The NFL season is more than half over and week 10 was one of the more exciting weekends of the season. Quarterback play was impressive this week even with Patrick Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jalen Hurts on a bye. With these familiar names off this week we have some newcomers to the top 7 list and a couple players who are re-entering the list after struggling in past weeks.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 11: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys carries the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at AT&T Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
1. Dak Prescott
Dak comes in this week with his highest weekly ranking of the season after a tremendous performance against a struggling New York Giants team. The Cowboys offense was firing on all cylinders with Dak leading the way throwing for 404 yards on 26/35 passing for four touchdowns and one interception. Dak is having one of the best seasons of his career already amassing 2,415 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also has a QBR of 72..7 this season the third highest in the league.
Dak is unfairly targeted at times when the Cowboys struggle but it’s to be expected for any quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. Many thought after being blown out by the 49ers in week 5 that Dallas might be a fraudulent Super Bowl contender, but they and more importantly Dak have bounced back. After a tough loss to the Eagles in a game Dak played well in they caught a weak Giants team at the perfect time and exercised some of their demons. With a weak schedule the next few weeks Dak will need to continue to play well to keep the doubters quiet and solidify the Cowboys as legit contenders.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 22: Quarterback Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions reacts against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
2. Jared Goff
A familiar face this season in the weekly quarterback rankings Jared Goff finds himself at number two this week after another great week leading the Lions to victory. Goff leads one of the most explosive offenses in the league and they were firing on all cylinders again this week against a Chargers team that was desperate for a win. Goff was 23/33 passing for 333 yards two touchdowns and zero interceptions. In the past Goff was one of the more maligned quarterbacks in the league and was looked at as just a product of Sean McVay, Goff has done more than enough to dispel those claims over the last two seasons and now he finds himself leading a Lions team that’s right in the thick of the NFC playoff race.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 15: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans throws a pass during the game against the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
3. CJ Stroud
The most exciting quarterback in the league the last few weeks and who I expect is the runaway winner of the rookie of the year award this season CJ Stroud finds himself in the third slot this week. While Stroud’s numbers weren’t anything close to last week (how could they be) I thought he was incredibly impressive a week after setting rookie record against a tough Bengals team. I expected Stroud to take a step back this week and the Texans to lose this game with all the praise and pressure that was being tossed on Stroud, heading to Cincinnati to take on Joe Burrow is no easy task and Stroud handled it all incredibly well.
Stroud was 23/39 for 356 yards one touchdown and one interception in the biggest game of his brief NFL career. If Stroud can keep putting up solid numbers and the Texans continue to win games the buzz around him to receive MVP votes will only grow stronger. The Texans still have a long way to go but Stroud has rapidly jumpstarted their rebuilding process and they look to be rounding into form as a team you don’t want to see on your schedule as playoff races tighten.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 23: Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers signals a play during a 37-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
4. Justin Herbert
I don’t normally have quarterbacks that lost inside the top 5 but Justin Herbert deserves it this week after an outstanding performance against the Lions in a high scoring battle that came down to the wire. Herbert was 27/40 passing for 323 yards four touchdowns and one interception this weekend, adding to his already impressive numbers through 9 weeks. Even though the Chargers lost it’s tough to put too much of the blame on Herbert in this one.
Herbert had an early interception in the first half while his team was trailing 10-3 but after that he would go back to the Justin Herbert most people expect to see on a weekly basis. Lighting up the Lions defense throwing for four scores and limiting his mistakes in the second half. Unfortunately for Herbert and the Chargers their defense and head coach have continued to let them down on a weekly basis and until that changes I don’t see the Chargers as a legit threat in the AFC.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up during a timeout in a 30-23 49ers win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 17, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
5. Brock Purdy
After a few down weeks Brock Purdy finds himself back in the top 7 rankings after lighting up a Jacksonville Jaguars team that was the hottest team in football heading into this one. Purdy and the 49ers were the early season favorites to go to and many thought win the Super Bowl but after three straight losses and some rough Purdy performances many were questioning if he was the right guy to lead their stacked offense. However coming out of the bye with a week to prepare Kyle Shanahan had Purdy back in form and looking like the perfect fit for his offense once again.
Purdy had one of his best statistical games of the season throwing for 296 yards on 19/26 passing with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. After those rough weeks this was a welcome sight for 49ers fans and bettors that have already hitched their wagons to 49ers Super Bowl futures. I still think Purdy has room for improvement and will need to build on this performance if the 49ers are going to be serious playoff threats.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 09: Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts after a touchdown during the first half of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on October 09, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
6. Geno Smith
A newcomer to the rankings this week Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith finds himself at number six after another solid start against a Washington team that sold off it’s two biggest defensive stars at the deadline. Geno was maybe the best story in the NFL last season leading what many believed was the worst team in the league heading into the season to the playoffs. Smith hasn’t quite been able to recapture the high level that he played at last season but he’s shown flashes and Seattle is right in the thick of it at 6-3 tied atop the NFC West with San Francisco.
Smith was 31/47 passing for 369 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Although the Seahawks may not be a top team on paper Pete Carroll always seems to find a way to get his teams to buy in and compete in a tough NFC West and this year is no different. The 49ers looked like they were going to runaway with the division but if Smith continues to play well and Brock Purdy starts to struggle again things could get interesting very quickly out west.
