QB Index, Week 13: Quarterback Power Rankings
Move over, Russell Wilson. Lamar Jackson, fresh off another scintillating performance, knocks the Seahawks QB from his perch atop NFL.com's QB rankings. See the updated pecking order entering Week 13.
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RANK
1
Lamar Jackson
Individual Rank: Bhanpuri: 1 | Blair: 1 | Filice: 1 | Parr: 1
2019 stats: 11 games | 66.9 pct | 2,427 pass yds | 8.1 ypa | 24 pass TD | 5 INT | 876 rush yds | 6 rush TD | 0 fumbles lost
Bhanpuri: Lamar Jackson is the best player in the NFL. Not just because we ranked him No. 1 on this list (though, we are the top authority on the subject), but because every shred of evidence --
the tape,
the stats,
his teammates,
his opponents -- has proven it to be true. At a time when football fans are celebrating the league's
100th season, debating the roster of the
NFL 100 All-Time Team, lauding
Patrick Mahomes' incredible arm talent, fawning over
Russell Wilson's breathtaking downfield passing, and cherishing the GOAT coach and GOAT QB as they continue to rewrite the history books, it's
Lamar Jackson who's become the NFL's best story. He is that mesmerizing, that
electrifying, that inexplicably unique. Moreover, he's that
fun. I missed most of Monday night's thrashing in real time, as I was boarding a plane just as the game kicked off. I streamed the
Ravens' first two possessions on my phone from my seat, glued to the 4.7-inch screen and indifferent to potential data charges. And then, for the first time in the history of air travel, an on-time departure was an annoyance rather than an advantage. The
Ravens had just received a kickoff, which meant
Lamar Jackson and Baltimore's power-based offense were about to try and make it three TDs in three tries (they'd end up going six for their first six). Sorry, United, but the
Ravens QB1 is infinitely more compelling than whatever options were available in your in-flight entertainment system.
Men in Black: International can't compete with five touchdown passes, a third straight 139-plus passer rating and another magnificent rushing effort.
For all the people who worried the NFL lacked the requisite star power to survive without Peyton Manning and
Tom Brady and
Drew Brees, similar to how the post-MJ, pre-Lebron NBA struggled to remain relevant at the turn of the millennium, all I can say is, rest easy. Lamar, Russell, Patrick, Deshaun and Dak got the league on lock. Pro football couldn't be in better hands.
RANK
2
Russell Wilson
Individual Rank: Bhanpuri: 2 | Blair: 2 | Filice: 2 | Parr: 2
2019 stats: 11 games | 67.3 pct | 2,937 pass yds | 8.3 ypa | 24 pass TD | 3 INT | 271 rush yds | 3 rush TD | 2 fumbles lost
Bhanpuri: Although Jackson has stripped Wilson of the belt this week, the margin separating the two passers is as narrow as a (space) needle. If you think there's a gulf, not a gap, dividing these two superstars, then you're clearly not watching the games. While it wasn't quite five touchdown passes on 20 attempts, Wilson's performance this past weekend was far worse on paper than it was on tape, as rookie wideout
D.K. Metcalf dropped multiple down-field passes -- one would've been a touchdown -- and a swirling wind affected opportunities through the air for both teams. Despite the unfavorable conditions, the six-time Pro Bowler still threw some absolute gems against an improved
Eagles secondary, including a jaw-dropping and improbable
33-yard bomb to
Malik Turner after some initial flea flicker trickery. Yes, the
Seahawks' offense should've done better than 17 points when their defense gifted them five turnovers. And yes, Wilson overshot a wide open
Jacob Hollister for an easy touchdown. But even Michael Jordan airballed an open 17-footer at some point (probably with the Wizards). The
Seahawks passer has made the remarkable look so routine in his eight-year career, but especially this season, that it's easy to become numb to his pinpoint accuracy on chunk-yard plays. Don't. Appreciate his artwork. Feel grateful for each and every
wow completion, and his willingness to provide us with greatness at the position on a weekly basis. The battle for QB supremacy just kicked into high gear. Don't be surprised if there's an aggressive tug of war for the top spot over the next six weeks.
RANK
10
Kyler Murray
Individual Rank: Bhanpuri: 11 | Blair: 13 | Filice: 8 | Parr: 10
2019 stats: 11 games | 64.6 pct | 2,703 pass yds | 6.9 ypa | 14 pass TD | 5 INT | 418 rush yds | 3 rush TD | 0 fumbles lost
Blair: While the Final Word on every quarterback drafted in recent years changes drastically from week to week, Murray continues to develop in the background, making strides and stumbling as a rookie in the relative anonymity of the desert. We'll see if Murray, coming off his Week 12 bye, is able to press a
Rams defense that might still be trying to figure out
where the ball is after getting run over by
Lamar Jackson. In the meantime, in the spirit of the developing theme unifying all my QBI blurbs (don't judge quarterbacks too early), consider this: Murray, who has been picked off just once since Week 4, has a chance to become just the third quarterback in NFL history to finish with a passer rating of 90-plus while throwing fewer than eight picks as a rookie. The other two to do that?
Dak Prescott (23:4 TD-to-INT ratio, 104.9 passer rating in 2016) and
Robert Griffin III (20:5 TD-to-INT ratio, 102.4 passer rating in 2012).
RANK
11
Jimmy Garoppolo
Individual Rank: Bhanpuri: 13 | Blair: 9 | Filice: 10 | Parr: 11
2019 stats: 11 games | 68.8 pct | 2,731 pass yds | 8.1 ypa | 20 pass TD | 10 INT | 41 rush yds | 1 rush TD | 4 fumbles lost
Blair: Other than a handful of sacks, Jimmy G was
crisp when called upon in a blowout win over the
Packers, setting new highs in yards per attempt (12.7) and passer rating in a start (145.8). Appearing to have attained symbiosis with Kyle Shanahan's offensive scheme, Garoppolo was decisive in getting the ball in the hands of his playmakers, including, of course,
George Kittle, located on a wide-open 61-yard scoring bomb, and
Deebo Samuel, who scored a 42-yard touchdown that included 29 yards blazed after the catch. With Kittle back in the fold after a two-game absence, I expect Garoppolo to put the up-and-down early portion of his season behind him and ascend these rankings down the stretch. Oh, and there's this: While fully acknowledging the absolute lack of real-world import of the QB Index, I have to point out that Jimmy G HAS PASSED TOM BRADY FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON. Adjust your understanding of the universe accordingly.
RANK
24
Jared Goff
Individual Rank: Bhanpuri: 23 | Blair: 23 | Filice: 22 | Parr: 24
2019 stats: 11 games | 61.2 pct | 2,995 pass yds | 7.3 ypa | 11 pass TD | 12 INT | 18 rush yds | 2 rush TD | 5 fumbles lost
Filice: Playing the Washington Generals to
Lamar Jackson's Harlem Globetrotters on Monday night, Goff posted his fourth multi-pick game of 2019. He had three during his first two seasons
combined under Sean McVay. The
Rams' 39-point defeat was
the worst home loss in franchise history. Goff himself hasn't fallen by a margin that big since he was a true freshman starter on a 1-11 Cal team. Over the last three weeks, the 25-year-old QB has turned the ball over six times while failing to generate a single touchdown. Friendly reminder: We're 85 days removed from Goff inking a $134 million extension featuring
an NFL record $110 million guaranteed.