Week 12 NFL QB Rankings: Josh Allen and Jared Goff steal the spotlight

How Cooper Rush hasn’t been benched for Trey Lance is mind-boggling. Rush may have gotten up to 354 passing yards last game, but he needed 55 attempts to do so, and he only completed 58.2% of those passes. He also took five sacks and threw an interception. It’s time for the Cowboys to search for a better backup quarterback, but they might already have on on their roster.

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A week after coming within six points of defeating the Vikings, Mac Jones came back down to earth against Detroit, with the Jaguars suffering their worst loss in franchise history. Jones was predictably atrocious, averaging just 4.9 YPA while throwing one interception and avoiding the endzone like the plague.

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Bryce Young has won back-to-back starts for the first time in the former No. 1 overall pick’s career. Like usual, the stat line wasn’t pretty. Young completed 15-of-25 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Yet, he also didn’t commit any turnovers for just the fifth time in 21 career starts. Overall, the Panthers will take this, even if it’s just a baby step of progress.

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Gardner Minshew and the Raiders deserve credit for putting up a tough fight against a surging Dolphins team. Minshew completed 30-of-43 passes for 282 yards to go with two touchdowns and an interception, while helping Brock Bowers enjoy a monstrous 126-yard, one touchdown performance. Yet, it wasn’t enough to topple a Miami offense that was firing on all cylinders.

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Will Levis showed plenty of spunk against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, where he had the NFL’s longest touchdown of the season, a 98-yard bomb to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. He otherwise had several other impressive throws, some that were called back due to illegal formations and other penalties, but if nothing else, he once again showed he has an NFL-caliber arm capable of making every throw.

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Turning back to Anthony Richardson after a two-week benching seemed to be the right decision for a Colts team that advanced to 5-6 with a big win over the Jets on Sunday. This time, Richardson was a big reason why the Colts won, accounting for all three of the team’s touchdowns, but he did lose a fumble on a strip-sack. Still, this was a good sign for Richardson’s development, especially because he completed 66.7% of his passes.

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Firing Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron seemed to light a spark in Chicago’s offense in Week 11. Caleb Williams had his highest completion rate since Week 6, at 74.1%. He also had his highest passing yardage total since Week 5, reaching 231 yards, and that’s not even accounting for the 70 he picked up as a rusher. The former No. 1 pick didn’t get into the scoring column this week, but he deserves credit for avoiding turnovers too.

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A week after one of his best starts of the season, Daniel Jones had a game to forget, throwing two interceptions. Both were a bit fluky, with one robbed from his target’s hands and another bouncing in the air off a helmet into the arms of a defender. Jones had chances to hit wide open receivers, but he failed to overcome pressure from the Panthers. He finished with just 190 passing yards and a completion rate of 59.4% while having a rushing touchdown on a goal-line rollout. While his numbers should be better, considering Jones has fallen victim to the most dropped passes in the NFL. If we take those 24 drops away, Jones would have a sparkly 70.3% completion rate. Yet, the Giants have benched Jones to try to avoid his $23M injury guarantee in 2025.

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Drake Maye nearly outdueled former No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford. That alone should feel like a moral victory. While a lost fumble and late-game interception throw off the final stat line a bit, Maye still finished with 282 yards and two passing touchdowns on 30-of-40 completions. Overall, this felt like another step in the right direction.

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No one had more passing yards in Week 11 than Jameis Winston’s 395-yard day. He also had two passing touchdowns to give Winston a great day for fantasy football owners. Winston was absolutely cruising until the team’s final three drives, where Cleveland couldn’t score any points in the fourth quarter. Still, this was a good game to put on the former No. 1 overall pick’s resume.

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If you’re not off the bandwagon yet, it’s time to ditch the Jets’ cart altogether. While it’s still unknown whether he”ll return to the Jets or even play football in 2025, Aaron Rodgers is a shell of his former self. The latest evidence came on Sunday, when the four-time NFL MVP needed 21 completions just to get 173 passing yards. He did muster two passing touchdowns, but we haven’t seen him look elite at all this season.

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Bo Nix took advantage of playing against the NFL’s worst pass rush on Sunday, tying a new career-high with four touchdowns. Except unlike his previous best, this time they all came through the air. Nix was nearly perfect, completing 28-of-33 passes for a new personal best 307 passing yards while getting the Broncos a big win to move to 6-5.

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The Steelers are 4-0 since Russell Wilson took over starting duties, and Sunday’s win was their biggest yet. Wilson did make mistakes, like his redzone interception, or taking four sacks. But he also helped swing momentum in Pittsburgh’s favor by making several big-time throws, including three for 20 or more yards. Otherwise, Wilson’s 205-yard passing day wasn’t anything special to write home about.

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Geno Smith saved his best for last against the 49ers, waiting until the fourth quarter to scramble for what resulted in a 16-yard-game winning touchdown. It was a big win for Seattle, placing them in a three-way tie for second place in the NFC West. Yet, losing a fumble and throwing an interception marred what was otherwise a fairly productive day.

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Jordan Love was his usual, risk-taking self, targeting chunk plays that impact the winning column. In doing so, Love finished with an eyebrow-raising 15.4 YPA, completing 13-of-17 passes for 261 yards plus a touchdown and a pick. Love also added another 18 rushing yards and a touchdown to ensure his Packers emerged victorious over the Bears.

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The Patriots put up a stronger fight than many expected, but it didn’t deter Matthew Stafford. The former Super Bowl winner needed just 18 completions to compile 295 passing yards and four touchdowns. He also avoided turnovers and didn’t get sacked once, putting together one of his best games of the season.

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Tua Tagovailoa’s getting his mojo back. On Sunday, that meant completing 28-of-36 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns. It may have just been the Raiders, but this could be the exact type of confidence boost that a 4-6 Dolphins team needs to make a late-season push.

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Taking on a Cowboys defense that allows the NFL’s second-most points, C.J. Stroud couldn’t even find the end zone in Dallas. The Texans tried getting aggressive in the first quarter, going for it on 4th-and-3, only for Stroud to throw an interception in which his target was nowhere close. But he also had his third-highest completion rate of the season in what was a mixed performance overall.

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Coming off arguably his worst game as a member of the Vikings, Sam Darnold re-wrote the storybook with another impressive chapter. Darnold did get saddled with a lost fumble on a miscommunicated HB toss, but otherwise, he was aggressive in targeting open receivers downfield. Jalen Nailor had a dropped touchdown, but it didn’t prevent Darnold from accounting for three other scores and amassing a respectable 246 passing yards. This was another strong game to put on Darnold’s resume before he tests free agency and finds another starting job elsewhere.

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With the Saints on the ropes, Derek Carr threw his team on his back and carried them to a convincing 35-14 win over the Browns. Carr was excellent, completing 21-of-27 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns, and he even had time to let Taysom Hill take a few snaps from the shotgun, too.

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The $180 million QB didn’t have any answers against a top-five Broncos defense on Sunday. You’d have to go back to his Falcons debut to find a day where Cousins had fewer than the 173 passing yards he had against Denver. Making matters worse, Cousins didn’t even get into the end zone, yet had an interception and three sacks to put the Falcons in a tough spot.

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Brock Purdy struggled playing without George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk this week. He still completed 21-of-28 passes, but they only accounted for 159 passing yards to go with a touchdown and an interception. Purdy did add another 40 yards and a rushing score on the ground, but having just one passing play over 20 yards clearly hurt San Francisco’s chances to win on Sunday.

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For the first time this season, Justin Herbert completed less than half of his passes. However, he also had his second-highest yardage total since Jim Harbaugh took over. Herbert recorded 297 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 17-of-36 passes. He also lost a fumble but otherwise made just enough plays with his arm and his legs to help advance the Chargers to a 7-3 record.

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Taking a backseat to another incredible performance from Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts was mostly quiet in Thursday night’s win over the Commanders. From missed throws to missed reads, Hurts wasn’t at his best, yet he managed to avoid turnovers while vulturing a goal-line touchdown from Barkley.

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Kyler Murray was phenomenal against a Jets team facing a must-win situation. But the former No. 1 overall pick showed no remorse, becoming the first player in NFL history to complete 85% of his passes while also having two rushing touchdowns. Murray ended with 266 passing yards and a ridiculous 11.1 YPA in what could only be described as a perfect game.

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The magic finally ran out. Patrick Mahomes has had a ‘down’ season by his standards, but with an undefeated record, it was hard to be too critical. That now changes after Mahomes’ two-interception day greatly reduced Kansas City’s chances of getting a convincing win to help come closer to securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Mahomes is now just three interceptions away from tying his new career-high in a single season.

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The former No. 1 overall pick has had several incredible performances this season, including a perfect completion rating in Week 4. Yet, Jared Goff’s best game might have come on Sunday, where he racked up a season-high 412 yards and four touchdowns while compiling a perfect passer rating. After helping the Lions score 49 points, Goff was able to rest for most of the fourth quarter, yet he still drastically improved his chances to win his first NFL MVP award.

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Mayfield had the fourth-fewest passing yards in his career in Sunday’s three-point loss to the 49ers. Which is to say Mayfield’s 116-yard, one-TD performance was his worst game in a Buccaneers uniform yet. Of course, facing the 49ers’ defense is never easy, but averaging just four yards per passing attempt is never acceptable.

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Even though he’s still the favorite to win NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, Jayden Daniels is coming off his worst stretch yet. Losing back-to-back games for the first time in his NFL career, he’s completed just 59% of his passes with just one touchdown and an interception over the past two weeks. Yet, he’s still thrown just three interceptions all season and is still having an excellent debut performance.

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After Sunday’s win, Josh Allen is now 4-1 against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the regular season. But he’d trade all those regular season wins for a chance to improve upon his 0-3 postseason record against Kansas City. Still, Allen had multiple momentum-shifting throws, like his 30-yard over-the-shoulder raindrop to Amari Cooper, or his 21-yard touchdown strike to Curtis Samuel. Overall, Allen did a good job avoiding negative plays, finishing with one interception and zero sacks.

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Even though he had trouble operating efficiently, where he completed just 56% of his passes, Joe Burrow continues to play at a very high level. He just had his fourth 300-yard game of the season, going off for 356 and three touchdowns against the NFL’s top-rated defense. Yet, it didn’t lead to a Bengals win, and now they have an incredibly tough road ahead in regards to snagging a playoff spot.

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Lamar Jackson’s MVP candidacy took a slight hit in Sunday’s loss against the Steelers. Jackson had a season-low 48.4 completion rate while the Ravens mustered just 16 points. While he still had a respectable yardage total, with 207 passing and 46 rushing yards, Jackson scored just one touchdown and had an interception robbed by Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson. Next up is a matchup against the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense, which could have a significant impact on his case to win his third MVP award.

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