2024 NFL QB Power Rankings Week 6: It's not Burrows' fault. Is it love?

Henry McKenna

NFL reporter

If you love good quarterback play, I hope you didn't miss the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. It was the kind of game that reminded us why we make time for football.

Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow both seemed to know that the last man with the ball would win. Defense didn't matter. And while it briefly seemed like that guy was Burrow, in the end it was Lamar — and a Ravens win.

And it was a nice redemption for what we saw in Week 1, when Lamar dueled with Patrick Mahomes and Isaiah Likely's toe was an inch out of bounds on the final drive when the Chiefs won. So while that result went against the Ravens, this one ended in their favor. And this win is a big reason that Baltimore is back on track to make the playoffs.

By now you can probably guess who else is at the top of the QB Stock Market this week.

For this ranking, we weight this week's performance at 30% importance and 70% for the rest of 2024. One question is more important than all others: What have you done for your team lately?

Previous weeks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (↔)
2. Jayden Daniels, Washington commanders (⬆️ 3)
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (⬆️ 5)

What else can Joe Burrow do?

It's not his fault the Bengals aren't paying Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins. It's not his fault the Bengals let Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, Jonah Williams, Chidobe Awuzie and DJ Reader sign as free agents elsewhere this year. It's not his fault that Zac Taylor wasn't able to replicate the success he had en route to Super Bowl LVI.

All Burrow did on Sunday was throw for 392 passing yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

You don't really see that: an elite QB playing extremely well – on a 1-4 team. What a waste. The Bengals let Burrows Premier pass them by.

4. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (⬆️ 3)
5. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (⬇️ 2)

Against the Jets, Darnold played a bit like the guy New York didn't want anymore.

Robert Saleh's defense was able to generate 19 pressures, four sacks and three QB hits, including one that injured Darnold. The Jets also swallowed up Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in coverage.

But in the moments when the New York defense was beatable, Darnold didn't take advantage of his chances. On one particular third down in the first quarter, he stared at his open target long enough to let the rushers finish. On another third down in the fourth quarter, he threw an uncatchable ball to a wide-open Addison. It would have been a first down – and probably a touchdown.

And then there was a potential 83-yard TD late in the fourth quarter that Darnold missed just before throwing an interception. It would have been a remarkable touchdown – but he was able to score it.

Darnold's hesitancy and inaccuracy gave rise to a possible comeback by the Jets. It's the second week in a row we've seen him open the door for an opponent – rather than help the Vikings close it.

6. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (⬇️ 4)
7. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (⬇️ 3)
8. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans (⬇️ 2)

There were cracks in the foundation of Stroud's performance on Sunday. As you can see, I'm not panicking. I still have it in the top 10. But… I wasn't exactly reassured.

The Texans, for example, did not score a touchdown after the departure of Nico Collins. Stroud was 5 of 5 for 111 yards and a touchdown (to Collins) before the WR's injury. Thereafter? He was 17 of 27 for 220 yards with an interception and a fumble.

It's not like Stroud has fallen apart. But the explosive games came to an end.

We could see how important Collins is to Stroud in the coming weeks if the receiver has to miss time. And we may see if Stefon Diggs is still the WR1 he once was — or if he's lost a step.

Stroud lost the game against the Bills after Collins left. And that's why Buffalo almost got a win.

9. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (⬆️ 1)
10. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (⬆️ 11)

For one night, Cousins ​​found out what it felt like to be 2007's Tom Brady.

Cousins ​​had the Falcons' offense Burn. Timing. Precision. Anticipation. But it wasn't just safe throws. Cousins ​​pushed the ball into traffic and took risks where he saw fit.

After Week 1, the Falcons looked flat and Michael Penix seemed just a stone's throw away from taking over. But this week, Cousins ​​was the NFL's best pocket passer – even better than Burrow. It was a joy to watch Cousins ​​go for 42 of 58 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. And he got the W.

11. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (⬇️ 2)
12. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (⬆️ 2)

This may not have been the old Mahomes from his explosive days early in his career. But that was absolutely 2023 Mahomes, when he was patient, methodical, and only took what the defense gave him.

According to Next Gen Stats, he recorded 300 of his 331 passing yards with fewer than 15 air yards in the Chiefs' win over the Saints. Normally I present this statistic to show an over-cautious, under-confident quarterback. But given the way teams play against Mahomes, that's actually KC's recipe for good BBQ. According to Next Gen, Mahomes didn't throw any of his 39 passes into a tight window – not even his interception when a Saints defender blocked JuJu Smith-Schuster's reception.

This is boring, game manager Mahomes. But when he controls his decisions, the Chiefs destroy teams. Just like they did with the saints.

13. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets (⬇️ 1)
14. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (⬆️ 12)
15. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (⬆️ 3)
16. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (⬇️ 5)
17. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (⬇️ 4)
18. Daniel Jones, New York Giants (⬆️ 4)
19. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (⬆️ 1)
20. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (⬇️ 4)
21. Jalen hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (⬇️ 2)
22. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (⬆️ 3)
23. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (⬇️ 8)
24. Jordan love, Green Bay Packers (⬇️ 7)

Love was as unpredictable as any quarterback in the NFL. I'm not sure the Packers can keep this up.

The situation didn't come to a head on Sunday because Love and the Packers got a win. But the film for “Love” wasn’t pretty. Possibly because of the knee injury, he had missed throws on simple throws, especially away throws near the sideline, where he fell or threw wide.

And then his biggest shot was one of his worst decisions. When he gave Jayden Reed a 53-yard bomb, the defense clearly sent a message: Don't throw the ball. Reed was tripled and Ahkello Witherspoon was able to throw an interception. But Love was lucky: Witherspoon couldn't chase the ball. The piece provided a huge portion. It was the wrong process that produced the right results. But the coaches won't build on that.

On just 121 dropbacks, Love has six turnover plays and just four big throws, according to Pro Football Focus. He also has three batted passes at the line of scrimmage.

The Packers should take another look at Malik Willis' game plan. They kept things simple and efficient and Willis kept the ball out of danger. This could actually help Love get back on track after two dizzying performances.

25. Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts (new)
26. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers (⬇️ 3)
27. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots (⬇️ 3)

Brissett played like the Patriots had the lead every week. As if he could coast to victory with missed throws and confident decision-making. But New England trailed or tied in 130 of its 300 minutes played this season, the 12th-most in the NFL. And so the irony is that Brissett's conservative style of play contributes to New England's inability to win.

Because of this, coach Jerod Mayo had to seriously consider using rookie Drake Maye.

The reason for benching Brissett was obvious: the season is over. Get the child to give him real game repetitions. His progress could increase exponentially with this experience.

The complaint against Brissett's replacement was also legitimate: the season is over. Keep the child away from the danger zone. The more the Patriots lose, the higher their pick will be in the draft. That will help Maye next season when he is the undisputed starter.

Time will tell if Door #1 was the right move.

28. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders (⬇️ 1)

Like the Patriots, the Raiders are also considering who to start at quarterback. It's unclear whether Minshew or Aidan O'Connell will start next week.

Unlike New England, it doesn't feel like Las Vegas' decision will significantly alter its season – or its franchise. It was clear early in the year that the Raiders didn't have a franchise quarterback or a guy who could get them into the playoffs. (Neither O'Connell nor Minshew has started a postseason game.)

So why didn't the Raiders select a QB in 2024?

Her decision to face Brock Bowers in Round 1 was already strange. But their decision not to move up the board and bring in one of those QBs? I hope you like what you see from Quinn Ewers, Shedeur Sanders and Carson Beck.

29. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (↔)
30. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (↔)
31. Tyler Huntley, Miami Dolphins (⬆️ 1)
32. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (⬇️ 1)

Henry McKenna is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously covered the Patriots for seven years for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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