Week 8 QB Index: Drew Lock creeped into the top 10!

By: NFLHeads

1. Russell Wilson (+11)

Let Russ Cook! Wilson has shown that at the halfway point, he is the front runner for MVP, and by a pretty big margin. Russ did definitely cook this last game, even though it was against a broken down 49ers team, but he showed up in a big way. All that needs to happen is for the defense to be better and the Seahawks would probably be the most dangerous team in the NFL.

2. Patrick Mahomes (+7)

Patrick Mahomes was balling out so much that Chiefs decided to dance during the game, and when you’re playing the Jets, you’re allowed to dance during the game. 5 touchdowns this game shows that Mahomes is in the MVP race and that the Chiefs are a force to be reckoned with. If the defense keeps playing like the last game, the Chiefs will be back in the Super Bowl.

3. Philip Rivers 

Philip Rivers has tightened the AFC South race with his amazing performance against the Lions. He is showing signs of the old Philip River and that is bad news for the rest of the divisions. If the Colts are able to become first place in the AFC South, they would be a dangerous team to face in the playoffs.

4. Joe Burrow (+2)

This win against the Titans has shown us that Joe Burrow is the lead candidate for ROY, and by a large margin. After a rocky start to the season, Burrow has learned the way of the Bengals offense and is showing great potential for the future. If the Bengals get even a decent O-Line, Burrow will be able to run the offense to its full potential.

5. Aaron Rodgers (-3)

It’s very hard to win a game if your defense can’t stop the run, even if you’re Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers had a very good game against the Vikings, and the scoreboard should have reflected that, but you can’t win games if you can’t stop the run. If there continues to be more games like this for the Packers, Aaron Rodgers will be in trouble.

6. Drew Lock (+19)

Who would’ve thought that Drew Lock would be this high on the index? Not me, but his heroics against the Chargers showed us why the Broncos want Lock as their franchise QB. Being down 24-7 in the 3rd quarter, Lock was able to throw for 3 touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game winner, and proved that he can play good.

7. Justin Herbert (-3)

How did the Chargers blow their 4th consecutive game after being up by 16+ points? Don’t look at Justin Herbert because he balled out. He has shown that he can run this Chargers offense and he is going to be the starter for them, but Anthony Lynn needs to be fired, because he is holding back Herbert and he is the cause for the Chargers playing like the Falcons.

8. Drew Brees (+5)

The Saints turned up the heat against what has been looking like a dominant Chicago Bears defense, making them look like a bunch of clowns. Brees and the Saints look like they are nearing the level we want them to be with Brees and Kamara, and I bet that they are very glad they did not trade Michael Thomas.

9. Tom Brady (-5)

Brady showed up to play, but they were toe to toe with the Giants, that is not OK. The Giants are a sad, terrible team, and Brady needs to be a quarterback that can not only keep pace with them, but can destroy them in a big spot. Brady needs to get better at showing that he and the Buccaneers offense are the premier offense in the league, and can beat anyone.

10.  Ben Roethlisberger (+1)

I know the Steelers are undefeated, I get it, plus nobody will shut up about it. Here is something that only a fool would deny, they are a defensive led team. Big Ben and Chase Claypool might have a dynamic duo going, but I would take about 10 QB-WR combos before I took them, I am not sure that is even my favorite AFC North combo. Big Ben should not be seen as the reason the Steelers have not lost, their defense has kept them out of losing games not Big Ben.

11.  Ryan Tannehill (-10)

As much as I hate to say it, Tannehill has receded in play rather massively. Not being able to keep pace with the Bengals is concerning to say the least. I still like the Titans to make a deep playoff run, and I still believe without any doubt that Tannehill is their franchise quarterback, but this week was definitely not the game you advertise when showering him with praise.

12.  Matthew Stafford (+2)

I feel like Stafford has been at the 12 spot or whereabouts his entire NFL career, but that’s the Lions for you. Anyway, Stafford had a pretty decent game against the Colts, even while losing 41-21. The Lions showed some identity on offense, and Stafford is a big part of that. If only that defense could play significantly better we would be in great shape.

13.  Nick Foles (+9)

For a good portion of Sunday’s game, it looked like the Bears were in great position to beat the Saints, which would have been the convincing win that the Bears have been desperate to show their haters. Unfortunately, Foles and the Bears could not quite get it done, but Foles still looked pretty good on Sunday.

14.  Lamar Jackson 

Jackson has had a significant drop back from his magical 2018 season, and even though the Ravens dropped 24 points on the Steelers I do not believe he has changed. However, let me make one thing clear, we cannot go around honking about Jackson being a running back again, Jackson killed that narrative last year in his MVP season. Jackson is having a bad year, all quarterbacks have one eventually. 

15.  Jared Goff (-5)

Well, I didn’t expect Jared Goff to do this bad against the Dolphins. Although Goff’s numbers show that he had an ok game, his turnovers cost the Rams the game, as the Dolphins defense was able to turn them into points. I know the Rams have 5 wins on the season, but if they want to be able to win big, Jared Goff is going to have to go into his “MVP” mode for the rest of the season.

16.  Kirk Cousins 

Cousins winning against the Packers on Sunday is the single most surprising development of the 2020 season, I don’t care what anyone else says. Cousins had been playing like the worst quarterback in the league throughout the beginning of the year, and although this was a Dalvin Cook led game Cousins did not kill this team. This is not a sign of things to come, but this was still a very surprising win for Cousins.

17.  Nick Mullens 

Mullens is impossible to figure out, because every time we have seen him play his coach has been one of the best coaches in NFL history. Mullens did amazing for the Niners, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns against an incredible Seahawks team. If Mullens showed more consistency, I think he could be a future long term starter for the Niners while Shanahan is there.

18.  Derek Carr (+1)

The weather in Cleveland was an offense’s worst nightmare, and that was pretty true for Derek Carr. Having 112 passing yards would make you think that his team lost, but thankfully the Raiders defense was able to stop the Browns. In my opinion, I think this game was a fluke, because in normal weather, Carr was looking pretty good.

19.  Carson Wentz (+4)

Wentz has been awful this year, but he looked pretty darn good against the third worst team in the NFL ( I see you Giants and Jets don’t worry), but we do not know anything about his ability to do well against good teams. So lets everyone calm down about showering praise on the Eagles and Wentz especially, and wait for them to make the playoffs at 6-10.

20.  Matt Ryan (-5)

Matt Ryan was not that great against the Panthers, but the Falcons were able to hold onto a lead for once. I understand that people would put the losses on Matt Ryan, but frankly, I think that it’s the defense/special team that needs to step up. I know Ryan could’ve played better, but he has been pretty good this season.

21.  Teddy Bridgewater (-4)

Bridgewater is going to get slammed here, and rightfully. You know why? If there’s one thing that will embarrass your franchise, throw a game winning pick against the FALCONS. The perfect mix of irony, shame, and humor. People will be remembering that pick all of this year, and all the way into next year.

22.  Daniel Jones (+2)

Why does Daniel Jones play better when he faces the Bucs? I don’t know, but what I do know is that the Giants would’ve won the game if Daniel Jones was playing like Daniel Dimesin the second half and not like Daniel Turnover. If he doesn’t learn that throwing the ball out of bounce is a safer option, he is going to have to get ready to get on the bench.

23.  Tua Tagovailoa

Attaboy Tua I see you, get those, uh, 93 yards. Yeah! But in all seriousness Tua looked fine on Sunday against the Rams, who were killed by Jared Goff and the Dolphins defense. It will take Tua a while to develop, but I am very excited to see it happen.

24.  Josh Allen (-8)

Now we are starting to witness the actual Josh Allen, which is the one that doesn’t play like an MVP. I understand that Allen played well in the first couple of games, but those were against teams that were not that good, and when it matters most, Allen can’t seem to step up to the challenge. 

25.  Cam Newton (+3)

What happened? Cam was playing so well at the start of the season and we were all groaning about the Patriots becoming 12-4 for the 76th year straight, but Newton has flamed out in the past few weeks, and it has not looked pretty. While it might be due to him getting Covid, I think there is something else going on inside the building. We will have to see. 

26.  Baker Mayfield (-23)

Don’t worry people, we have got Baker Mayfield back down to earth. It seems that after every good game the Baker has, he follows it up with a couple of bad, and I mean bad, games. I don’t want to call him a bust because he has shown potential, but Mayfield has to play good all the time if he wants to get the Browns to the playoffs.

27.  Jimmy Garappolo

Garoppolo got taken out before the end of the game due to injury, but while he was still in he was doing subpar at best. I am on the edge of saying that Garoppolo is not the answer at quarterback for the Niners, except for the fact that I can’t stop thinking about his first season with the Niners.

28.  Sam Darnold (-2)

The Tank for Trevor campaign is still continuing for the Jets. I know that the Chiefs are a very good team in general, but their offense is the reason for that. You should be able to put at least double digits on their defense. Sam Darnold is showing us that he is a bust and he will not have his starting job for long.

29.  Ben DiNucci

Who? Ben DiNucci had his first NFL start for the Cowboys and had a 52.5% completion, with 180 yards. Very unimpressive, although what were we expecting from a seventh round rookie. To be fair, he has not thrown any picks but he has not been a regular Tom Brady either.