NFL QB rankings, Week 10: Who jumped 8 spots to reach No. 1?

NOTE: Up/down arrows illustrate movement from the Week 9 QB Index.

TIER 1

• I've heard it, and more importantly, I've seen it. Nobody is throwing it better than Matthew Stafford right now. The 37-year-old is making it look easy, ripping no-look passes downfield and flawlessly executing Sean McVay's offense. Sure, it helps that he has Davante Adams and Puka Nacua at his disposal, but lesser quarterbacks were unable to maximize Adams’ skill set. Davante has no reason to feel frustrated these days, though, because he has the NFL's best quarterback looking his way on Sundays.
• Patrick Mahomes gave it his best effort in Buffalo, but he fell victim to the best defensive showing I've seen from the Bills in years. Nothing was easy; the usual layups were never available for the Chiefs. It was a stunning display for those who had been watching Mahomes carve up defenses. I expect Week 9 to prove itself an anomaly over the long haul, but for one Sunday, Mahomes looked very human.
• On the other side of the Chiefs-Bills coin was Josh Allen, who played his best football since the first month of the season. He completed 23 of his 26 passes and looked much more like himself than he has over the last month. If this is how the Bills are going to play moving forward, Allen will climb back into an MVP race he owned last season.
• What more can I say about Drake Maye? He's the most consistent quarterback in the league this season, and even after he sailed a throw into the arms of Jessie Bates for an interception on Sunday, my opinion of him has not changed at all. The Patriots are 7-2 and the darling of the NFL because of Maye.

TIER 2

• Sam Darnold shredded Washington on Sunday night and is probably one more such performance from climbing into the top tier. I'm very curious to see how quickly he'll bring deadline acquisition Rashid Shaheed into the fold.
• Lamar Jackson returned from his hamstring injury and diced up Miami's defense through the air. No. 7 feels like the right slot to bring him back into the QB Index, given it was his first game since Baltimore's dreadful loss to the Chiefs in Week 4. He'll climb quickly if he shows he's the same dynamic, electric superstar we’ve come to know.
• Justin Herbert did what was necessary to take down the lowly Titans, overcoming another devastating loss along the offensive line. If the Chargers want to return to the playoffs in a very strong AFC West, Herbert will need to be Superman behind the patchwork line tasked with protecting him for the rest of the season.
• Jalen Hurts is coming off a bye week, but he climbs a couple spots because of some movement around him. Also, it doesn’t hurt that he's been excellent of late. He has a 7:0 TD-INT ratio in his last two outings and has graduated from working within Nick Sirianni's offense to driving it.

TIER 3

• Aaron Rodgers looks pretty darn good at 41 years old, folks. The numbers might not jump off the page, but he has full command of Arthur Smith's offense and is still showing the arm talent that placed him on a path to Canton years ago.
• Let us all hope that what happened in Pittsburgh was an anomaly for the otherwise-exciting Colts. Daniel Jones rediscovered his turnover-prone identity against the Steelers, accounting for five of Indianapolis' six(!) turnovers in the seven-point loss. I hated to see it because I'd finally let myself believe Jones had left that version of himself in the past. The Colts will aim to ensure that's true going forward.
• Minnesota might have produced the blueprint for stopping the Lions' offense, sending blitzes from multiple angles to force Jahmyr Gibbs to stay in to block while the Vikings dropped traditional rushers into coverage. It complicated things for Jared Goff, who was clearly uncomfortable for most of the day. He still completed 25 of his 37 passes and was generally sharp, but it was the second time over the last month that Detroit's offense wasn't as powerful as expected.
• Dak Prescott's drop in the rankings represents a bit of a course correction after two straight ugly outings. Prescott is being asked to carry the Cowboys. It's an unfair request, but it's his reality and one in which he was succeeding prior to the last couple weeks. In fact, that's why I'd ranked him so highly. Now he's falling because of the recent results he's produced. He and CeeDee Lamb need to get back on the same page.
• Jordan Love welcomed Christian Watson back from injury recently and appeared to decide he'd hunt the big plays with his speedster back in the fold. That's the only way I can explain why Love launched a throw into triple coverage in a loss to Carolina. Love failed to convert in the biggest spots, a surprising result from a quarterback who has built his reputation on delivering in such moments.
• Joe Flacco threw for a career-high 470 yards in a 47-42 loss to the Bears. He did that at 40 years old. Enough said.

TIER 4

• Caleb Williams' outings aren't anywhere near flawless, but it sure is a joy to watch him turn it on in crunch time. He can still be stubborn, occasionally to his own detriment. He's starting to rein himself in, though, and it's becoming clear just how good a fit Ben Johnson is for Williams' future.
• Jaxson Dart is tough as nails and among the most competitive players you'll see in the NFL. I wish the situation around him was a little better, but it’s clear that the Giants have their answer at quarterback.
• Jacoby Brissett continues to steady the Cardinals' offense, and he might be their starter for the rest of the season. Hopefully, Arizona can turn his performances into more wins going forward.
• Bo Nix is a firecracker in 2025. Yes, that's how I'm describing him. His play is quiet and unmemorable for a while, then someone lights his fuse and BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP! The Broncos’ offense once again operated as such in Week 9. The bottle rocket himself (yes, he can be both types of explosives) took off for a huge gain on the ground to set up a game-winning field goal in Denver’s latest comeback. We'd all like to see Nix be more consistent, but Broncos fans can't argue with the 7-2 record.
• In what became a wildly entertaining game, Trevor Lawrence was the driving force behind Jacksonville's narrow win over Las Vegas. Yes, he threw an ugly interception in the end zone in a sleepy first half, but Lawrence made some crucial throws and took off as a runner when needed. He handled the pressure of a close game and delivered in the clutch.
• C.J. Stroud exited last week’s game with a concussion and has been ruled out for Sunday. His fall in the rankings is mainly a result of movement around him. Even with Houston's offensive struggles this season, three quarters of Davis Mills showed us how valuable Stroud is to the Texans.

TIER 5

• It was nice to see J.J. McCarthy return to the lineup and push the Vikings’ offense forward. He's still given us a very small sample size to evaluate, but he played an integral part in Minnesota's win over Detroit.
• Perhaps all Geno Smith and the Raiders needed was the return of Brock Bowers. Smith certainly fed him like it was their only hope against the Jaguars. In fact, judging by the tape and the stats, Smith-to-Bowers is probably Las Vegas’ only route to victory.
• Michael Penix Jr. remains a roller coaster of a quarterback in 2025 and wasn't very efficient in New England, but he's still good for a few highlight-worthy throws. He produced almost all of them in the most important spots in Atlanta’s one-point loss to the Patriots. If you have a minute, look up his fourth quarter touchdown pass to Drake London. It's worth your time.

TIER 6

• I feel for Jayden Daniels and Cam Ward, but for different reasons. Daniels has now dealt with three different injuries this season. He has lost some key teammates to injury, too, creating a set of circumstances that amounts to the quarterback playing with a hand tied behind his back. We’re now awaiting a clear timetable for his recovery. Meanwhile, Ward is operating with a talent-poor supporting cast. He's good for a few highlight-worthy throws and a touchdown pass or two each week, but he’s also likely to toss one ugly interception per game. These two QBs are not in good situations right now, but both will be better in the future.

TIER 7

• Tyler Shough made his first career start in Week 9 and did some nice things, including rolling away from pressure and delivering accurately on the run. The game didn't appear to be too fast for him, which is important. He also threw a few ugly passes and fell victim to a hungry Rams pass rush in a game in which his Saints were clearly overmatched on both sides of the ball.