One of the hottest debated topics coming out of NFL games each week is the quarterbacks’ performances. The most highly scrutinized positions are among the hardest to judge with traditional statistics. Therefore, we here at PFN Insights have created a metric to produce QB ranks based on the areas we believe are the most important in analyzing their performance and their contribution to the team.
Our QB+ metric looks at several statistics, including net yards per attempt (nYPA), third-down conversion rate, passing under pressure, and passing from a clean pocket. Additionally, we have quantified performances in clutch situations using statistics from different key scenarios within a game.
By no means is QB+ the perfect metric, and we will continue to develop it throughout the season and beyond. However, when we analyzed it against the past five years, the results were extremely indicative of what we saw on the field while providing enough nuance away from traditional statistics for measuring quarterback play.
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.
Week 9 QB Grades
Lamar Jackson sits atop the Week 9 rankings and is pacing for easily the best season in our database. There is still plenty of football to be played, but we have no real proof that the NFL as a whole has an answer for this Baltimore machine
First, you will find a full list of all quarterbacks from Week 9, listed in order of their QB+ grade and score. Below, you will find an analysis of all qualified quarterbacks and the context for their grades.
They will be listed alphabetically by first name rather than by grade or score. This will allow readers to quickly find the QB they are looking for in the writeups.
- Lamar Jackson, BAL | A+ (vs. DEN)
- Jalen Hurts, PHI | A- (vs. JAX)
- Jayden Daniels, WAS| B+ (at NYG)
- Patrick Mahomes, KC| B+ (vs. TB)
- Tua Tagovailoa, MIA | B+ (at BUF)
- Justin Herbert, LAC | B (at CLE)
- Kirk Cousins, ATL | B (vs. DAL)
- Joe Burrow, CIN | B (vs. LV)
- Mason Rudolph, TEN | B- (vs. NE)
- Aaron Rodgers, NYJ | B- (vs. HOU)
- Daniel Jones, NYG | B- (vs. WAS)
- Derek Carr, NO | B- (at CAR)
- Josh Allen, BUF | C+ (vs. MIA)
- Sam Darnold, MIN | C+ (vs. IND)
- Baker Mayfield, TB | C+ (at KC)
- Geno Smith, SEA | C+ (vs. LAR)
- Bryce Young, CAR | C+ (vs. NO)
- Gardner Minshew II, LV | C (at CIN)
- Jared Goff, DET | C (at GB)
- Kyler Murray, ARI | C (vs. CHI)
- Cooper Rush, DAL | C (at ATL)
- Bo Nix, DEN | C (at BAL)
- Drake Maye, NE | C- (at TEN)
- Matthew Stafford, LAR | C- (at SEA)
- Desmond Ridder, LV | C- (at CIN)
- Jameis Winston, CLE | C- (vs. LAC)
- C.J. Stroud, HOU | C- (at NYJ)
- Dak Prescott, DAL | C- (at ATL)
- Jordan Love, GB | C- (vs. DET)
- Joe Flacco, IND | D+ (at MIN)
- Caleb Williams, CHI | D+ (at ARI)
- Trevor Lawrence, JAX | D- (at PHI)
Week 9 QB Analysis
Aaron Rodgers, NYJ (vs. HOU)
- Grade: B-
- Rank: 10th
We have pressure data going back to 2019, and this is the first time in that sample that Rodgers has thrown three touchdown passes when under duress in a single game. This vintage Rodgers half (the first half was a mess) was the result of Houston betting against him being able to stare down the barrel and deliver — they blitzed on 52.9% of his dropbacks, the first time the Texans brought the heat over 37.1% of the time.
Whether or not this production is sustainable is to be determined, but on Thursday night, Rodgers looked like the version of himself that Gang Green signed up for.
GARRETT WILSON OMG! IT'S BEEN RULED A TD!#HOUvsNYJ on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/qAcbiMicAS— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2024
Baker Mayfield, TB (at KC)
- Grade: C+
- Rank: 15th
It was a rainy night in K.C., where Mayfield did not have a great first half but rallied the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to force OT with under two minutes left. Mayfield threw two second-half TDs and ended the night with 200 yards on the dot.
On the final drive for the Bucs, Mayfield completed six of eight passes for 69 yards and the final score but did not see the ball back after that, as the Chiefs won it in OT.
Bo Nix, DEN (at BAL)
- Grade: C
- Rank: 22nd
This was a weird game for Nix. For the majority of the first half, he did well keeping the Denver Broncos in the game. He contributed to all three assets of the offense and had 188 total yards at the half. However, things fell apart late in the first half and through the second half.
Nix was at least efficient on third downs, converting 46.2% of the time, but that was about all that was positive. He really struggled when passing out of a clean pocket, posting the worst numbers of all qualified quarterbacks at the end of the 1 p.m. slate. He also performed poorly in clutch situations, which meant he finished below average by his own standards in Week 8.
Bryce Young, CAR (vs. NO)
- Grade: C+
- Rank: 17th
We just saw Young’s third-best game in his career in Week 9 of the 2024 season. Hopefully, that is a sign of improvement in his game, but it could equally be a product of facing a bad defense in the Saints.
He produced season-best numbers when throwing under pressure and from a clean pocket while also putting together his best numbers this season on third down and in terms of nYPA. Intriguingly, the last two weeks have been Young’s career-best numbers when throwing under pressure. Hopefully, that is a good sign going forward.
C.J. Stroud, HOU (at NYJ)
- Grade: D+
- Rank: 27th
Entering Week 9, Stroud’s lowest clean-pocket completion percentage in a game was 57.1% in the Week 14 loss at the Jets — against those same Jets, he went 6-of-15 (40%) in those spots. The impact of the absence of Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins was clear as only three Houston Texans caught a pass.
We are hopeful that Stroud can bounce back with his WR1 potentially back in the mix, as he’s been a below-average producer in most of our valued metrics since Collins landed on IR.
Caleb Williams, CHI (at ARI)
- Grade: D+
- Rank: 31st
We essentially saw Williams match his performance from last week, which is a concern given that that was his second-lowest score of the season. This outing was marginally better, but he struggled in a number of aspects, including throwing from a clean pocket and when under pressure. He ended up with a third-down conversion rate of just 18.2% and a nYPA number of just 4.1%. Both of those are in the bottom quarter of results for the week.
The step back that Williams has taken after the bye is particularly concerning this week against a defense in the Cardinals that had been among the worst in the league. Before this week, we had seen a pattern of Williams succeeding against bad defenses and struggling against good ones. If he is now struggling against the bad defenses as well, that is not a promising sign for him or the Chicago Bears going forward.
Daniel Jones, NYG (vs. WAS)
- Grade: B-
- Rank: 11th
It was a really odd week for Jones in Week 9, as he did not produce with any kind of volume but was equally efficient in certain spots. He posted an impressive 50% third-down conversion rate and was among the top five coming out of the early slate when it came to throwing from a clean pocket. However, he threw for just 174 yards, with a woeful 2.0 yards per completion. At the half, he had thrown a touchdown but had zero passing yards to his name.
Part of the problem was that Jones was among the worst quarterbacks this week when throwing under pressure. However, the counter to that is that he at least made a couple of nice plays with his legs, rushing for 54 yards, including an impressive two-yard run that kept the New York Giants in it early in the fourth quarter.
Dak Prescott, NE (at TEN)
- Grade: C-
- Rank: 28th
Prescott completed 75% of his passes before leaving with a hamstring injury and not returning. While he was efficient in terms of completion percentage, none of his six third-down dropbacks resulted in a first down, and he rarely pushed the ball down the field (3.8 air yards per throw).
It may have been Prescott’s second triple-digit passer rating of the season, but he checked very few of the boxes that we are looking for.
Derek Carr, NO (at CAR)
- Grade: B-
- Rank: 12th
There was some hope that Carr would come back and save the New Orleans Saints’ season. Unfortunately, his return could not stop them from losing a seventh straight game, this one against the worst team in the league. However, his performance was not that bad when you look at the metrics, especially when you consider the potential rust factor.
The problem is that none of the numbers were great either, and most of them were on the lower end of what he had achieved this year. Ultimately, it is still a B- performance, but the Saints needed him to elevate this team. He was above average when it came to both throwing from a clean pocket and when under pressure, but his third-down conversion rate was below the 35th percentile in our database.
Drake Maye, NE (at TEN)
- Grade: C-
- Rank: 23rd
This was the toughest week of Maye’s young NFL career, as he posted a C-, having had a C+ and a B in his first two starts this season. However, it is to be expected that he might struggle after missing practice most of this week as he worked through the concussion protocol.
The most concerning element of this performance was that Maye took a relatively significant step back in terms of his performance out of a clean pocket. At the end of the 1 p.m. slate of games, just four quarterbacks were ranked below him in that category.
Maye also struggled to throw under pressure, ranking 16th at the end of the 1 p.m. slate. Those issues resulted in the lowest nYPA of his career so far and more struggles on third down. However, there were plenty of glimpses of what he could offer the New England Patriots, and he ran the ball well too.
Gardner Minshew II, LV (at CIN)
- Grade: C
- Rank: 18th
Minshew only threw 17 passes before coming out of the game, and he was about as ordinary as it gets in his reps. The mighty mustache completed just one of four third-down passes (seven yards) and could sustain drives once they passed midfield.
When pressured, he averaged just 4.6 yards per attempt, a full yard below what is an ordinary season rate as it is.
Geno Smith, SEA (vs. LAR)
- Grade: C+
- Rank: 16th
Both of Smith’s incompletions in the red zone were mind-numbing interceptions, passes that took points off the board and ultimately cost the Seattle Seahawks this divisional game. His counting numbers (363 passing yards and three scores) were great for fantasy football managers, but the mistakes he made highlight why the ceiling of this team is limited.
Smith has been intercepted four times over the past two weeks — three have come in a one-score situation in the fourth quarter.
Jameis Winston, CLE (vs. LAC)
- Grade: C-
- Rank: 26th
Winston was the story of Week 9 in part because of his poise under pressure. In that win, he completed 24-of-33 passes when pressured, but he was just 3-of-9 in such spots against the Chargers, including one of his three interceptions.
Our grades are designed to reward quarterbacks with less volatility in their play-to-play production and that’s not exactly how Winston operates. The bad red-zone pick hurt his grade in a significant way as well — it’s safe to say that we’ve seen a top 20% outcome and a bottom 20% outcome from Cleveland’s QB1 during his two starts.
Jalen Hurts, PHI (vs. JAX)
- Grade: A-
- Rank: 2nd
This was a really impressive performance from Hurts, making it back-to-back weeks that the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback has put up an A-grade or better. He was particularly good from a clean pocket, ranking in the top quarter of all quarterbacks this week, and converted an impressive 66.7% of his third-down opportunities.
Hurts appears to be finding his stride in the 2024 season. However, it has helped that he has faced two of the worst defenses in the league in the past two weeks. He gets another game against an exploitable defense in the Cowboys, before reasonable matchups with the Commanders, Rams, Ravens, and Panthers in the following weeks.
If this trend continues, we could see Hurts put together a really strong six weeks or so that gets him into the MVP conversation.
Jared Goff, DET (at GB)
- Grade: C
- Rank: 19th
Goff was intercepted twice when under pressure in the Week 2 loss to the Buccaneers. He hasn’t been picked off in such a spot since, and his touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown was thanks largely to his comfort in facing pressure, thus allowing the intricate play to develop.
The MVP candidate was again near perfect on the plus side of midfield, completing 9/11 passes (past three weeks: 24-of-29). You might not want to call Goff the reason that this team is winning at a high level, but his stable play is a reason they aren’t losing, and that holds value for a roster like this.
Jayden Daniels, WAS (at NYG)
- Grade: B+
- Rank: 3rd
It was not necessarily the best performance of the year in terms of the box score stats from Daniels, but he was efficient where it counted. He was among the best in the league when throwing from a clean pocket and posted a nYPA of 9.5. He also made a couple of timely plays with his legs, including a fourth-down conversion that kept the offense rolling in the first half to open up a 14-7 lead.
By QB+, this was Daniels’ second-best game of the season, behind only his Week 3 performance against the Bengals. Another element that was impressive for Daniels in this performance was his calmness in clutch situations, posting positive numbers across the board. That continues a trend of Daniels being good in those situations in his rookie year, which sets him up nicely in his career.
Joe Burrow, CIN (vs. LV)
- Grade: B
- Rank: 8th
Burrow orchestrated a near-perfect drive near the end of the first half (five plays for 70 yards), giving the Cincinnati Bengals a lead they’d never get back when he spotted Andrei Iosivas with a 10-yard score.
This was a full team effort, as Burrow was rarely under duress. In the first half alone, he completed 15 of 18 passes with a touchdown when not pressured — when people talk about this team being a sleeper to make a late-season run after a tough start to the season, this is the version they have in mind.
Joe Flacco, IND (at MIN)
- Grade: D+
- Rank: 30th
Compared to his previous three outings this season, Flacco was a disaster once the Indianapolis Colts passed midfield.
- Week 9: 40% complete, 2.5 YPA, and 8.3 passer rating
- Weeks 1-8: 67.3% complete, 6.2 YPA, and 122.6 passer rating
Pocket-locked QBs like Flacco need the support of their teammates to succeed at a high level and he simply didn’t get that on Sunday night. Indianapolis ran for just 68 yards on 19 carries, putting this offense behind the chains consistently and allowing the Vikings to offer up exotic packages.
Those defensive schemes didn’t require pressure to be effective – Flacco was just 13-of-23 with an interception when in a clean pocket, posting a passer rating in such spots that was 41.1 points below his mark for the season.
Jordan Love, GB (vs. DET)
- Grade: C-
- Rank: 29th
That’s consecutive brutal showings for Love on third downs (two first downs on 14 dropbacks), and that could prove prohibitive this winter as the Green Bay Packers attempt to rebound during their Week 10 bye.
Love has been sporadic since returning from injury, consistently putting the ball in harm’s way. He threw a pressured interception against the Lions on Sunday and has two interceptions (with zero touchdowns) when feeling the heat over his past three games.
The potential is obvious, but the downside is a bit too prevalent for this team to be considered a true threat.
Justin Herbert, LAC (at CLE)
- Grade: B
- Rank: 6th
It’s funny how good a high-pedigree QB can look when given the time to do so, no? Just one of Herbert’s 16 first-half passes came under pressure, and he produced in a big way.
Herbert was good for the majority of the convincing win and he saved his best for when crossing midfield with a perfect passer rating in such spots. Did his overall numbers benefit from a few broken coverages? They did, but this offense is constructed in such a way to lull defenses to sleep, and Herbert was able to make the most of those instances in Week 9.
Kirk Cousins, ATL (vs. DAL)
- Grade: B
- Rank: 7th
For the second straight game and third time this season, Cousins completed north of 80% of his passes when not pressured, with two of his 15 such completions resulting in six points.
As good as he was (9.3 yards per attempt and a 144.8 passer rating), picking up three first downs on 11 third-down dropbacks kept him from posting an elite grade in the win over Dallas. In the first eight weeks, 38% of Cousins’ third-down dropbacks moved the chains and if he could have simply replicated that rate, he would have locked in a top-five performance for the week.
Kyler Murray, ARI (vs. CHI)
- Grade: C
- Rank: 20th
Despite the Arizona Cardinals’ relatively dominant box score, Murray did not have his best game. This was actually the median performance of Murray’s season, ranking in between his Week 6 and 7 performances. There was nothing particularly exciting about this performance, but with the way the run game was operating, he did not need to do anything special.
The most concerning aspect will be the way Murray performed when throwing under pressure, ranking in the bottom quarter of all qualified players this week. That is an area he has been all over the map this season, but this was his worst performance of the season. However, the Bears have had a good defense this year, so there was always a chance Murray would struggle this week.
Overall, a middling performance against a good defense is fine in a game the Cardinals largely controlled, meaning Murray did not have to do too much.
Lamar Jackson, BAL (vs. DEN)
- Grade: A+
- Rank: 1st
What a fantastic performance from Jackson in Week 9, as he barely put a foot wrong in what will amount to another MVP-level performance. This was his best performance of the season, ranking third overall and third inside the top 10 of the year. If Jackson finishes the week top of the charts, it will be his fourth week doing so this season.
Jackson was close to perfect from a clean pocket, but his performance under pressure left a little to be desired. However, he threw the majority of his passes from a clean pocket, and his efficiency was incredible, 14.2 nYPA, which is nearly in the 90th percentile in our database.
Mason Rudolph, TEN (vs. NE)
- Grade: B-
- Rank: 9th
It might be a little bit too late for Mason Rudolph to stake a claim for the starting role in Tennessee in 2024. However, he put together his most complete performance in his fourth game of the year, with his performance in a clean pocket standing out as the most impressive.
Ultimately, this came against a very poor Patriots defense, and in a game where the Tennessee Titans only scored 20 points, there is only so much positive we can read into. Rudolph did not post particularly spectacular numbers across the board, so it will be a fairly easy decision to go back to Will Levis when he is healthy.
Matthew Stafford, LAR (at SEA)
- Grade: C-
- Rank: 24th
The Los Angeles Rams won, and it was ultimately Stafford’s right arm (along with the defense) that got them there, but their veteran quarterback was more of a hindrance than an elevator for the majority of the game.
Coming off of his best performance of the season when pressured (6-of-8 with three first downs), he was miserable in such spots in Seattle: 2-of-11 with an interception.
Games like this are why “result” is not factored into QB+. He made enough plays to pull out this victory, and that matters for the NFL standings. But our goal is to isolate quarterback play, and for the bulk of Week 9, Stafford struggled significantly.
Patrick Mahomes, KC (vs. TB)
- Grade: B+
- Rank: 4th
After a quiet first half, it was vintage Mahomes in the second half and overtime, throwing for two TDs while battling an injured ankle. Mahomes finished 34-for-44 for 291 and three passing TDs, which were all season highs except for yardage. He found his new weapon, DeAndre Hopkins, eight times for 82 yards and two of the three touchdowns.
The B+ grade is the second of the season for Mahomes, who has yet to have an “A” grade in 2024. His Week 9 performance was the fourth best of the week.
Sam Darnold, MIN (vs. IND)
- Grade: C+
- Rank: 14th
Darnold completed six of his eight third-down passes and while he was able to sustain drives, he was underwhelming when pressured (13 yards on 10 dropbacks with an interception). On the bright side, he’ll never have to play the Minnesota Vikings.
His accuracy when kept clean has been nothing short of elite. From Weeks 7-9, he’s completed 54-of-65 passes (83.1%) of his passes when not under duress, throwing multiple touchdown passes in such spots in each of his past two games.
If this team can keep their QB upright, this game can serve as the beginning of a rebound with the Jaguars and Titans up next. If not, our QB+ metric is pessimistic about their ability to keep pace in the loaded NFC North.
Trevor Lawrence, JAX (at PHI)
- Grade: D-
- Rank: 32nd
Have we reached the point where Lawrence might actually be more feared for his running ability than his passing ability? Things are not quite that desperate for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he did run in two touchdowns this week while throwing two interceptions.
Lawrence really struggled whether he was throwing from a clean pocket or under pressure. This was his worst performance of the season in either situation and contributed to his struggles across the board.
Lawrence also made a mess of a couple of clutch situations in this game, including throwing a late interception to end the game. He also threw an interception late in the first half, with Lawrence producing his worst overall number of the season in clutch spots. there is a worrying trend of the Jaguars’ quarterback crumbling when his team needs him to make plays the most.
Tua Tagovailoa, MIA (at BUF)
- Grade: B+
- Rank: 5th
After picking up one first down on six pressured dropbacks in Week 8 against the Cardinals, Tagovailoa operated at a 60% hit rate against the Bills, driving up his QB+ grade in a significant way as he looked closer to the form we entered the season expecting.
What elevated Tagvailoa’s performance from “good” to a top-50 effort of the season? When this game was within a single score in the fourth quarter, he connected on nine of 10 passes and that included a touchdown. The result may not have been what the Miami Dolphins faithful was looking for, but this loss looked much different than their early season struggles and should fuel them with some optimism for the future.