Fansided

NFL quarterback rankings, Week 4: Matthew Stafford arrives

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports   Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports   Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports   Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports   Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports   Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

In Week 3, nobody was more impressive than Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who torched the defending champions all afternoon.

Our 2021 FanSided NFL quarterback rankings go live each Tuesday morning throughout the regular season, and we useĀ a sliding scale incorporating current and past performances, with the former meaning more as the year goes on.

2021 stats: 628 yards | 55.2 comp % | 2 TD | 7 INT | 6.0 YPA | 22.1 QBR

LW: 32

Thereā€™s no need to pile on. Wilson has no chance with this current iteration of the Jets and heā€™s off to a brutal start.

2021 stats: 138 yards | 40.0 comp % | 0 TD | 1 INT | 3.9 YPA | 7.1 QBR

LW: NA

Fields threw six completions in a full game for 68 yards. Pretty much sums it up. The gameplan was terrible and the offensive line was even worse.

2021 stats: 669 yards | 54.2 comp % | 5 TD | 7 INT | 5.7 YPA | 23.3 QBR

LW: 30

Lawrence has already thrown seven interceptions, some of the comical variety. Still, he flashes the elite talent which made him the No. 1 overall pick in April.

2021 stats: 270 yards | 58.7 comp % | 2 TD | 1 INT | 5.9 YPA | 38.0 QBR

LW: 31

Mills doesnā€™t have any clear top-tier trait, but he avoided making big mistakes and made the throws an NFL quarterback should make. More than most of the rookies can say this year.

2021 stats: 384 yards | 62.9 comp % | 0 TD | 1 INT | 4.3 YPA | 53.9 QBR

LW: 28

Brissett has been the epitome of Captain Checkdown, but heā€™s doing an admirable job filling in for Tua Tagovailoa. Miami had a chance to upset the Raiders in Las Vegas, but fell short in overtime.

2021 stats: 801 yards | 63.8 comp % | 3 TD | 3 INT | 6.2 YPA | 35.7 QBR

LW: 23

Get the rocking chair out. Roethlisberger has been fried since last year, and he continues to struggle doing anything other than a quick dump-off to a back. Itā€™s genuinely tough to watch.

2021 stats: 692 yards | 60.4 comp % | 3 TD | 1 INT | 6.5 YPA | 38.9 QBR

LW: 25

Wentz gutted the game out this weekend in Tennessee, but heā€™s getting pounded behind an injured offensive line and the receivers are struggling to create much separation.

2021 stats: 670 yards | 69.4 comp % | 5 TD | 3 INT | 7.9 YPA | 45.7 QBR

LW: 27

Heinicke is a backup quarterback being asked to do too much, mostly because the much-hyped Washington defense has been a disaster. Completing more than 65 percent of his passes for 7.9 yards per attempt is a nice job.

2021 stats: 737 yards | 67.5 comp % | 2 TD | 3 INT | 6.1 YPA | 52.3 QBR

LW: 20

Itā€™s been a mediocre three games for Jones, and yet heā€™s easily the top rookie quarterback at the moment. The Patriots donā€™t ask much from their youngster, and heā€™s largely managing the unit. Nothin terrible, nothing special.

2021 stats: 782 yards | 65.4 comp % | 2 TD | 0 INT | 7.5 YPA | 60.6 QBR

LW: 26

For once, the Giants canā€™t blame all their failings on Jonesā€™ turnovers. Heā€™s without an interception, and frankly, the big issue has been offensive coordinator Jason Garrettā€™s refusal to innovate. Itā€™s a stale system with no upside.

2021 stats: 707 yards | 70.9 comp % | 4 TD | 3 INT | 6.0 YPA | 34.1 QBR

LW: 18

Ryan and the Falcons are off to another rough start. One would wonder if this is going to be the last year of this union, except Atlanta is looking at a $40 million dead cap hit in 2022. Yikes.

2021 stats: 780 yards | 65.9 comp % | 5 TD | 2 INT | 8.0 YPA | 65.9 QBR

LW: 21

The Eagles got hammered on Monday night, and Hurts didnā€™t help. He was under duress most of the evening, but he made a litany of poor throws, including a pair of interceptions. The accuracy on throws downfield must improve.

2021 stats: 801 yards | 69.9 comp % | 5 TD | 2 INT | 6.5 YPA | 40.1 QBR

LW: 19

Goff really has no chance. The Lions have the worst receivers in the league, and while the offensive line has promise, itā€™s an offense without much direction at this stage of the rebuild.

2021 stats: 387 yards | 60.3 comp % | 7 TD | 2 INT | 6.1 YPA | 65.4 QBR

LW: 24

Winston has started three games and hasnā€™t thrown for 400 yards. Itā€™s impossible to believe this is a man who threw for over 5,000 yards only two years. Different guy, and so far, different results.

2021 stats: 760 yards | 67.4 comp % | 4 TD | 1 INT | 8.0 YPA | 56.2 QBR

LW: 15

Garoppolo wasnā€™t bad on Sunday, but he certainly didnā€™t do much to help the Niners win. There were too many inaccurate throws, forced throws and questionable pocket presence.

2021 stats: 640 yards | 70.7 comp % | 7 TD | 4 INT | 8.5 YPA | 41.5 QBR

LW: 14

Burrow is loving having Jaā€™Marr Chase on his side, finding him for a trio of touchdowns already. However, too many mistakes that Cincinnati canā€™t afford with an improving but suspect defense.

2021 stats: 888 yards | 68.2 comp % | 3 TD | 1 INT | 8.3 YPA | 66.8 QBR

LW: 22

Get out of New York, prosper. Darnold has been solid in his first three weeks wearing blue, throwing for almost 300 yards per game. Now with Christian McCaffrey sidelined, heā€™ll be more under the spotlight.

2021 stats: 827 yards | 76.8 comp % | 4 TD | 0 INT | 8.7 YPA | 78.0 QBR

LW: 17

Bridgewater keeps slowly climbing the ranks. After playing the Giants, Jaguars and Jets, he now faces the Ravens, Steelers, Raiders and Browns. If he continues playing near this level, heā€™ll be one heck of a headline this year.

2021 stats: 756 yards | 64.7 comp % | 4 TD | 3 INT | 7.4 YPA | 56.5 QBR

LW: 13

Tannehill struggled some against the Colts, throwing two interceptions. Still, he managed to make enough plays while Indianapolis sputtered, putting Tennessee in the AFC South driverā€™s seat.

2021 stats: 780 yards | 73.8 comp % | 2 TD | 2 INT | 9.8 YPA | 49.9 QBR

LW: 12

Mayfield really didnā€™t have to do much against the Bears. Thatā€™s what happens when your defense holds the opponent to 47 total yards. Look for him to air it out more against the high-powered Vikings attack this weekend.

2021 stats: 918 yards | 73.9 comp % | 8 TD | 0 INT | 7.7 YPA | 78.2 QBR

LW: 16

Cousins is quietly playing really, really well. The former Michigan State star has Minnesota back from the dead after a big win over Seattle, and on the year has numbers comparable to anybody. Really well done.

2021 stats: 956 yards | 69.8 comp % | 6 TD | 3 INT | 7.6 YPA | 53.1 QBR

LW: 11

Herbertā€™s early career saw its signature win on Sunday, out-dueling Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead for a 30-24 victory. Los Angeles will be in every game with Herbert, who can threaten every blade of grass.

2021 stats: 761 yards | 66.1 comp % | 3 TD | 3 INT | 8.7 YPA | 53.4 QBR

LW: 7

Jackson moved down a few spots, really because of the excellence from a few guys above him. The Ravens have been odd this season, sitting at 2-1 but within a whisker of 0-3. Still, Jackson remains the most unique talent in the NFL.

2021 stats: 1,203 yards | 64.7 comp % | 6 TD | 2 INT | 8.8 YPA | 60.6 QBR

LW: 10

I can hear Raiders fans screaming through the screen for this ranking. Look, if this was based solely on the first three games of the season, Carr would be ranked first. However, to put him above guys like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes is non-sensical right now. Heā€™s playing like this midway through the year, heā€™ll be there.

2021 stats: 807 yards | 62.2 comp % | 7 TD | 1 INT | 6.4 YPA | 59.3 QBR

LW: 9

Allen finally stepped up after a hideous first two games. He went for more than 300 yards in a drubbing of Washington. When Allen plays that well, Buffalo is going to win every week.

2021 stats: 1,005 yards | 76.5 comp % | 7 TD | 4 INT | 9.9 YPA | 71.2 QBR

LW: 6

Murray has the leagueā€™s fifth-best QBR. On Sunday, the former No. 1 overall pick completed 82.5 percent of his attempts to beat the Jaguars while already eclipsing 1,000 passing yards on the year.

2021 stats: 942 yards | 70.2 comp % | 9 TD | 1 INT | 10.0 YPA | 82.8 QBR

LW: 8

Stafford gets the shine this week. When you torch the defending champs for 343 yards and four touchdowns in an emphatic win, you move up the list. Stafford has always had elite talent. Now heā€™s also surrounded by it.

2021 stats: 878 yards | 77.4 comp % | 6 TD | 2 INT | 7.9 YPA | 61.6 QBR

LW: 5

Prescott looks phenomenal thus far. Heā€™s moving well, throwing accurately and on time, and putting some heat on the ball as well. The Cowboys need the offense to be great to contend, and so far, so good.

2021 stats: 649 yards | 68.2 comp % | 6 TD | 2 INT | 7.4 YPA | 61.1 QBR

LW: 4

After a clunker against the Saints to open the season, Rodgers has looked great. He toyed with the Niners on Sunday night, going for 261 yards and two touchdowns. The numbers arenā€™t overwhelming, but his play has dramatically improved every week.

2021 stats: 895 yards | 73.3 comp % | 7 TD | 0 INT | 10.4 YPA | 55.9 QBR

LW: 3

What else can Wilson do? Look at the numbers. Heā€™s putting up MVP-caliber stats and it doesnā€™t matter because the Seahawks might have the NFLā€™s worst defense.

2021 stats: 940 yards | 70.3 comp % | 9 TD | 3 INT | 8.5 YPA | 76.3 QBR

LW: 2

Read the paragraph on Wilson, and copy for Mahomes. Now, Mahomes has thrown three interceptions over the past two weeks, although one of them on Sunday should have been caught for a touchdown. Instead, it goes against him. Overall, heā€™s been terrific, but needs to curtail a few hero-ball throws.

2021 stats: 1,087 yards | 68.8 comp % | 10 TD | 2 INT | 7.7 YPA | 64.5 QBR

LW: 1

No reason to bump Brady from the top spot. Yes, the Buccaneers lost, but the 44-year-old was excellent, avoiding turnovers while throwing for 432 yards and a score, running his count to a league-best 10 touchdowns.