Who’s playing well after Week One? Ranking the top 15 NFL Quarterbacks

These rankings are based on our preseason rankings combined with how each QB's week;y performances, so hopefully, one performance won’t skew things too much. These are written before the TNF game featuring Jalen Hurts and Kirk Cousins so if one of those two stinks up the joint, things could rapidly change next week.

Smith and the Seahawks were rattled against the Rams in their opening game of 2023, never able to get anything going on either side of the ball. Don’t expect this to continue as Smith has shown he can bounce back from adversity in the past. He is too good not to improve.

Mac Jones wasn’t perfect against the Eagles in the Pats’ week one home opener but he certainly kept the game closer than it could have been after facing a 16-0 deficit after the first quarter. With a quick release time and good accuracy, the ex-Bama QB certainly benefitted from having a real offensive coordinator. His weak arm strength did cost him at times.

There are many who doubted Purdy would be able to continue his incredible form from last season and certainly a good few of us will be eating crow already. Purdy wasn’t in our top-15 preseason but it might be time to give the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant his flowers.

A slight sip from his preseason ranking of 12, Kirk Cousins matched everyone’s expectations against the Bucs. He threw for over 300 yards but costly turnovers showcased exactly why he’s never been able to become anything more than a ‘good’ quarterback.

Many NFL insiders started to believe in Jordan Love after reports emerged of good play during preseason and training camp and he delivered on that belief in week one. He did play the Bears who are truly awful but ultimately that’s not his fault and he was dishing all over the field.

An early riser in 2023 after starting the season ranked number 15 in our preseason list, Goff looked every bit the franchise QB as the Lions went into Arrowhead Stadium and defeated the Chiefs. Great accuracy and decision-making combined with talented offensive weapons and a very good O-line means Goff could continue to raise his level this season.

Hurts was bad against the Pats for the most part, missing open receivers and looking jittery in the pocket at times. It was certainly not the composed performance we have become accustomed to seeing from the Eagles’ signal-caller. He’ll bounce back but this was not one to remember.

No movement for Dak here as he barely had to try against a Giants team that was beaten within five minutes of the opening kickoff. The Cowboys look formidable so it could well be Dak doesn’t need to force much this season, quite the luxury for a QB.

Lawrence has all the talent in the world, and at times it shines through. His opening TD pass to Calvin Ridley was a thing of beauty showcasing his athleticism and accuracy on the run. If Lawrence was a stock, we’d be buying now before his price gets too high.

What a performance from Tua, throwing for nearly 500 yards and three touchdowns. The caveat would be his interception was avoidable and the offense around his is perfect for his aggressive, middle-of-the-field style. This takes nothing away from Tua, who could well continue to rise if he keeps this level.

Herbert played very well against the Dolphins so tough to move him down from our preseason number five spot, despite losing to number six in week one. Kellen Moore has Herbert playing with a bit more aggression than previous iterations which can only be a good thing.

Lamar wasn’t great against the Texans, he looked a little rusty after not playing for a while and with a new supporting cast around him. The positives were his running didn’t look hampered at all by previous injuries and his wide receivers look talented. Expect Jackson to just get better and better.

Allen was bad against the Jets on Monday Night Football as he reverted to his rookie style of play. This could be worrisome for the Bills as Allen’s play is such a huge part of what makes them genuine contenders. He’s too good to no re-find some form but for now, he needs to take a look at what made him so good at the start of last year and try to get back to that headspace.

Joe Burrow had one of the worst games of his career and somehow has risen a spot. He’s clearly amongst the best QBs in the league and one game in horrible weather shouldn’t knock him too much (Allen also played below his best at the end of 2022, relax!). If he doesn’t improve we could well see this top-three changing quite quickly, though.

Yes, he lost at home in week one, yes he didn’t quite look at his best but he is still Patrick Mahomes, possibly the greatest to ever do it. The loss was far more on his receiving corps (or dropping corps as the case may be!) as Kadarius Toney simply couldn’t hold onto the football. Mahomes has to do a lot, lot worse before we consider moving him down from one.