NFL quarterback rankings, Week 12: Justin Herbert slays Steelers
In a wild Sunday night affair, Justin Herbert went for almost 500 yards in a 41-37 victory for the Los Angeles Chargers over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Our 2021 FanSided NFL quarterback rankings go live each Tuesday morning throughout the regular season, and we use a sliding scale incorporating current and past performances, with the former meaning more as the year goes on.
Scouting Report. Detroit Lions. 32. player. Pick Analysis. QB. Tim Boyle. 50
2021 stats: 77 yards | 65.2 comp % | 0 TD | 2 INT | 6.3 YPA | 6.7 QBR
LW: 26
I was taught as a child, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything. We move on.
QB. New York Jets. Joe Flacco. 31. player. Pick Analysis. 30. Scouting Report
2021 stats: 338 yards | 64.3 comp % | 3 TD | 0 INT | 8.0 YPA | 34.4 QBR
LW: NA
The Jets were supposedly turning a corner this season, and instead Joe Flacco is still starting games.
Scouting Report. QB. Trevor Siemian. player. 15. Pick Analysis. New Orleans Saints. 30
2021 stats: 920 yards | 56.9 comp % | 8 TD | 2 INT | 6.4 YPA | 36.3 QBR
LW: 28
Siemian was hideous on Sunday, throwing the Saints right out of the game. He’s a backup at best.
player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Chicago Bears. Justin Fields. 29. 57
2021 stats: 1,361 yards | 58.1 comp % | 4 TD | 8 INT | 6.9 YPA | 25.6 QBR
LW: 24
Fields had to leave at halftime with a rib injury. Before leaving, he struggled against the league’s worst pass defense in Baltimore. Not great.
Scouting Report. QB. Arizona Cardinals. Colt McCoy. Pick Analysis. 28. player. 32
2021 stats: 684 yards | 75.6 comp % | 3 TD | 1 INT | 7.6 YPA | 53.3 QBR
LW: 31
McCoy did a terrific job against the Seahawks, completing 80 percent of his throws. Going 2-1 in relief of Kyler Murray? Great job.
QB. Houston Texans. Tyrod Taylor. 27. player. 10. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
2021 stats: 763 yards | 62.2 comp % | 3 TD | 3 INT | 6.9 YPA | 53.3 QBR
LW: 27
Taylor didn’t have a big game on Sunday, but he didn’t make mistakes. Combine that with Ryan Tannehill throwing four interceptions, and you have an upset.
52. Pick Analysis. Jacksonville Jaguars. 26. QB. Trevor Lawrence. player. Scouting Report
2021 stats: 2,141 yards | 58.4 comp % | 8 TD | 9 INT | 6.0 YPA | 35.0 QBR
LW: 23
Lawrence didn’t throw an interception for the third straight week. He also failed to drive the ball into the end zone. This isn’t all on Lawrence, but he’s struggling to make plays.
Pittsburgh Steelers. Pick Analysis. QB. Ben Roethlisberger. 25. player. 55. Scouting Report
2021 stats: 2,259 yards | 65.3 comp % | 13 TD | 4 INT | 6.6 YPA | 43.8 QBR
LW: NA
Roethlisberger easily had the best game of his season on Sunday, throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Still, the arm is toast.
Pick Analysis. QB. Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton. 24. Scouting Report. player. 87
2021 stats: 197 yards | 77.4 comp % | 3 TD | 0 INT | 6.4 YPA | 69.0 QBR
LW: NA
Newton was solid against Washington, but Carolina’s defense struggled all afternoon. Regardless, the Panthers have to be thrilled with the upgrade over Sam Darnold. Newton still has juice.
QB. New York Giants. Daniel Jones. player. 31. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 23
2021 stats: 2,226 yards | 64.8 comp % | 9 TD | 7 INT | 7.0 YPA | 45.4 QBR
LW: 21
Jones struggled most of the night against a bad Tampa Bay defense. The Buccaneers couldn’t stop Trevor Siemian or Taylor Heinicke, but Jones did nothing. Not great.
Tua Tagovailoa. 22. 59. Scouting Report. Miami Dolphins. QB. player. Pick Analysis
2021 stats: 1,471 yards | 68.0 comp % | 9 TD | 6 INT | 7.2 YPA | 58.0 QBR
LW: 25
Quietly, Tagovailoa has been solid the past few games. That said, the Dolphins have no faith in him, and it’s tough to see him long-term in Miami, but raising his value for another team?
Pick Analysis. Taylor Heinicke. 21. Scouting Report. QB. Washington Football Team. player. 58
2021 stats: 2,390 yards | 66.2 comp % | 15 TD | 9 INT | 7.3 YPA | 48.4 QBR
LW: 22
Heinicke has engineered a pair of upsets over the last two weeks, beating the Buccaneers and Panthers. He’s without a big arm, but Heinicke is accurate and has enough mobility in the pocket.
Pick Analysis. 20. player. 53. Scouting Report. QB. Cleveland Browns. Baker Mayfield
2021 stats: 2,166 yards | 64.0 comp % | 10 TD | 6 INT | 7.9 YPA | 37.2 QBR
LW: 17
Mayfield is clearly playing hurt. He struggled mightily against Detroit, throwing two interceptions on 6.1 YPA. It’s bee a rough year.
Denver Broncos. player. 45. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Teddy Bridgewater. 19
2021 stats: 2,389 yards | 69.2 comp % | 14 TD | 5 INT | 7.4 YPA | 47.9 QBR
LW: 19
Bridgewater is coming off the Broncos’ bye week and looking to get a huge win against the Chargers. If Denver wins, it’s in the playoff picture.
player. 42. Scouting Report. 18. QB. San Francisco 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo. Pick Analysis
2021 stats: 2,112 yards | 56.9 comp % | 12 TD | 5 INT | 8.3 YPA | 59.6 QBR
LW: 20
Garoppolo has been efficient over the past two weeks, and the 49ers have responded with wins over the Rams and Jaguars. Now, the Vikings in a critical game.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan. player. QB. 17. 44
2021 stats: 2,427 yards | 67.7 comp % | 15 TD | 10 INT | 7.9 YPA | 52.0 QBR
LW: 15
Ryan and the Falcons have amassed three points total over the past two weeks. Atlanta has almost no talent to speak of around him.
54. QB. Philadelphia Eagles. Jalen Hurts. 16. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
2021 stats: 2,306 yards | 61.6 comp % | 13 TD | 5 INT | 7.2 YPA | 51.8 QBR
LW: 18
Hurts was pedestrian in the air with a line of 147 yards on 24 attempts. However, he also ran for 69 yards and three touchdowns, showcasing his unique talent.
QB. Tennessee Titans. 15. 35. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Ryan Tannehill. player
2021 stats: 2,681 yards | 66.6 comp % | 13 TD | 12 INT | 7.3 YPA | 54.0 QBR
LW: 13
Tannehill threw four interceptions against the Texans. Quietly, he easily has the worst TD:INT ratio of any true starter in the game.
QB. 14. player. Pick Analysis. Carson Wentz. 46. Scouting Report. Indianapolis Colts
2021 stats: 2,484 yards | 63.0 comp % | 18 TD | 3 INT | 7.0 YPA | 56.1 QBR
LW: 14
Wentz was essentially asked to hang out and watch the Jonathan Taylor show. Importantly, though, Wentz didn’t make any big mistakes in awful weather. He’s managing the game well.
QB. New England Patriots. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Mac Jones. 13. 47
2021 stats: 2,540 yards | 70.2 comp % | 14 TD | 8 INT | 7.3 YPA | 49.8 QBR
LW: 16
Jones isn’t the demigod he’s made out to be by some, but he’s playing smart, efficient football on a team asking him to do exactly that.
QB. Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson. 12. Scouting Report. player. 36. Pick Analysis
2021 stats: 1,564 yards | 64.9 comp % | 10 TD | 3 INT | 8.2 YPA | 45.6 QBR
LW: 9
Wilson might need to shut it down again. He’s looked awful since coming back from finger surgery, and the Seahawks have 13 points across two games in that span.
Pick Analysis. Joe Burrow. Scouting Report. QB. Cincinnati Bengals. 11. player. 56
2021 stats: 2,645 yards | 68.3 comp % | 21 TD | 11 INT | 8.4 YPA | 49.4 QBR
LW: 12
Burrow was mediocre on Sunday, throwing for 148 yards (5.1 YPA) with a touchdown in Cincinnati’s 32-13 win over the Raiders. Big test this week against the Steelers.
28. Pick Analysis. Las Vegas Raiders. player. Scouting Report. QB. Derek Carr. 10
2021 stats: 3,041 yards | 67.9 comp % | 16 TD | 9 INT | 8.1 YPA | 53.9 QBR
LW: 10
Carr has enjoyed a nice year, but the wheels have come off. Over the Raiders’ current three-game losing streak, Carr has thrown four interceptions and doesn’t have a 300-yard effort.
Pick Analysis. QB. Kirk Cousins. 9. 60. Scouting Report. Minnesota Vikings. player
2021 stats: 2,775 yards | 68.2 comp % | 21 TD | 2 INT | 7.4 YPA | 59.1 QBR
LW: 11
Cousins aired it out against the Packers, throwing for 341 yards (9.7 YPA) and three touchdowns without a pick. The Vikings are 5-5, and it’s largely because of the offense.
QB. Josh Allen. player. 16. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Buffalo Bills. 8
2021 stats: 2,811 yards | 65.7 comp % | 21 TD | 8 INT | 7.4 YPA | 58.8 QBR
LW: 5
Allen is the MVP frontrunner for some, but why? He’s been great at times, awful at others. On Sunday, Allen threw two interceptions and almost a third while being inaccurate all day.
Pick Analysis. QB. Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson. player. Scouting Report. 7. 26
2021 stats: 2,447 yards | 64.4 comp % | 14 TD | 8 INT | 7.9 YPA | 54.1 QBR
LW: 7
Jackson couldn’t play last Sunday due to illness but should be back this weekend with the Browns coming to town. Big spot for the Ravens.
Dak Prescott. 6. player. Scouting Report. QB. Dallas Cowboys. 123. Pick Analysis
2021 stats: 2,557 yards | 69.6 comp % | 20 TD | 7 INT | 7.8 YPA | 50.9 QBR
LW: 2
For the second time in three weeks, Prescott struggled against an AFC West team. Dallas couldn’t muster a touchdown and Prescott was sacked five times while throwing two interceptions.
QB. Justin Herbert. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 13. Los Angeles Chargers. 5. player
2021 stats: 2,927 yards | 66.2 comp % | 22 TD | 8 INT | 7.4 YPA | 67.0 QBR
LW: 8
Herbert was brilliant on Sunday night against the Steelers. With the Chargers’ defense once again struggling, the second-year star threw for 382 yards and three scores while rushing for 90 additional yards. It was a tour de force.
Scouting Report. QB. Kansas City Chiefs. 4. player. 124. Pick Analysis. Patrick Mahomes
2021 stats: 3,200 yards | 65.5 comp % | 25 TD | 11 INT | 7.1 YPA | 57.3 QBR
LW: 6
Mahomes was victimized Sunday by a litany of drops — one that turned into an interception. Still, the Chiefs won 19-9 over Dallas, and Mahomes was both accurate and smart, throwing for 260 yards.
Scouting Report. 49. player. Pick Analysis. QB. Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers. 3
2021 stats: 2,571 yards | 66.8 comp % | 21 TD | 4 INT | 7.8 YPA | 65.3 QBR
LW: 4
Rodgers suffered a toe injury in the first half of the 34-31 loss to Minnesota, but No. 12 still shined. The reigning MVP threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns, keeping Green Bay alive all day.
Pick Analysis. Los Angeles Rams. player. 51. Scouting Report. QB. Matthew Stafford. 2
2021 stats: 3,013 yards | 68.2 comp % | 24 TD | 8 INT | 8.6 YPA | 69.8 QBR
LW: 3
After a pair of ugly losses, both Stafford and the Rams are looking for redemption this weekend in Green Bay. The veteran signal-caller should have mismatches to exploit against the Packers’ secondary.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady. 48. QB. Pick Analysis. 1. player. Scouting Report
2021 stats: 3,191 yards | 67.4 comp % | 29 TD | 8 INT | 7.6 YPA | 65.6 QBR
LW: 1
Brady dominated the Giants, who refused to play any kind of pass defense within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage. Still, a much-needed win and a solid performance by Brady.