NFL QB Power Rankings: Patrick Mahomes Climbs Up as Jordan Love Takes a Tumble Ahead of Week 4

Week 3 of the 2025 season was chaotic. Sounds a bit cliche? Because it is. Chaos has been 2025’s theme so far.

Pick-sixes flying around, blocked field goals turning into touchdowns, punt returns hitting the highlight reels, you name it, we’ve got it. Sure, the playmakers were everywhere. But at the end of the day? It all swung back to the quarterbacks.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa staring across the field like, “Yes, that’s how it’s done,” because one great QB outing can help a team to 3-0 just as easily as a bad one can bury you at 0-3.

Baltimore Ravens‘ QB Lamar Jackson reminded everyone he’s still that guy. But he also showed how even the best can look human under pressure.

The Kansas City Chiefs‘ QB Patrick Mahomes finally woke up, keeping the Chiefs from sliding into an ugly 0-3 hole, while Russell Wilson‘s struggles have New York buzzing about Jaxson Dart taking over. Again!

And then there’s Philadelphia Eagles‘ QB Jalen Hurts, who just did what he does. He engineered a comeback! This time to snatch a win from the Los Angeles Rams, and brought back the memories of “The Miracle at Meadowlands.”

So, yes, Week 3 gave us the full range of QB performances: brilliance, struggles, and everything in between. Which makes this Week’s QB Power Rankings that much juicier as we head into Week 4.

Josh Allen remains persistent, while Jordan Love suffered a narrow loss

Heading into Week 3, all eyes were on the five teams starting backup quarterbacks. By the end, three had wins, while the others left fans hoping for their starters’ return. Still, the top performers remain familiar names. Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, both of them are hot picks for MVP shouts already as they are keeping their teams in Super Bowl talks.

However, that’s not the case for the Green Bay Packers’ QB Jordan Love after Week 3’s performance. The Packers suffered their first loss of the season, and when the game was on the line, Love just couldn’t deliver. It wasn’t a disastrous performance. But it wasn’t exactly commanding either. He finished 18-of-25 for 183 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

But that pick? It came on third-and-three with just 3:18 remaining, allowing the Cleveland Browns their game-tying TD.

“It’s a tough loss, for sure,” Love said. “Adversity is going to strike us at some point this season—and it struck today.”

And that’s exactly why Allen’s still sitting at the top of this Week’s QB Power Rankings while Love has been dropped to No. 9 (last week’s ranking: 5). Let’s have a look from bottom to top:

32) Michael Penix Jr.—last week: 16
31) Spencer Rattler—last week: 30
30) Jake Browning—last week: 24
29) Tyrod Taylor—last week: 32
28) Russell Wilson—last week: 22
27) Joe Flacco—last week: 31
26) Kyler Murray—last week: 15
25) Tua Tagovailoa—last week: 26
24) Cam Ward—last week: 27
23) Mac Jones—last week: 28
22) Dak Prescott—last week: 9
21) CJ Stroud—last week: 23
20) Drake Maye—last week: 17
19) Geno Smith—last week: 20
18) Bo Nix—last week: 21
17) Trevor Lawrence—last week: 18
16) Bryce Young—last week: 29
15) Marcus Mariota—last week: NA
14) Caleb Williams—last week: 19
13) Carson Wentz—last week: 25
12) Matthew Stafford—last week: 7
11) Aaron Rodgers—last week: 11
10) Patrick Mahomes—last week: 12
9) Jordan Love—last week: 5
8) Sam Darnold—last week: 14
7) Baker Mayfield—last week: 8
6) Jared Goff—last week: 6
5) Daniel Jones—last week: 13
4) Lamar Jackson—last week: 3
3) Justin Herbert—last week: 4
2) Jalen Hurts—last week: 2
1) Josh Allen—last week: 1

The risers and fallers from week 3

Bottom 10: The lower end of the QB spectrum saw some shuffling this week. Michael Penix Jr. fell from 16 to 32. That’s quite a tumble. Tyrod Taylor also slid from 32 to 29, while Joe Flacco managed a modest climb from 31 to 27.

Wilson dropped from 22 to 28, and Jake Browning fell from 24 to 30. Spencer Rattler slid slightly from 30 to 31. On the flip side, Kyler Murray moved down from 15 to 26, while Tua went from 26 to 25. With Cam Ward from 27 to 24, Mac Jones from 28 to 23, and Bryce Young from 29 to 16, it’s clear the bottom 12 are volatile, with a mix of small gains and steep losses.

Middle pack: Things got interesting in the middle of the pack. Prescott took a hit, falling from 9 to 22, while C.J. Stroud climbed from 23 to 21. Drake Maye rose a bit from 17 to 20, and Geno Smith nudged upward from 20 to 19.

Bo Nix stayed relatively steady, moving from 21 to 18, and Trevor Lawrence got a small boost from 18 to 17. Caleb Williams also climbed from 19 to 14. Carson Wentz saw a nice jump from 25 to 13, showing he’s heating up, and Marcus Mariota enters at 15, making his first appearance this season. The middle pack is all about QBs fighting to break out of the shuffle.

Top 10: Up top, the elite QBs are mostly holding their ground, with a few tweaks. Matthew Stafford fell from 7 to 12, and Love dropped from 5 to 9. On the brighter side, Baker Mayfield got one spot up from 8 to 7, while Daniel Jones entered the top 5 once again.

Jared Goff and Aaron Rodgers stayed put at 6 and 11, respectively, while Mahomes moved up from 12 to 10 and Sam Darnold climbed from 14 to 8. Lamar Jackson stayed strong at 4, Justin Herbert dropped from 4 to 3, Jalen Hurts remained at 2, and Josh Allen holds the top spot again at 1.

The top 5 performers heading into Week 4

We’re only three weeks into the season, and Josh Allen’s already barged his way into the MVP chatter. The reigning MVP has the Bills cruising at 3-0, and his latest act torched Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins in a 31-21 win. On the flip side, Indianapolis Colts‘ QB Daniel Jones is quietly building something special in Indy. Another strong outing, another win, and suddenly the Colts are 3-0 for the first time since Peyton Manning days.

1. Josh Allen—Buffalo Bills

“I can’t do half of what he does when it comes to running the ball and any of that,” just like any other Bills fan, Miami’s QB, Tua, was in awe of Allen after the reigning MVP put up another strong outing. The numbers speak for themselves. Allen finished with 22-of-28 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Heading into Week 4, he’s already up to seven touchdowns (five passing and two rushing) and 869 total yards. He was good in Week 1, and he’s looking good as the Bills now face the Saints in Week 4 this Sunday.

2. Jalen Hurts—Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts now has a knack for winning. He has won the last 17 games that he started and finished. The comeback win in Week 3 over the Rams was just another W in Hurts’ list. The Eagles were trailing 26-7 after the first half, and Hurts threw three touchdown passes, many of them in the 4th. The reigning Super Bowl MVP engineered a 17-play, 91‑yard drive to take the lead, ending in a 4‑yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith on fourth‑and‑goal with about 1:48 left. That put Philly up 27‑26 before their two‑point conversion failed.

In the fourth quarter alone, the Eagles blocked two field goal attempts. First, Jalen Carter blocked a 36-yarder with 8:42 remaining on the clock. The second was the final. Jordan Davis blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt by the Rams’ kicker, Joshua Karty, returned it 61 yards for a touchdown, and sealed the 33-26 win as time expired. Hurts, on the other hand, finished the game with 21-of-32 for 226 yards and three TDs.

3. Justin Herbert—Los Angeles Chargers

Behind Allen and Hurts, Herbert remains one of the top contenders not just for the MVP honors, but a trip to February as well. The sixth-year quarterback currently leads with 860 passing yards to go with six touchdowns and one interception. In Week 3 against the Broncos, his ground game was mostly MIA, sure. But Herbert completed 28-of-47 for 300 yards, racked up one touchdown, and threw one interception through the air, as the Chargers walked out with their third straight win, defeating Denver 23-20.

4. Lamar Jackson—Baltimore Ravens

Lamar is heading into Week 4 after putting on another show. This time, against the Lions. The two-time MVP finished the Week 3 matchup with 21-of-27 for 288 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. On the ground, he was efficient as well, rushing for 35 yards on 7 carries. Still, there’s a question: Is he getting enough help?

The Ravens lost the game 38-30. Lamar’s numbers look good on paper, but his O-line is struggling to protect him. The Lions sacked him seven times as the quarterback tied for the most sacks he’s taken in his eight-year NFL career. The signs are clear: Lamar Jackson can light up a defense, but only when he’s actually getting protection.

5. Daniel Jones—Indianapolis Colts

Jones is basically this year’s Sam Darnold. Just like Danold broke out in Minnesota last season, Jones is starting to carve out the same kind of story in Indy. Three games. Three wins. Three statement performances. This time, against the Titans. Jones completed 18-of-25 for 228 yards and one touchdown as the new Colts’ quarterback led his team to its third straight win of the season. The last time the Indianapolis team pulled that off, Peyton Manning was still under the center and Pat McAfee had just started booming punts in the NFL (way back in 2009).

Top 5 worst performers heading into Week 4

Several quarterbacks couldn’t escape their early-season struggles in Week 3, and as we roll into Week 4, it’s time to measure expectations against reality while breaking down the five worst performers under the center.

1. Michael Penix Jr.—Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are rolling with one of the priciest backups in the league: Kirk Cousins. And Week 3 against the Panthers gave us a peek at why that matters. Their starter, Michael Penix Jr., couldn’t put a single point on the board, and Atlanta never even crossed the Panthers’ 30-yard line. Penix finished 18-of-36 for 172 yards, no touchdowns, and a couple of picks before Cousins stepped in late.

To put it in perspective: in three games this season, he has 605 yards and just one touchdown. Across eight career games (six starts), he’s completed 58.3% of his passes for 1,380 yards, four TDs, and five interceptions, with a passer rating of 75.2. Sure, he’s a former first-round pick. But at this pace, his grip on the job isn’t exactly guaranteed.

2. Tua Tagovailoa—Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have dropped their first three games of the season. And a team barely makes it to the postseason after a 0-3 start. Right at the center of it? It’s Miami’s quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. It wasn’t an embarrassing loss (they lost 31-21), unlike the Falcons; nobody got fired, and Coach Mike McDaniel is still in place. However, it’s safe to say that in clutch, late-game, and big-game moments, Tua still needs to improve.

The quarterback completed 22-of-34 for 146 yards, two touchdowns, and that one fourth-quarter interception that sunk the Dolphins. With over three minutes left in the game, the Dolphins had an opportunity to erase an ugly losing streak. But Tua threw a late fourth-quarter interception for the Bills’ LB, Terrel Bernard, which led to a 31-21 loss. It’s the first time since 2019 that the Dolphins have dropped their first three.

3. Cam Ward—Tennessee Titans

In last week’s QB power rankings, we said that Tennessee Titans’ QB Cam Ward is the new Caleb Williams. While Williams just tied with a career high of 4 touchdowns last week, that can’t be said for the first-overall pick of the most recent draft. Ward’s performance so far is…well, ugly. He’s been sacked on 13 percent of his dropbacks. That’s the highest rate in the league among QBs with at least 45 dropbacks.

To put it in perspective, he’s been sacked a league-high 15 times so far. As for his yardage per attempt, it’s mediocre as well: Just 5.1 yards. In the Week 3 matchup against the Colts, Ward completed 23-of-28 for 219 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, as the Titans dropped their third straight game of the season.

4. Russell Wilson—New York Giants

Expectations were palpable from the New York Giants‘ QB Russell Wilson heading into Week 3. After all, the Giants’ QB almost snatched a win against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. But instead, his performance came out flat against the Chiefs. The 36-year-old completed 18-of-32 for just 160 yards with no touchdowns and a couple of picks as the Giants lost their third game of the season (9-22).

As things stand, Wilson ranks 30th out of 32 qualified QBs in Total QBR this season and has been hit while running or throwing 40 times, per ESPN. The result? The Giants are now expected to start with rookie Jaxson Dart in Week 4.

5. Jake Browning—Cincinnati Bengals

It’s the obvious. Jake Browning‘s performance against the Minnesota Vikings was atrocious.

In Joe Burrow‘s absence, the Cincinnati Bengals were outdone by 48 to 10, and the offense was flat-lined. Browning was underwhelming throughout the game as he completed 19-of-27 for just 140 yards and one touchdown, including multiple turnovers. On top of that, the Bengals recorded the worst loss in their franchise history.

Of course, it wasn’t purely Browning. The Vikings’ defense (shout out to Isaiah Rodgers) took over, as Rodgers set a Vikings record with two defensive touchdowns and forced three of Cincinnati’s five turnovers. But at the end of the day, the signs were clear: Browning, who led the Bengals to a win in Week 2, came out flat and looked out of rhythm.

The top surprises from Week 3, ft. Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams

Every week throws its share of surprises. Week 1 had Joe Burrow sidelined with an injury. Week 2 delivered Baker Mayfield’s gritty comeback win. Heading into Week 3, most expected fireworks from Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams. Did they deliver? Certainly. But the real intrigue came from the backups: five of them, to be exact. Did they deliver? That’s the question. And we’ll answer.

1. Patrick Mahomes erased an ugly losing streak

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs managed to dodge a 0‑3 start. The last time the Chiefs found themselves in this situation was in 2011 under Todd Haley. A couple of years later, Andy Reid took over, and since then, the Chiefs have made the playoffs in 11 of the last 12 seasons. Can they keep that streak alive this year? Too early to tell.

Their 22‑9 win over the winless Giants came with plenty of hiccups: Penalties piled up, and yes, Travis Kelce even collided with Reid on the sideline. But one thing stood out: Mahomes wanted to see how the team would handle the pressure of a 0‑2 start, and he delivered stability, completing 22-of-27 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown.

2. Caleb Williams won under Ben Johnson’s coaching

Ben Johnson tasted his first win as a head coach. Thanks to Caleb Williams’ strong outing as the Chicago Bears torched the Cowboys 31-14 in Week 3. Following a couple of brutal losses, Williams tied a career high with four touchdown passes as he completed 19-of-28 passes for 298 yards.

“It’s awesome,” the second-year QB said.

“The trust and belief and hard work and just all of it together, to be able to have that hard work for him and his family and the organization, this historic organization, it’s just a constant growth and mindset that we’re on. To have this moment for him and for us, it’s really important.” After a tough 52-21 blowout loss at Detroit, the Bears needed a win, and Williams-Johnson delivered.

3. The battle of backup quarterbacks

Three weeks into the season, and already five starting quarterbacks have landed on the injury report. Leading the headlines was Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, followed by J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota, which opened the door for a showdown between Jake Browning and Carson Wentz. Wentz came out on top, guiding the Vikings to what became the worst loss in Bengals franchise history, completing 14-of-20 passes for 173 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Mac Jones stepped in for Brock Purdy and kept the San Francisco 49ers rolling, finishing 27-of-41 for 284 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a tight 16‑15 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Marcus Mariota joined the list of successful backups, giving Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders a boost in Jayden Daniels’ absence with 15-of-21 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown in a 41‑24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Not every backup found success, though. Tyrod Taylor took over for the New York Jets after Justin Fields’ injury, but Week 3 didn’t go his way. Despite finishing 26-of-36 for 197 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, the Jets crashed and landed 29‑27 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, proving that stepping in isn’t always smooth sailing.

So, that was it from Week 3 from the quarterback’s point of view. As Week 4 approaches, the Giants are still waiting for their first win, this time with Jaxson Dart under the center. On the other side, the Bills, Eagles, Chargers, and the Colts look to remain persistent. What will next week bring? We’ll come back with our next week’s QB Power Rankings.