QB Power Rankings: Who leads the MVP race heading into Week 3?

Week 2 of the NFL was a wild one with several fourth quarter comebacks. Tua Tagovailoa started it off with a 28-point comeback in the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens. Joe Flacco and Kyler Murray pulled off comebacks of their own while Marcus Mariota fell just short against the Los Angeles Rams.

Josh Allen looked as sharp as ever, throwing four touchdowns on Monday Night Football while Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert put on a show earlier in the week.

Every week this season, I will be power-ranking the NFL quarterbacks based on their previous weeks’ performance. Just because a quarterback is low now, doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t rise as the season goes on. You can check out last week’s rankings here.

Tier 1

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

It’s impossible not to put Josh Allen back at number one after his performance on Monday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans. He threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. It's early, but if voters were to choose who their MVP is after two weeks, most would likely select Allen. He’s simply been electric. Through two weeks, he leads the NFL in EPA per dropback.

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

For some reason people seemed to forget just how good Patrick Mahomes was heading into the 2022 season. Through the first two weeks, he’s shown exactly why he’s considered the best quarterback in the NFL. Mahomes threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. Had it not been for Allen’s performant on Monday night, Mahomes would be at number one.

3. Justin Herbert - Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: 3)

If Justin Herbert doesn’t throw the interception at the goal line, it’s possible that I would have moved him into my top-two. However, Herbert came up short and his one interception was costly. Still, after hurting his ribs, Herbert made some incredible throws and showed why he’s one of the NFL’s elite passers.

4. Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 10)

Jumping up into the top-5 might be a big move, but Lamar Jackson has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL through two weeks. He showed why the Baltimore Ravens need to pay him and why he was a MVP a few years ago. Jackson ranks inside the top-5 in passer rating, QBR, and EPA per play. In Week 2, Jackson was 13-for-16 for 213 yards and two touchdowns with a perfect passer rating against the Miami Dolphins blitz. We’ll see how much he deserves this spot with matchups against the New England Patriots and Bills on the horizon.

5. Tom Brady - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 4)

Through two weeks, Tom Brady is getting the benefit of the doubt. He ranks outside of the top-15 in nearly never major statistical category for quarterbacks. However, the two defenses that he’s faced in that time are pretty good. The New Orleans Saints are a top-5 unit and Micah Parsons might be a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. If he doesn’t pick it up in the next week or so, he’ll drop out of my top-5.

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

Rodgers looked better in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears, but there’s still a lot to be concerned about moving forward. He doesn’t seem to have chemistry with young wide receivers which will show this week against a good Buccaneers defense.

7. Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 8)

We saw two sides of Matthew Stafford on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. There was the Stafford that started 12-for-12 and then there was the Stafford threw an interception that made little sense while targeting Tyler Higbee in the end zone. The Rams quarterback currently leads the NFL in interceptions which is something to be concerned about.

8. Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 12)

Hurts’ first half against the Minnesota Vikings might be the best first half he’s ever played. He was 17-for-20 for 301 total yards and three total touchdowns. That was over three times the production of the entire Vikings offense. Hurts has looked really good through two weeks and deserves a spot inside the top-10.

Tier 2

9. Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: 5)

Alright, so maybe I drank the Kirk Cousins Kool-Aid a little too soon after his performance against the Packers. The real Cousins showed up against the Eagles and it wasn’t pretty as he threw three interceptions. Cousins needs to bounce back next week against the Detroit Lions or he’ll fall out of the top-10.

10. Russell Wilson - Denver Broncos (Last Week: 7)

After an impressive performance in Week 1 that just lacked a win, Wilson struggled against the Houston Texans. It might take a few weeks for this Broncos offense to hit their stride. Wilson was just 14-for-31 for 219 yards against a Texans team that isn’t supposed to be very good. The Broncos traded multiple high picks and gave Wilson a big contract. He needs to start playing at a high level. It could be rough with matchups against the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders on the horizon.

11. Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: 9)

The Bengals spent a lot of money to upgrade the offensive line and Burrow has still been the most sacked quarterback through two weeks. The Cowboys got to Burrow six times on Sunday and held him to under 200 yards passing. The Super Bowl hangover hasn’t been kind to Burrow and the Bengals.

12. Tua Tagovailoa - Miami Dolphins (Last Week: 16)

I was tempted to put Tua in my top-10 after he threw for six touchdowns and led a 28-point fourth quarter comeback against the Ravens. However, through the first three quarters, Tua had an overall EPA of just 4.14. That jumped to 18.8 in the fourth quarter alone. Tua needs to find consistency, but the early season signs have been encouraging.

13. Kyler Murray - Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: 13)

There are times where Murray makes an NFL defense look like one straight out of a Madden video game. That was the case on Sunday against the Raiders. The best tactic for the Cardinals was “Kyler go do something”. However, through two weeks, Murray ranks 21st in completion percentage over expectation and 16th in EPA per play. There’s a lot of improvement in the pocket for Murray before he can jump into the top-10.

14. Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week: 22)

Lawrence is starting to look like the prospect that many expected coming out of Clemson. It’s crazy what having an adult in the room will do. Through two weeks, Lawrence ranks fifth in QBR and sixth in EPA per play. The Jaguars seem to have corrected a huge mistake last year and this is a team that sits in first place in the AFC South.

15. Carson Wentz - Washington Commanders (Last Week: 17)

So far this season, Wentz has been the least of the Commanders problems. Their secondary is really bad and defensively, it seems like they can’t stop anybody. Wentz on the other hand has his typical 3-5 plays that leave you scratching your head, but he’s matched it with big-time throws. If Wentz continues to play like this, the Commanders will be in a good spot if they can figure out the other side of the ball.

16. Derek Carr - Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week: 14)

Carr wasn't necessarily bad against the Cardinals. He threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. If Hunter Renfrow doesn’t fumble in overtime or the Raiders defense gets a late stop, they possibly win the game. However, Carr continues to lack that next level. In the second half and overtime, he had a negative EPA per play. The Raiders sit at 0-2 with two one-score losses.

Tier 3

17. Mac Jones - New England Patriots (Last Week: 21)
18. Jimmy Garoppolo - San Francisco 49ers (Last Week: Unranked)
19. Ryan Tannehill - Tennessee Titans (Last Week: 15)
20. Jared Goff - Detroit Lions (Last Week: 24)
21. Jameis Winston - New Orleans Saints (Last Week: 11)
22: Geno Smith - Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: 18)
23: Daniel Jones - New York Giants (Last Week: 19)
24: Marcus Mariota - Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: 28)

Jared Goff looked very good against the Commanders. Right now, he’s the playing the best that I’ve seen him play since the Buccaneers game in Week 11 of 2020. This touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown was an absolute dime on the move. The Lions have surrounded Goff with good weapons and good protection which is exactly what he needs. Goff is leading a very fun offense in Detroit.

Tier 4

25. Jacoby Brissett - Cleveland Browns (Last Week: 29)
26. Davis Mills - Houston Texans (Last Week: 23)
27: Cooper Rush - Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 32)
28. Joe Flacco - New York Jets (Last Week: 31)
29. Matt Ryan - Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: 20)
30. Baker Mayfield - Carolina Panthers (Last Week: 25)
31. Mitchell Trubisky - Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 26)
32. Justin Fields - Chicago Bears (Last Week: 27)

The Indianapolis Colts tried to replicate what the Rams did to an extent when they traded for Matt Ryan. Ryan was supposed to elevate the offense in a way that Wentz couldn’t. Instead, his 6.2 QBR against the Jaguars told a different story. The Colts sit at 0-1-1 with the Chiefs, Broncos, and Titans on deck.