gets a healthy offensive line or his star receivers back from injury, it’s hard to judge him too drastically. Stafford didn’t make many big plays without his top playmakers, with his longest completion being a 31-yard connection to Jordan Whittington, but he still collected 260 passing yards in Week 5. He also just had one touchdown and an interception. The good news is Cooper Kupp’s return is near.

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The four-time MVP revealed he had a low-ankle sprain after the Vikings’ defense recorded three sacks on the 40-year-old QB last week. Rodgers clearly wasn’t at his best on a day when he had just the sixth three-interception game of his career. But the bigger issue may still be a lack of chemistry between him and his receivers.

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Coming out of the bye, the Chargers dialed up more of a pass-heavy approach against one of the NFL’s best pass defenses. It led to a season-high 237 passing yards in a game the Chargers won by just seven points. His stats aren’t gaudy, but we could see Herbert put up bigger and better numbers over the next few weeks as his ankle injury continues to improve.

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The Steelers won big again, but Justin Fields had just 145 passing yards. Surprisingly, that’s not his fewest passing yards in a single game his season, it’s his third-fewest. Where Fields lacked as a passer, he made up for with his legs, rushing for 59 yards and two touchdowns to help run past the Raiders. With the Steelers at 4-2, it’s hard to imagine Russell Wilson taking over any time soon.

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The NFL’s highest-paid quarterback stumbled at home against Detroit, passing for a season-low 178 yards. That may have been acceptable, if he hadn’t thrown two interceptions to Brian Branch while helping Dallas put up just nine points on the scoreboard. He’s now one away from trying Will Levis for the most interceptions in the NFL, and the Cowboys are 3-3. The good news is they have a bye week to figure things out.

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Unlike the last time he took the field, Jared Goff wasn’t perfect on Sunday. But you could have fooled us from looking at the scoreboard where Goff passed for three touchdowns in a convincing 47-9 win over the Cowboys. Goff once again benefited from his receivers making him look good, but the Lions will take it when it leads to him averaging a robust 12.6 yards per attempt.

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A week after passing for a new career-high 509 yards, Cousins didn’t do anything flashy in Atlanta’s Week 6 win. But on a day when the Falcons ran for 198 yards, Cousins didn’t need to risk it to earn his biscuit. He did his job, completing 19-of-30 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, while avoiding turnovers. Most importantly, the Falcons are 4-2.

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Geno Smith still leads the NFL in passing yards, but he could have been a lot better the past two weeks. On Thursday, he completed just 57.7% of his passes and had two interceptions. Failing to connect with DK Metcalf downfield while making other crucial mistakes won’t help his standing in our NFL QB Rankings.

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Murray was playing short-handed early on when Marvin Harrison Jr. left the game in the second quarter with a concussion. Without him, the Cardinals’ offense was punchless, aside from tight end Trey McBride, who racked up 96 yards on eight receptions. Murray lost one of three of Arizona’s fumbles and only managed to get in the end zone once. It wasn’t his best day.

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OK, so maybe Sam Darnold isn’t an MVP candidate. The former No. 3 overall pick still has the highest touchdown rate of his career, but the most impressive part of his start is leading the Vikings to an undefeated record. However, Darnold showed more flaws against the Jets, where he finished with just a 45% completion rate plus a badly thrown interception. Yet, Darnold’s still having an excellent season, setting himself up for a massive payday in free agency.

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Taking on a Cardinals defense that allowed the seventh-most points per game entering Week 6, Jordan Love was in complete control. For the first time this season, Love completed more than 59.3% of his passes, going 22-of-32 (68.7%) for 258 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception on a play where his receiver slipped. Once again, Love was too good to contain.

While there are times when Purdy simply gets lucky escaping danger, and other times when his receivers make him look great by racking up massive chunks of yardage after the catch, he’s also frequently threading the needle downfield. But Purdy’s success is not just some stroke of genius by Kyle Shanahan, this is a QB who has the deepest average depth of target this season at 10.2 yards.

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A week after passing for just 180 yards, Josh Allen had the lowest completion rate in his career, at a pathetic 30%. Allen’s nine completions did go for 131 yards and a touchdown, and he added 54 yards as a rusher, but this was easily his ugliest stat line of the season. Yet, Allen also fell victim to several dropped passes from his receivers. Maybe it’s time Buffalo makes an offer for Davante Adams that’s too good to refuse.

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It took until Week 5, but Mahomes finally had his first 300-yard game of the season. Seeing JuJu Smith-Schuster come back to life surely helped. If Mahomes can maintain that momentum while building chemistry with the rest of his receivers, Kansas City’s offense could be ready to explode after the bye.

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The current frontrunner to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award, Jayden Daniels may not have been able to overcome the Ravens, but he didn’t hurt his candidacy either. He’s still among the NFL leaders in fewest interceptions thrown, and leads all quarterbacks in completion rate. Daniels had a career-high 269 passing yards in Week 6 but a career-low 22 rushing yards, getting bottled up by Baltimore’s league-best rushing D.

The Texans cruised to victory in Week 6, thanks to 192 rushing yards and two scores. Yet, C.J. Stroud was also effective when his number was called on a day when Houston’s passing attack mostly played it safe. There was one tipped pass interception on a throw that never should have been attempted. But Stroud was otherwise potent, passing for 192 yards and three touchdowns,

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The Buccaneers won, but they gave the Saints many chances to steal the game. Despite the win, Baker Mayfield’s MVP candidacy took a big hit after throwing three interceptions. Yet, Mayfield salvaged his day with 325 passing yards and four touchdowns while taking just one sack. Overall, he had a good day, but a better opponent would have made him pay for the three turnovers.

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Who knew Joe Burow had wheels too? Burrow’s sudden 47-yard touchdown rush on 3rd-and-18 may have changed the outcome of the Bengals’ narrow win in Week 6. He certainly set the tone, showing he’s willing to do whatever it takes to carry his team to victory. Burrow also had a clutch 29-yard strike near the left sideline to help seal the Bengals’ win on a day where the only time he scored came on the ground.

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Completing 76.9% of his passes, Jackson’s biggest mistake came on a tipped-pass interception on the Ravens’ first drive of the game in Week 6. He was excellent afterward, averaging a dangerous 12.4 yards per attempt while going off for 323 passing yards. He didn’t do as much on the ground, where he ran for 40 yards, but Jackson did have a heads-up fumble recovery on a botched snap in what ended up being a one-possession game. He keeps the top spot in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings for another week after a great all-around performance.

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