Ranking NFL quarterbacks has never been more difficult. The league has never seen so many good passers (and runners) at the position as it has in 2019, from rising young stars to accomplished veterans with plenty of above-average players in between.
Because our preseason rankings weren't enough, we will keep doing weekly updates based on the natural fluctuation of football's most important position.
This week near the top, we welcome back a healthy Drew Brees and Matt Ryan to the mix while we wait on Patrick Mahomes to return. Near the bottom, we account for the sudden pocket changes the Bengals and Broncos just made.
From the best to the worst current starters for every team,, let the debate continue:
WEEK 9 NFL PICKS: Against the spread | Straight-up
NFL quarterback power rankings: Week 9
1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (1)
Rodgers took back his familiar top spot after ripping the Raiders for 6 TDs, and then he went out and had more fun picking apart the Chiefs with his own OG Mahomes-style magic. He's found his sweet spot in Matt LaFleur's offense to also nab the MVP lead.
2. Russell Wilson, Seahawks (2)
Wilson stays right here with his easy pickings against the Falcons on the road, ahead of a another terrific stats-padding matchup against the Buccaneers at home. He still is very much in the conversation for his first MVP, but there's another QB gaining on him.
3. Deshaun Watson, Texans (4)
Their pass defense already was bad and it doesn't have J.J. Watt anymore. The run defense is good, but the rushing offense is inconsistent. Watson's dynamic running and passing, even when he's being chased, hit or can't see, is the reason Houston even has a playoff chance. He had his MVP-case moment against the Raiders, and more are bound to come.
4. Drew Brees, Saints (not ranked)
The Saints went 5-0 without Brees with Teddy Bridgewater. Some thought it was wrong to put Brees back in there right after his right thumb was healed before a bye. But then you can see why he wanted to play, to remind everyone he's fine and elite again. He gives New Orleans a higher Super Bowl ceiling, picking apart defenses to support his running game and own defense.
5. Tom Brady, Patriots (3)
Here's the story for Brady: The GOAT is more just very very good for right now as there are some natural limitations in the offense around him with blocking issues, a struggling power running game and no consistent vertical threat. The high-level grinding Brady tends to be more dangerous than the prolific Brady in the big picture, however.
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6. Dak Prescott, Cowboys (5)
Prescott comes back from a bye with his offensive tackles and wide receivers healthier. He's locked into Kellen Moore's explosive attack and now the running game with Ezekiel Elliott is back on track to further facilitate his superb play-action passing. Don't forget about Dak's timely gritty running as well.
7. Kirk Cousins, Vikings (7)
Cousins is having his best season. He's operating so well as a downfield thrower playing off the team's consistent dominance with Dalvin Cook's running and receiving behind a superior zone-blocking scheme. He leads the NFL with a ridiculous 9.3 yards per attempt while rating 115.2 in efficiency.
8. Matthew Stafford, Lions (8)
Stafford is having his best season. He's above a century in passer rating for the first time (105.3) at an equally impressive 8.4 yards per attempt. This was supposed to be a team relying on its running game and defense, but that's out the window. He's carried them to 3-3-1 and the Lions would be well south of .500 without him. Darrell Bevell's offense is the perfect fit.
9. Lamar Jackson, Ravens (6)
Jackson returns from a bye on pace to rush for 1,152 yards and 6 TDs and throw for 3,300 yards and 22 TDs, balanced numbers from a quarterback we have never seen before in the NFL. If he can take down the Patriots with his playmaking, he will definitely create a fearsome foursome in the MVP race.
10. Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (14)
Garoppolo is now 16-2 as an NFL starter with the Niners opening up 8-0. It was hard to rate how he was doing before the Week 9 breakout against the Cardinals (28-of-37, 317 yards, 4 TDs) because he didn't needed to do much with the running game and defense smashing opponents most weeks. He's now up to a 70.8 completion percentage, a stellar 100.6 rating and a hearty 8.0 yards per attempt because of well-placed deep balls and run-after-catch big plays.
11. Carson Wentz, Eagles (9)
Wentz is another hard guy to rate this season because it's clear the Eagles have a squeezed passing game without wide receiver DeSean Jackson, whose return from an abdomen injury is imminent. He's only at 6.9 yards per attempt and 94.0 rating. He's doing his typical physical and mental relentless grinding, however, to keep the Eagles in playoff contention.
12. Matt Ryan Falcons (not ranked)
Ryan was forced to miss his first game in 10 years in Week 8 so you know he's itching to get back out there and help his 1-7 team save face after the bye. He's been put in an impossible situation to win games, given Atlanta's defense is atrocious and its running game is mostly nonexistent. Despite throwing while trailing under heavy pressure, he's hung in there at 7.6 yards per attempt, 310 yards per game and a strong 98.7 rating. It's not his fault.
13. Gardner Minshew, Jaguars (16)
if Nick Bosa is the runaway top defensive rookie, than Minshew has to be considered the top offensive rookie. He's 4-3 as a starter and on pace to throw for 3,952 yards and 26 TDs with a stellar 98.8 rating. He's approaching Prescott and Wilson levels of first-year high efficiency.
14. Jacoby Brissett, Colts (10)
Brissett has the team at 5-2 and well positioned to return to the playoffs while filling the big cleats of Andrew Luck. He's doing it in a different way with the support of the offensive line, running game and diverse receiving corps. When he doesn't have his best, he digs deep to make a play when it counts with his arm or legs. The YPA needs to go up from 6.9, but the 99.3 rating is exceeding expectations after Luck was at 98.7 in what was considered to be a great final season.
15. Derek Carr, Raiders (20)
Here's another long-time franchise quarterback having his best season as he's found the groove with Jon Gruden and Greg Olson. Carr deserves a lot more credit for matching a league-high 72.1 percent completion percentage with a career-best 7.7 YPA. His reward is a 103.6 rating with the Raiders back in playoff contention.
NFL BACKUP QB QUIZ:
Can you name your favorite team's second-stringer?
16. Jared Goff, Rams (11)
Goff has now picked apart back-to-back bad defenses, the Falcons and the Bengals. But it looks like after the bye, he'll be dealing with another key midseason wide receiver injury to Brandin Cooks. Cooper Kupp proved to be his indispensable target last season and looks better now. A tough defensive stretch against the Steelers, Bears and Ravens will define his down-and-up season. For now he leads the NFL in passing yards.
17. Kyler Murray, Cardinals (15)
Murray is putting up a solid above-average rookie year. He needed that sparkling game against the 49ers' tough pass defense to give him good momentum for the second half. His rating of 89.2 remains below average vs. the rest of the NFL, but you can't ignore the boost his recent amped-up running (now up to 313 yards, 2 TDs) gives him overall.
18. Philip Rivers, Chargers (12)
A lot about where Rivers is ranked here is based on plenty of past Hall of Fame equity as his 12:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio has helped compute a 92.5 efficiency rating, down a whopping 13 points from 2018. It's also his lowest number there since a forgettable final '16 season in San Diego when he led the league with 21 INTs. He can and should do a lot better in the second half.
18. Jameis Winston, Buccaneers (18)
Winston's interceptions again are not all what they appear to be and Bruce Arians knows that, but that helps his stock only so much. Winston has been aggressive pushing the ball downfield, which has led to his 7.9 YPA. But he needs to reel it in with the degree of difficulty, as his completion percentage is only 58.2, and with 12 INTs, that has put his rating at 82.1. Winston must mesh old-school gunslinger with new-school efficiency better fast to ensure his re-signing.
19. Baker Mayfield, Browns (17)
The kid is certainly mired in a sophomore slump, as his 6 TDs to 12 INTs and subsequent 67.8 ratings are remedial marks given the overall pass-happy success in the NFL. But there's still time to correct things and live up to unreasonable expectations more reasonably. It starts with the team running more, taking pressure off the offensive line and setting up Mayfield to spread the ball around more effectively.
20. Ryan Tannehill, Titans (19)
Tannehill has done what Marcus Mariota couldn't do — wake up their talented and versatile receiver corps by actually aggressively throwing to them all over the field. The 73.1 completion percentage, 8.3 YPA and 108.3 rating in two home starts and wins against reeling defenses is one thing. Another is coming through in bigger games against tougher teams, such as the Panthers in Week 9.
22. Daniel Jones, Giants (25)
There were a few more Danny Dimes delivered in Detroit, as he dared to drop back and dump darts to Darius Slayton to do downfield damage. The kid is a keeper, and he's hanging in there with a rookie-like 84.4 rating with consistent hints of his upside.
23. Matt Moore, Chiefs (24)
Moore's strong production in the loss to the Packers proves that Andy Reid's system carries a high floor and Patrick Mahomes simply puts it at an unrivaled ceiling. It's not his fault they lost without Mahomes and may do so again at home against the Vikings — it remains more so that he defense is bad and hurting more.
24. Josh Allen, Bills (23)
He's the first of three Allens to make this list this week, and none of them are Steve, Byron or Alfie. Allen seems to be about the same QB he was as a rookie, only with more help and less overall reckless abandon. He's only slightly better at 6.7 YPA and a 80.4 passer rating. He also has been much less effective as a runner.
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25. Mason Rudolph, Steelers (27)
Rudolph had a rocky start against the Dolphins and was bailed out by big plays by his wide receivers. He seems a little skittish and tentative throwing at times, leading to some literal gross inaccuracy. But there's no doubt the arm talent and head are there to keep working to put it all together to prove he should be Big Ben's more permanent successor.
26. Sam Darnold, Jets (22)
Darnold showed us something promising against the Cowboys upon his return, but then the Patriots' and Jaguars' defenses prompted him to come crashing back down like a regressing rookie instead of an improving second-year QB. He needs to use the Dolphins as a get-well game and Adam Gases needs to get him, right, stat for both of their sakes.
27. Kyle Allen, Panthers (21)
We're up to Allen No. 2 on this week's countdown. He is keeping his feet on the ground and reaching for the stars while Cam Newton remains out with foot injury, but in tougher matchups he's been overexposed and therefore underwhelmed. One more bad game and a loss will probably time with a Newton return.
28. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins (29)
Fitzpatrick had a little Fitzmagic against the Steelers early, until former Dolphin Minkah Fitzpatrick showed a little bit more on the other side. This Fitzpatrick remains a fearless leader and that has Miami more competitive, but he still has that hard, low journeyman ceiling at age 36.
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29. Mitchell Trubisky, Bears (31)
Trubisky keeps giving Chicago reasons to think it needs to cut bait and accept he's trending toward bust. Matt Nagy questioning his body language is not a good sign for his long-term prospects as long as the coach is around. Trubisky needs to show something against the Eagles' weak pass defense to try to save the Bears' season.
30. Ryan Finley, Bengals (not ranked)
Finley had a pretty good preseason as a rookie fourth-round pick and with Zac Taylor deciding to bench Andy Dalton, he becomes the fourth NC State starting QB in the NFL behind Wilson, Brissett and Rivers. We'll see what he does after the bye with healthy A.J. Green, but the systemic problems could also hurt his development on the fly.
31. Dwayne Haskins, Redskins (not ranked)
Haskins will make his first official start with Case Keenum not ready to play post-concussion at the Bills. What we have seen from Haskins so far is a raw talent with great downfield passing upside, but plenty of evidence he needs to be coached up much better post-Jay Gruden with Bill Callahan and Kevin O'Connell. It might be rough out there for a while.
32. Brandon Allen, Broncos (not ranked)
Allen takes over for long-shelved Joe Flacco until rookie Drew Lock is healthy to play with his thumb injury. Keep in mind this third Allen starting in Week 9 couldn't push to get starts behind Blake Bortles with the Jaguars and displaced by Bortles with the Rams right before the '19 season.
