NFL Quarterback Rankings: Week 14

There’s no one singular stat that defines a “great” quarterback on a year to year basis, but there are several that can be pieces to that puzzle. In these rankings, all that matters is what these quarterbacks have done this season – past Super Bowls, MVP awards, and All-Pro teams are irrelevant here. Future outlook, potential, and physical talent don’t matter here. “What have you done for me lately” also does not apply. This is the total body of work, up to this point of this season. This is a ranking of current projected starting quarterbacks – no backups, no injured players. One special note: missing time due to injury hurts a quarterback’s ranking; after all, they say that availability is the best ability. With all that being said, here are the starting NFL quarterback rankings: week 14!

Notes

• Let’s just get this out of the way. No, there aren’t five quarterbacks better than Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. No, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson aren’t suddenly average quarterbacks. As I mentioned in the opener, this isn’t “who I think is better”, or “who would I start a team with”. These rankings take into account the entire current season, up to this week. Mahomes and Allen haven’t been the best quarterbacks in the league thus far this season. Burrow has played in just three games due to injury, and Jackson has also missed time – while neither QB has played up to their elite expectations. No, I don’t think Jacoby Brissett is better than Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams. Remember this as you go down the rankings!
• Matt Stafford and Drake Maye are the current favorites to win MVP. Their rank indicates as such.
• Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Baker Mayfield, and Bo Nix are all similar to one another statistically. You could put any of them in the top 10, and wouldn’t get much push back from me.
• Assuming they stay healthy and play up to expectations, I fully expect guys like Burrow, Jackson, Daniels, and Purdy to ascend up the rankings moving forward.
• Poor Cam Ward. Swimming in the same waters as guys like Geno Smith, Tyler Shough, J.J. McCarthy, and Shedeur Sanders. Ward has had a rough rookie year, but McCarthy and Sanders have been downright atrocious. Flip a coin for which of those two belongs at the bottom of the rankings.

What is EPA/Play?

EPA/Play (Expected Points Added Per Play) measures how much a single play helps or hurts a team’s chances of scoring, by looking at the change in expected points before and after the play – adding context like field position, down, distance, and time. EPA/Play shows if a play was truly valuable (example: a 5-yard gain on 3rd & 4 = high EPA) or just stat accumulation (example: 5 yards on 3rd & 10 = low EPA). This gives a better picture of player efficiency beyond just raw yards gained or lost.

What is CPOE?

CPOE (Completion Percentage Over Expected) measures a QB’s completion percentage relative to the types of throws they make. A positive CPOE means the quarterback is completing more passes than expected, given the difficulty of the throws. This usually indicates high accuracy and good decision-making. A negative CPOE means the quarterback is completing fewer passes than expected, suggesting they might be missing easy throws or struggling with accuracy. This gives some context on completed passes beyond just raw completion percentage.

What is ANY/A?

ANY/A (Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt) calculates passing efficiency by combining passing yards, touchdowns, interceptions, and sacks into one metric, rather than just depending on raw yards per attempt. This is used for measuring overall passing performance per attempt with situational context. It rewards productive plays while penalizing turnovers and negative plays like sacks. A higher ANY/A means a more efficient and valuable quarterback performance.

What is QBR?

QBR (Total Quarterback Rating) was created by ESPN as an advanced alternative to the standard Quarterback Rating stat. Quarterback Rating has no way to measure context, as it only considers raw numbers and doesn’t consider things like play calling, field position, opposing defense, etc. QBR is meant to reward winning plays rather than pure volume or manufactured efficiency. A crucial play in the final minutes of a close game is weighted more positively than an identical play in the fourth quarter on the wrong side of a blowout. QBR is measured from 0 to 100. On a season level, a QBR of 50 is average, 75 or higher would be elite performance, and 25 would be considered replacement-level performance.

What constitutes a “Bad Play”?

A “Bad Play” includes interceptions thrown by the quarterback, fumbles lost by the quarterback, and sacks taken. Not all interceptions are the same, but a pick is a pick, even if it is off the wide receivers hands. There are rare occasions that a coach might say taking a sack was the right decision during a particular play – this is not one of those occasions. A quarterback’s top two jobs are to get the offense into position to score points, and to take care of the football.