The NFL is a fluid game. The margins are so thin, and given the importance of the quarterback position, a strong performance from that individual often dictates outcomes.
You can go anywhere for a subjective analysis of which signal-callers played well. Many websites have their NFL talent breaking down the film to highlight what went wrong in certain instances.
That’s all great, but if we want consistency from our QBs, shouldn’t our grading of them be consistent?
What Is PFN’s Quarterback Grading Process?
With that in mind, we’ve created a formula for assigning a letter grade to every quarterback’s performance.
Is it perfect? No. Nothing is. We’re molding stats that include success rates when pressured, third-down conversion rate, and pocket production. The added wrinkle in this PFN Insight is quantifying “clutch.”
We can argue all day about what goes into that. We’ve got timeliness-based stats that take into account both the score and the situation.
Obviously, not every game will give a quarterback the opportunity to thrive (or fail) in such spots, which is why some of the weekly grades may look a little goofy. That’s the cost of doing business.
These grades are a culmination of ranks. That is, they are graded against one another. That is done to give us the definitive rankings that we desire.
In school, multiple students can ace a test, but football includes plenty of gray areas. By grading all signal-callers against one another, we will get a distinct list.
Now, because we’re in the grading business, plenty of players will fall into the same grade range. The way we’re listing these players is in the order of their numerical grades. For example, the first player listed with a “C” grade earned a higher mark than the last player in that tier, but they were close enough to fall into the same bucket.
Week 2 QB Grades
Quarterbacks needed 15 attempts to qualify in Week 2. Green Bay Packers fill-in starter Malik Willis didn’t make the cut.
1) Kyler Murray (vs. LAR): A+ (96)
Season grade: C (53)
Murray’s 96 grade is the best for any NFL quarterback this season, one point above the 95 Baker Mayfield posted against the Commanders in Week 1.
His Cardinals thrashed the division-rival Rams on Sunday, dropping 41 points on Los Angeles after scoring 28 in a season-opening defeat to the Bills. Arizona’s offense ranks second in EPA per play through two weeks.
Murray found a connection with rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr., hitting him four times for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He was electric on deep shots against the Rams. On throws of 15+ air yards, Murray was seven-of-eight for 192 yards and three TDs. His 2.13 EPA per dropback on those throws led the NFL in Week 2.
2) Derek Carr (vs. DAL): A (92)
Season grade: C (53)
This is a version of Carr we’ve rarely seen. While he showed glimpses of aggressive playing during his time as a Raider (especially while working under Jon Gruden), Carr has seldom been as willing to attack downfield as in 2024.
Carr’s average depth of target (9.2 yards) ranks sixth in the league; he’s only posted an aDOT above 8.5 once in his 11-year career.
Defenses are blitzing Carr at the NFL’s second-highest rate (40.5%), but OC Klint Kubiak’s scheme has helped him account for those extra rushers. Carr ranks second in passing success rate and third in EPA per dropback when blitzed.
3) Josh Allen (vs. MIA): B (75)
Season grade: C (53)
Allen didn’t have to do much in Buffalo’s Thursday night victory over the Dolphins. The Bills’ defense picked Tua Tagovailoa off three times, returning one for a touchdown.
Allen’s 19 pass attempts were tied for the third-fewest of his career in a win. He made the most of his tries, connecting for 13 completions, 139 yards, and a touchdown while ranking third in EPA per dropback and sixth in passing success rate.
Allen only ran twice against Miami. It was just the eighth time he’s attempted two or fewer rushes in 95 career starts.
4) Daniel Jones (vs. WAS): B (75)
Season grade: D- (23)
Like it or not, Jones showed well last week in a plus matchup. On third downs, he completed five of seven passes for 72 yards and a pair of scores, giving his team a chance to win a game in which they held the ball for less than 23 minutes.
Jones and the Giants probably would have earned a Week 2 victory if kicker Graham Gano hadn’t injured his hamstring on the game’s first play. Punter Jamie Gillan missed his only extra-point attempt while filling in, and New York failed on both of its two-point conversions.
5) Geno Smith (vs. NE): B (75)
Season grade: C (53)
In the span of two years, Smith has somehow gone from a journeyman backup to a weekly must-watch quarterback. After showing off his surprising wheels with a 34-yard touchdown run in Seattle’s Week 1 win against Denver, Smith faced new challenges against New England in Week 2.
Smith was especially productive when the Patriots sent extra pass rushers on Sunday. He went 12-of-15 for 167 yards (11.1 YPA) and one touchdown against the blitz in Week 2, consistently moving in the pocket to evade pressure before layering throws between defenders.
6) Jayden Daniels (vs. NYG): B- (72)
Season grade: C (53)
The Commanders are mostly playing it safe with Daniels, asking him to throw short and avoid any pressure that might break through Washington’s porous offensive line.
Through two weeks, the No. 2 overall pick ranks 33rd of 35 qualifying QBs in air yards per attempt (5.0). On average, Daniels has thrown 5.2 yards short the first-down marker, which is the worst rate in the NFL.
7) Sam Darnold (vs. SF): B- (72)
Season grade: C (53)
Darnold has made the most of his newfound NFL life in Minnesota through the first two weeks of the 2024 campaign. The Vikings are 2-0 after taking down the defending NFC champion 49ers on Sunday, and Darnold has been at the center of the club’s offensive efforts.
While he wasn’t quite as efficient against San Francisco as in the season opener against the Giants, Darnold still averaged 10.3 yards per attempt and threw two touchdowns, including a 97-yard catch-and-run to Justin Jefferson.
8) Kirk Cousins (vs. PHI): B- (70)
Season grade: C (53)
Cousins looked far more mobile in Monday night’s comeback win than in Atlanta’s Week 1 loss to the Steelers. Hopefully, any concerns about Cousins’ Achilles are behind him and the Falcons can operate a Kirk-friendly offense moving forward.
Cousins was outstanding on Atlanta’s game-winning drive, taking his team 70 yards in just six plays and 65 seconds. He hit passes of 11, 21, and 26 yards before finding Drake London on back-to-back passes, including a seven-yard TD.
While Cousins’ late-game heroics were the headline, he was effective throughout the entire contest. On first downs, Cousins ranked No. 1 in EPA per dropback and success rate after completing nine-of-12 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown.
9) Justin Fields (vs. DEN): B- (68)
Season grade: C (53)
Fields was pressured on an NFL-high 57.7% of his dropbacks in Week 2 but only took two sacks. Through two games, the former Bear has done just enough to put the Steelers’ offense in a position to support the club’s dominant defensive efforts.
Fields hasn’t committed a turnover and has absorbed only four sacks in 2024. He’s playing the idealized brand of run-heavy, defense-first football that Mike Tomlin probably imagined entering this season. Whether Fields can keep it up when Pittsburgh’s competition improves is anyone’s guess.
10) Jalen Hurts (vs. ATL): B- (67)
Season grade: C (53)
Hurts turned back the clock on Monday night, taking to the ground for 85 yards on 13 carries. He scrambled for a first down on 4th-and-4 on Philadelphia’s fourth drive before eventually finding DeVonta Smith for a seven-yard TD to make it 7-3 in the second quarter.
Hurts had a chance to get the Eagles in position for a game-winning field goal with 34 seconds and two timeouts remaining, but Falcons safety Jessie Bates III intercepted a deep pass intended for Smith to end the game.
Star Eagles wideout A.J. Brown didn’t play in this game and is expected to miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury.
11) Brock Purdy (vs. MIN): C+ (64)
Season grade: B+ (81)
It was another efficient day at the office for Purdy. While sacks ultimately burned the 49ers, Purdy put them in a position to compete.
After consecutive series ended on downs, he marched San Francisco 65 yards on five plays on their final first-half drive, beginning with a 28-yard pass to Deebo Samuel Sr. and ending with a seven-yard TD to George Kittle.
Purdy wasn’t at his best on Sunday, but his composure under pressure boosted his Week 2 grade and should win out over time.
12) Justin Herbert (vs. CAR): C+ (62)
Season grade: C+ (60)
When kept clean on Sunday, Herbert put on a masterclass. That’s what we want, isn’t it?
If a QB can’t take the easy wins, how is his team going to succeed long-term? Herbert completed 13-of-17 passes for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns when not feeling the heat from Carolina’s defense.
13) Tua Tagovailoa (vs. BUF): C (58)
Season grade: C (53)
Tagovailoa suffered his fourth known concussion in Week 2 and will not play on Sunday. While Tua has considered retirement in the past, he reportedly plans to continue his career.
Miami placed Tagovailoa on injured reserve on Tuesday. He can return in Week 8 at the earliest.
Skylar Thompson, who started Miami’s 2022-23 Wild Card playoff game against the Bills, will be the Dolphins’ QB1 in Week 3.
14) C.J. Stroud (vs. CHI): C (58)
Season grade: C (53)
Few quarterbacks have been as effective against pressure early in the 2024 campaign as Stroud. When pressured, he’s completing 62.5% for 11.3 yards per attempt (YPA); the league averages through two weeks are 50.3% and 6.4 YPA.
Houston’s Monday night win was a gritty affair. Stroud found Nico Collins for a 28-yard touchdown on the Texans’ second drive, but Houston never scored another touchdown.
15) Will Levis (vs. NYJ): C (58)
Season grade: D+ (35)
There are plenty of nits to pick in Levis’ profile, but he did show signs of growth on third downs against the Jets.
On 10 third-down dropbacks, he averaged 10.2 yards per attempt, a vast improvement from the 2.7 he averaged in Tennessee’s Week 1 debacle against the Bears. It was a step in the right direction, even if only a small one.
Still, it’s hard to overlook Levis’ consistent — and game-changing — errors. A misguided pick-six in Week 1 and an absurd fumble in Week 2 almost made Titans head coach Brian Callahan lose his mind. No QB has lost more EPA off turnovers through two weeks than Levis.
16) Dak Prescott (vs. NO): C (58)
Season grade: C (53)
Prescott was good-not-great in the Cowboys’ Week 1 win over the Browns and struggled in Dallas’ Week 2 defeat to the Saints.
Admittedly, Dak was put in poor situations. Derek Carr and New Orleans’ offense boat-raced the Cowboys’ defense, scoring touchdowns on their first six possessions. Prescott was consistently asked to drop back in obvious passing situations, ultimately throwing two picks and taking three sacks.
17) Gardner Minshew II (vs. BAL): C (56)
Season grade: C (53)
The Raiders and Gardner Minshew II got more aggressive in Week 2, resulting in a surprising upset win over the Ravens.
After ranking 32nd in air yards per attempt in Week 1 (4.4), Minshew was up to 6.0 in Week 2. He still finished just 24th in the league in air yards per attempt, but hopefully, the trend continues.
With weapons like Davante Adams and Brock Bowers (each of whom posted nine catches and 90+ yards on Sunday), Minshew should be tossing the ball down the field.
18) Lamar Jackson (vs. LV): C (56)
Season grade: C (53)
While Jackson almost led the Ravens to a season-opening win against the Chiefs, Week 2 was an entirely different story.
Baltimore’s defense, which allowed Minshew and the Raiders to stage a late-game comeback, was more of an issue than its offense. But Jackson didn’t look like the reigning MVP while posting a 53.0 QBR, 16th in the NFL in Week 2.
Blitzes have historically been an issue for Jackson, but he struggled in a clean pocket on Sunday. When Lamar wasn’t pressed against Las Vegas, he ranked just 23rd in EPA per dropback.
19) Joe Burrow (vs. KC): C (55)
Season grade: C (53)
While the Bengals couldn’t quite pull off a Week 2 upset against the Chiefs, Burrow looked far more comfortable on Sunday than in Week 1. His performance against K.C. likely assuaged any concerns that Burrow’s 2023 wrist injury was still bothering him.
Burrow was more willing to rip downfield throws on Sunday. His average depth of target went from 5.9 yards (28th among all QBs) in Week 1 to 7.5 yards in Week 2 (18th). The difference was even more stark when Burrow was kept clean (4.5 in Week 1 vs. 8.0 in Week 2).
20) Aaron Rodgers (vs. NYJ): C (53)
Season grade: C (53)
The Jets improved Rodgers’ offensive line this offseason, but the veteran signal-caller is also doing an excellent job of getting rid of the ball.
Rodgers’ 2.32-second time to throw is the fastest mark in the NFL through two weeks. Pass rushers simply can’t get there quick enough; it’s no surprise that Rodgers’ 18.2% pressure rate also leads the league.
On throws of 2.5 seconds or less, Rodgers ranks first in explosive play rate, second in EPA per dropback, and third in passing success rate.
21) Jacoby Brissett (vs. SEA): C- (42)
Season grade: C (53)
Brissett has been a serviceable caretaker for the Patriots’ offense through two weeks. He hasn’t turned the ball over a single time in two weeks. Brissett has been sacked four times, but he’s lost the 10th-fewest EPA off sacks among NFL QBs. In other words, he wasn’t sacked at critical times in either of New England’s first two games.
First-year head coach Jerod Mayo will undoubtedly turn things over to No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye at some point this year. But Brissett has done more than enough to hang onto the Pats’ starting job for now.
22) Trevor Lawrence (vs. CLE): C- (40)
Season grade: C (53)
Lawrence is still making several highlight-worthy throws per game, but the end results haven’t been there. The Jaguars have scored just 30 points through two games and have continued to commit self-inflicted errors.
Lawrence hasn’t thrown any picks this year. But he took a sack in the end zone — resulting in a safety that made the score 18-13 Browns — at the very end of Jacksonville’s Week 2 loss.
The former No. 1 overall pick needs more help from his coaches. In Week 2, the Jaguars ranked dead last in pass rate over expectation. Meanwhile, Doug Pederson called for field goals on two 4th-and-goals, one from the seven-yard line and one with four to go.
23) Deshaun Watson (vs. JAX): C- (39)
Season grade: C (53)
Watson’s Week 1 performance against the Cowboys was the worst game of his career by adjusted yards per attempt (AY/A). Week 2 wasn’t quite as bad, but it was still one of the 10 worst games of Watson’s NFL tenure by AY/A.
Although Watson led Cleveland to points on four of its first five drives against Jacksonville on Sunday, the Browns were shut out on their final four series. A victory against the Jags probably bought Watson more time under center, but Jameis Winston is waiting in the wings if Cleveland’s QB1 doesn’t improve.
24) Patrick Mahomes (vs. CIN): C- (38)
Season grade: B- (70)
Efficiency is typically Mahomes’ calling card, but he posted an ugly 6.0 YPA against a vulnerable Bengals defense in Week 2.
Remove his 44-yard touchdown to Rashee Rice, and that rate drops to a downright unacceptable 4.5.
Better days are pretty obviously ahead for Mahomes. However, given that he’s thrown as many interceptions as TD passes in six of his past seven regular-season games, Mahomes’ recent grades have been well below what you’d expect for a player who might go down as the best ever to do it.
25) Matthew Stafford (vs. ARZ): C- (38)
Season grade: C (53)
Stafford’s Rams were plastered by the NFC West-rival Cardinals in Week 2, making it difficult to take too much from the veteran quarterback’s performance.
The same might be said for the rest of the season, given how injury-depleted the Rams’ roster is. Stafford won’t have Puka Nacua or Cooper Kupp for the foreseeable future, leaving Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, and Jordan Whittington as L.A.’s top WRs.
Meanwhile, two starting Rams offensive linemen (Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila) and the club’s swing tackle (Joe Noteboom) are on IR.
26) Baker Mayfield (vs. DET): D+ (37)
Season grade: B- (71)
One week after being downright special when the game was within a single score, Mayfield was just average.
In those same spots against the Lions, Mayfield was 12-of-19 with a touchdown and a pick, earning him a passer rating more in line with the NFL norm. Mayfield was on fire against the Commanders in Week 1 in those scenarios (16-of-19 with a touchdown).
His efficiency on short passes also dipped by 18.8 percentage points from his sparkling season debut, another factor in his underwhelming Week 2 grade.
27) Bo Nix (vs. PIT): D+ (36)
Season grade: C (53)
Contrary to popular belief, Nix actually has been willing to attempt shots down the field with the Broncos. Through two weeks, 18.2% of Nix’s attempts have come between 10-19 yards (19th in the NFL). Roughly 10% of his attempts have been 20+ yards downfield, 16th in the league.
However, he hasn’t been connecting on those passes. On throws between 10 and 19 yards, Nix is just 3-for-14 with 4.1 yards per attempt and two interceptions. He’s 2-for-8 with two more picks on throws over 20 yards.
Still, Denver’s 0-2 record isn’t solely Nix’s fault. He’s been pressured on 43.2% of his dropbacks, fourth-most among all NFL quarterbacks.
28) Jared Goff (vs. TB): D+ (36)
Season grade: C (53)
After posting a lackluster performance in Detroit’s season-opening win against the Rams, Goff was even worse in Week 2’s loss to the Buccaneers. He averaged just 3.95 adjusted net yards per attempt and threw two picks in a surprising home defeat.
It’s only been two weeks, but Goff has uncharacteristically struggled even when not pressured. When kept clean in 2024, Goff ranks just 23rd in yards per attempt, 25th in EPA per dropback, and 31st in off-target rate.
What’s still working for Goff? Play action, of course. He’s seventh in EPA per dropback off of play action, completing 14 of 20 attempts for 211 yards.
29) Anthony Richardson (vs. GB): D (29)
Season grade: N/A (not enough attempts to qualify)
Richardson went from chucking the ball all over the field in Week 1 to completing just 50% of his passes and tossing three picks in Week 2. A loss to the Malik Willis-led Packers seemed almost unimaginable, but Willis was effective in a surprising Green Bay win.
Richardson’s concerning accuracy was a talking point when Indy made the Florida product the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Through two weeks, his 17.7% off-target rate leads the league.
30) Caleb Williams (vs. HOU): D (27)
Season grade: C (53)
It’s been a rough opening two weeks for the No. 1 overall pick.
Williams posted 174 passing yards in Monday night’s loss to the Texans, nearly doubling his meager 93-yard output from Week 1. But he still managed just 4.7 yards per pass attempt. By adjusted yards per attempt (which accounts for TDs and INTs), Williams was actually worse in Week 2.
The Bears’ passing offense hasn’t been consistent or able to generate chunk yardage. Williams ranks 29th in passing success rate, while his explosive play rate (4%) is dead last in the NFL.
31) Bryce Young (vs. LAC): F (14)
Season grade: 2 (F)
Young’s performance to begin the 2024 campaign was so poor that the Panthers made the nearly unprecedented decision to bench last year’s No. 1 overall pick. Veteran Andy Dalton will start for Carolina moving forward, and it’s hard to imagine the elder QB won’t operate the Panthers’ offense more efficiently than Young.
In Week 2, Young averaged just 3.8 yards per attempt in a 26-3 loss to the Chargers. His 17.2% passing success rate was the sixth-worst mark for a QB with at least 20 attempts in a game since 2020.