QB Power Rankings, Week 6: Geno Smith breaks into the top-5

The NFL season continues to fly by as we are now entering Week 6 which means another week of quarterback power rankings. The battle between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen for MVP continues to be a tight-race. Both quarterbacks threw for four touchdowns in their respective wins. However, Mahomes remains atop the rankings, becoming the first quarterback to do so this season.

While Mahomes and Allen lead the way, Geno Smith continues to be the story of the season. With a better defense, Smith would likely join Mahomes and Allen in the MVP conversation.

Every week this season, I will be power-ranking the NFL quarterbacks based on their previous weeks’ performance. You can check out last week’s rankings here.

Tier 1

1. Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 1)

For the first time this season a quarterback hangs on to the top spot. He led the Chiefs back from a 17-0 deficit against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football, throwing four touchdown passes to Travis Kelce. He also had 292 passing yards in the win. Some doubted what Mahomes would be without Tyreek Hill. He’s shown that he’s still pretty good.

2. Josh Allen - Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 2)

Had Mahomes not had the game that he did against the Raiders, Josh Allen might have jumped into the top spot. Allen threw for 424 yards and four touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week. Allen leads the NFL in passing yards through Week 5.

3. Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 3)

Lamar Jackson became the fastest quarterback to 4000 career rushing yards last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. He led a masterful two-minute drive on Sunday night to set up a Justin Tucker game-winning field goal. He missed some throws against the Bengals, but when he needed to be sharp in clutch time, he was just that.

4. Geno Smith - Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: 8)

Yes, Geno Smith has moved into the top-5. However, it’s hard to deny that he deserves a spot there. He leads the NFL in passer rating, completion percentage over expectation, and overall PFF Grade. Smith is second in DYAR and DVOA. If the Seahawks had a defense and were 4-1 instead of 2-3, there is no doubt that he would deserve to be in the MVP conversation. Who knew Pete Carroll was a quarterback whisperer?

5. Justin Herbert - Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: 5)

Justin started slow against the Cleveland Browns, but it’s how he responded after trailing 14-0. Following the first two drives, he went 19-for-25 with 198 Yards, one touchdown, and a 111.8 passer rating. The Chargers may have gotten lucky to come out with a win, but without Herbert, they wouldn’t have stood a chance.

6. Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 4)

While Jalen Hurts has been the fourth best quarterback in EPA per play in the first half of games this season, he is just 20th in the second half. Hurts starts games strong, but falls off as the game goes on. That was the case again against the Arizona Cardinals. The Eagles quarterback is playing well this season, but he needs to put together complete performances.

7. Tom Brady - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 7)

Tom Brady finally has his receivers healthy and it’s showing. Against the Atlanta Falcons, he threw for 351 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. It was the first time in a win this season that he’s throw for over 300 yards. The Buccaneers and Brady should be able to find their groove before the tough stretch of their schedule hits.

8. Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers (Last Week: 6)

Aaron Rodgers has been stuck at the six spot for the last few weeks, but he finally drops down two places. Rodgers has been pretty average this season. To start the fourth quarter against the Packers, New York Giants lined up in Cover-1 on three straight plays, daring Rodgers to throw. The Packers went three-and-out. Rodgers doesn’t look like a back-to-back MVP to start the season.

Tier 2

9. Jimmy Garoppolo - San Francisco 49ers (Last Week: 17)

After a rough first game to start the season against the Denver Broncos, Jimmy Garoppolo has looked sharp over the last few weeks. He threw for an efficient 253 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. Garoppolo currently ranks top-5 in DVOA and EPA per play. He’s playing very well after beginning the season as the backup.

10. Jacoby Brissett - Cleveland Browns (Last Week: 11)

Had Trevor Lawrence and others played better on Sunday, Brissett probably wouldn’t crack the top-10. However, Brissett had a decent game against the Los Angeles Chargers and has been very good overall this season. He ranks sixth in QBR and EPA per play. His interception in the fourth quarter hurt the Browns, but even still, they win the game at the end if Cade York makes the field goal.

11. Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week: 11)

Since moving into the top-10 two weeks ago, Trevor Lawrence has put together back-to-back sub-par performances. The talent is clearly there, but he needs to show more consistency. The Jaguars had several opportunities to beat the Houston Texans, but fell short. Lawrence completed just 53 percent of his passes and had zero touchdowns to go with two interceptions.

12. Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: 18)

Kirk Cousins moves up six spots after last week’s win against the Chicago Bears. He threw for a touchdown and an interception to go with 296 yards in the win. Cousins has the Vikings at 4-1 and atop the NFC North. However, if the Vikings are going to make serious noise this season, Cousins is going to need to perform well in big games.

13. Cooper Rush - Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 12)

The Dallas Cowboys have yet to lose with Cooper Rush under center. However, it’s hard to move him up after he threw for 102 yards in a win against the Rams on Sunday. Rush plays well within the system and doesn’t make the mistake. That combination bodes well when the Cowboys have as good of a defense as they do. He’s the perfect game manager.

14. Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: 13)

Defenses have put a focal point on stopping the big play. Because of this, the Bengals have been trying to adjust and struggling to do so. Against Baltimore on Sunday night, Burrow posted a passer rating of 80.8 and an EPA per attempt of -0.277. The Bengals play another good defense this week in the New Orleans Saints in what will be a must-win game.

15. Jared Goff - Detroit Lions (Last Week: 9)

Jared Goff drops back down to 15 after cracking the top-10 last week. Bill Belichick seems to always find success against Goff and that was no different last week. The Lions were shutout as Goff posted a QBR of 6.6. Goff goes up against another good defense on Sunday when the Lions take on the Dallas Cowboys.

16. Ryan Tannehill - Tennessee Titans (Last Week: 16)

For a third straight week, Ryan Tannehill is at the 16th spot. He was an efficient 15-for-25 for 181 yards against the Washington Commanders. After starting 0-2, the Titans have since won three straight.

Tier 3

17: Derek Carr - Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week: 20)
18. Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 15)
19. Russell Wilson - Denver Broncos (Last Week 14)
20: Kyler Murray - Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: 19)
21: Daniel Jones - New York Giants (Last Week: 27)
22: Kenny Pickett - Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 23)
23: Zach Wilson - New York Jets (Last Week: 24)
24: Marcus Mariota - Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: 21)

It’s hard to fault Matthew Stafford right now as the offensive line in front of him is in shambles. Still, through five weeks he has just five touchdowns to seven interceptions. While his interception against the Cowboys wasn’t necessarily bad, it’s a ball that he could have thrown away. The Rams need better offensive line play. However, Stafford can do better as well.

Tier 4

25: Andy Dalton - New Orleans Saints (Last Week: NR)
26: Bailey Zappe - New England Patriots (Last Week: 29)
27: Carson Wentz - Washington Commanders (Last Week: 26)
28: Davis Mills - Houston Texans (Last Week: 30)
29: Matt Ryan - Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: 28)
30: Skyler Thompson - Miami Dolphins (Last Week: NR)
31: Justin Fields - Chicago Bears (Last Week: 32)
32: PJ Walker - Carolina Panthers (Last Week: NR)

Bailey Zappe did the most important thing a backup quarterback can do; he didn’t put the ball in harms way. He was a very efficient 17-for-21 for 181 yards against the Detroit Lions. Belichick hasn’t closed the door on Zappe remaining the starter when Mac Jones returns.