NFL quarterback rankings at the season’s halfway point

The 2023 NFL season has seen yards and points drop for offenses across the boards, with quarterbacks putting up stat lines that are far less eye-watering than in recent years. That being said, there are still plenty of great QBs in the league. Here are our top 15 through nine weeks of the season.

Mayfield is, and always will be an average NFL quarterback. He is a battler who refuses to give up and the Buccaneers have won more games than some expected largely due to his play. He has probably earned himself another year or as a starter though which is a very commendable effort for a player many had written off.

Smith has always been a risk-taker under center, willing to try passes many QBs wouldn’t. This has helped the Seahawks reach 5-3 and a share of the NFC West lead, but his turnovers have always hampered a team that isn’t quite as talented as some others in the division.

Stafford exited the game against the Cowboys in week eight and was unable to play in week nine against the Packers. Immediately the Rams went from competitive to underwhelming, showing how pivotal Stafford has been in making this Rams season not a complete disaster.

This may seem too low to some as Goff has been very good, but so much of his success comes from within the fantastically designed structure of the offense. It takes real skill to operate a system as well as Goff has, but given the help he receives, he takes a slight knock.

Stroud is having one of the best seasons ever for a rookie QB, breaking the record for most passing yards in a game during the Texans’s dramatic win against the Bucs in week nine. His 470 yards and five TDs would have alerted some to his talent, if only the Panthers had spotted it seven months ago…

A bit of a mixed bag for Herbert so far in 2023, some weeks he’s playing to his usual high standards, and others there seems to be something slightly off with him and the offense. Injuries and a change of scheme haven’t helped so expect the Chargers to iron things out down the stretch.

Jags fans must be overjoyed to have a competent quarterback-coach axis for the first time maybe ever in their franchise history. Lawrence is a big reason why they look set to make the playoffs for the second year in a row and maybe even win a couple of games there too. He has too many bad throws to be amongst the real elite, but he’s not far off.

Yes, we know he’s injured and out for the year, but Cousins was playing his best football before he got injured, which somehow sums up his career in a strange way. There’s always something that stops him from getting to the next level, but this year felt different until it wasn’t. A real shame for Cousins and the Vikings.

For the most part this season, Prescott has been playing incredible football. He has certainly had his slip-ups, notably against the 49ers, but outside of that, he’s leading an immensely talented Cowboys team with poise and precision, something his head coach might want to try at some point.

We have to recognize quite how much Burrow’s calf injury was hampering him during the early weeks of the season. He was unable to move with freedom making him a sitting duck in the pocket behind a less-than-stellar o-line. The past three weeks have seen the Bengals beat Seattle, the 49ers, and the Bills, with Burrow playing at a high level each time.

Tua has been playing the best football of his young NFL career this season, putting up remarkable numbers at times. So far the Dolphins and Tua have struggled when they’ve played the elite teams which knocks him slightly in our rankings. At some point, he needs to have a true statement game to show he and the ‘Phins are ready for January football.

Allen is unlike any quarterback in the NFL, he plays best outside of structure and takes risks others wouldn’t even dream of, yet for the most part that seems to work for him. This year it has led to mixed success and it has seen his Bills side slip to 5-4 on the year. He’s a truly elite talent but hasn’t had the best nine weeks of his career so far this year.

Battling a clearly injured knee, Hurts is finding ways to get it done for Philly. Unable to use his legs as much as he’d like, he’s becoming an elite pocket passer instead. Admittedly throwing to A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith helps, but Hurts is having a great season so far. The effectiveness of the ‘Brotherly Shove’ is largely down to him as well.

Mahomes is playing about as well as he can do given how limited his receivers are. The Dolphins showed it’s possible to slow down Travis Kelce enough that the pressure lies elsewhere and the Chiefs struggled. This only goes to show how good Mahomes is, but this is by no means his best season (so far).

Some fans might not realize it, but Lamar Jackson is playing lights out this season on a Ravens side positioning itself as a favorite for the Super Bowl. He hasn’t been required to use his legs too much but is still nigh on unstoppable when he does. If the MVP was decided now, Jackson could well be the winner.