NFL quarterback rankings, Week 16: Patrick Mahomes’ magic strikes
Last week, we saw Patrick Mahomes at his best in the end, leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the top seed line in the AFC playoff picture.
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.
QB. New York Giants. 32. Pick Analysis. Mike Glennon. player. 31. Scouting Report
2021 stats: 673 yards | 53.5 comp % | 3 TD | 7 INT | 5.2 YPA | 17.7 QBR
LW: 32
Glennon is so bad there are Giants fans begging fo the halcyon days of Kent Graham and Dave Brown.
31. player. 30. Scouting Report. QB. New York Jets. Zach Wilson. Pick Analysis
2021 stats: 1,911 yards | 56.2 comp % | 6 TD | 11 INT | 6.2 YPA | 22.6 QBR
LW: 31
The Jets have to pray Wilson turns this around in 2022. Brutal rookie season.
Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. 30. 87
2021 stats: 623 yards | 54.9 comp % | 4 TD | 4 INT | 5.5 YPA | 26.8 QBR
LW: 29
Newton is washed. It’s almost painful watching him try to play at this juncture.
Scouting Report. QB. Taysom Hill. Pick Analysis. New Orleans Saints. 29. player. 15
2021 stats: 649 yards | 55.7 comp % | 2 TD | 5 INT | 6.7 YPA | 40.2 QBR
LW: 30
If Hill isn’t running with the ball, he’s probably checking it down for a gain of five. Not exactly an explosive offense.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 10. QB. Houston Texans. Davis Mills. 28. player
2021 stats: 1,946 yards | 65.6 comp % | 10 TD | 9 INT | 6.4 YPA | 27.9 QBR
LW: 28
Mills is the epitome of a backup quarterback. He’ll be in the NFL for a few years, but the ceiling is incredibly low.
QB. Baltimore Ravens. Tyler Huntley. 27. player. Pick Analysis. Scouting Report. 26
2021 stats: 743 yards | 68.8 comp % | 3 TD | 1 INT | 5.9 YPA | 58.4 QBR
LW: 11
Huntley wasn’t great in the air, throwing for 215 yards on 5.4 YPA. However, he also ran for 73 yards and accounted for four touchdowns. Not bad for a backup with little experience.
QB. Jacksonville Jaguars. player. 52. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Trevor Lawrence. 26
2021 stats: 2,945 yards | 58.1 comp % | 9 TD | 14 INT | 5.8 YPA | 31.7 QBR
LW: 27
We got our first look at Lawrence without Urban Meyer, and it wasn’t much prettier. There are flashes, but not nearly enough.
Chicago Bears. Justin Fields. 25. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. player. 57
2021 stats: 1,870 yards | 57.6 comp % | 7 TD | 10 INT | 6.9 YPA | 26.7 QBR
LW: 26
Fields is going to be a blast to watch when he’s surrounded by NFL-caliber weapons and coaches. The tools are all there.
55. Pick Analysis. Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger. 24. player. Scouting Report. QB
2021 stats: 3,214 yards | 65.2 comp % | 19 TD | 7 INT | 6.7 YPA | 39.9 QBR
LW: 24
Roethlisberger threw for 25 times for 148 yards on Sunday. The Steelers scored 19 points despite having a +4 turnover ratio. It’s brutal watching their offense.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Detroit Lions. Jared Goff. 50. 23. player
2021 stats: 3,007 yards | 67.0 comp % | 17 TD | 8 INT | 6.5 YPA | 35.8 QBR
LW: 25
Goff led the biggest upset of the season, with the Lions plowing Arizona. The veteran was terrific, throwing for 216 yards and three touchdowns, posting a 93.3 QBR. Well done.
22. 53. Scouting Report. QB. Cleveland Browns. Pick Analysis. Baker Mayfield. player
2021 stats: 2,603 yards | 62.8 comp % | 13 TD | 7 INT | 7.6 YPA | 38.5 QBR
LW: 23
Mayfield needs to play the game of his career on Christmas to beat the Packers and keep hope alive for the Browns in the AFC North.
Scouting Report. QB. Washington Football Team. 21. player. 58. Pick Analysis. Taylor Heinicke
2021 stats: 2,931 yards | 66.5 comp % | 19 TD | 12 INT | 7.0 YPA | 46.1 QBR
LW: 22
It’s too bad Washington and Philadelphia haven’t yet played, because it’s a huge game, and we’re going to find out plenty with Heinicke and Jalen Hurts.
Pick Analysis. QB. 20. player. Scouting Report. Philadelphia Eagles. Jalen Hurts. 54
2021 stats: 2,435 yards | 60.1 comp % | 13 TD | 8 INT | 6.9 YPA | 48.3 QBR
LW: 21
See above.
Denver Broncos. Teddy Bridgewater. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. 19. player. 45
2021 stats: 3,052 yards | 66.9 comp % | 18 TD | 7 INT | 7.2 YPA | 47.2 QBR
LW: 20
Bridgewater struggled against the Bengals before being concussed in a horrific situation. Hopefully he’s able to come back at full health soon.
QB. Miami Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa. 18. player. 59. Pick Analysis. Scouting Report
2021 stats: 2,141 yards | 69.9 comp % | 14 TD | 8 INT | 7.1 YPA | 56.5 QBR
LW: 19
Tagovailoa has played better lately, but he struggled some against the Jets including a few ugly interceptions. The Dolphins need him to play at his peak over the final three weeks.
44. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan. player. 17
2021 stats: 3,340 yards | 67.5 comp % | 18 TD | 11 INT | 7.0 YPA | 48.2 QBR
LW: 18
Ryan wasn’t good enough against the 49ers, but he has no shot. Atlanta has one of the league’s worst rosters, and as a league-average quarterback, Ryan is effectively rendered punchless.
Ryan Tannehill. player. QB. Tennessee Titans. 16. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 35
2021 stats: 3,118 yards | 66.2 comp % | 14 TD | 14 INT | 6.9 YPA | 51.5 QBR
LW: 17
Without Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, the Titans have no shot offensively. Tannehill made some nice throws in Pittsburgh, but drops and a catch-turned-interception cost Tennessee dearly.
Indianapolis Colts. Carson Wentz. player. Pick Analysis. QB. 15. 46. Scouting Report
2021 stats: 3,005 yards | 62.7 comp % | 23 TD | 6 INT | 7.0 YPA | 58.3 QBR
LW: 14
Wentz failed to throw for 60 yards and still almost cost the Colts against New England. Not his finest moment.
42. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Jimmy Garoppolo. 14. San Francisco 49ers. player
2021 stats: 3,172 yards | 67.4 comp % | 18 TD | 8 INT | 8.5 YPA | 54.1 QBR
LW: 16
With Deebo Samuel and George Kittle healthy again, both Garoppolo and the 49ers are playing some of their best ball of the season.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Seattle Seahawks. player. 36. QB. Russell Wilson. 13
2021 stats: 2,320 yards | 66.6 comp % | 16 TD | 4 INT | 8.0 YPA | 51.3 QBR
LW: 15
Wilson plays on Tuesday against the Rams. Big opportunity to get into position for a playoff push with a win in Los Angeles.
New England Patriots. Mac Jones. 12. 47. Scouting Report. QB. Pick Analysis. player
2021 stats: 3,168 yards | 69.0 comp % | 18 TD | 10 INT | 7.4 YPA | 52.3 QBR
LW: 12
Jones really struggled in Indianapolis with intermittent inaccuracy and a pair of bad interceptions. He needs to bounce back quickly with Buffalo coming to town.
Las Vegas Raiders. Derek Carr. player. QB. 11. 28. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
2021 stats: 4,162 yards | 68.3 comp % | 19 TD | 11 INT | 7.9 YPA | 53.4 QBR
LW: 13
Carr drove the Raiders down the field when he needed to, but a pair of turnovers against the Browns’ backups? C’mon man. He only moves up because of some hideous football elsewhere.
QB. Kirk Cousins. 60. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Minnesota Vikings. 10
2021 stats: 3,656 yards | 66.9 comp % | 29 TD | 6 INT | 7.5 YPA | 54.5 QBR
LW: 10
What the hell was that? Cousins threw for 87 yards against Chicago’s practice squad secondary.
QB. Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott. 9. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. player. 123
2021 stats: 3,598 yards | 68.5 comp % | 25 TD | 10 INT | 7.3 YPA | 47.4 QBR
LW: 8
Prescott is guiding Dallas to the NFC East title, but he needs to get rolling a bit. Not playing horribly, but the Cowboys’ offense is missing its spark.
Joe Burrow. 8. player. 56. Pick Analysis. QB. Scouting Report. Cincinnati Bengals
2021 stats: 3,640 yards | 68.7 comp % | 26 TD | 14 INT | 8.4 YPA | 49.0 QBR
LW: 9
Burrow has a few more interceptions than Prescott, but he’s also behind an inferior line. Really impressive stuff, and it has Cincinnati in the playoff mix.
16. Scouting Report. QB. 7. player. Pick Analysis. Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen
2021 stats: 3,734 yards | 65.2 comp % | 31 TD | 12 INT | 7.1 YPA | 57.7 QBR
LW: 7
Allen struggled to a large degree against the Panthers, but Allen threw three touchdowns. Now, a showdown with the Patriots.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Arizona Cardinals. player. Kyler Murray. 6. 32
2021 stats: 3,039 yards | 69.8 comp % | 20 TD | 10 INT | 8.4 YPA | 55.9 QBR
LW: 4
Murray has to wear some of Arizona’s disastrous loss to the Lions. He threw a costly interception, an incompletion on 4th and Goal, and no huge plays. Not nearly good enough.
Justin Herbert. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Los Angeles Chargers. 5. 13
2021 stats: 4,058 yards | 66.4 comp % | 32 TD | 12 INT | 7.5 YPA | 66.1 QBR
LW: 6
Despite the stat line, Herbert was excellent against the Chiefs on Thursday night. He made a litany of top-shelf throws, but was undone by fourth down and the next man on our list.
Kansas City Chiefs. player. 124. Pick Analysis. QB. 4. Scouting Report. Patrick Mahomes
2021 stats: 4,052 yards | 65.6 comp % | 30 TD | 13 INT | 7.4 YPA | 58.3 QBR
LW: 5
Mahomes was uneven over the first three quarters, but then exploded for more than 200 total yards in the fourth quarter and overtime. In a must-win for the AFC West, Mahomes went for 410 passing yards and three touchdowns, propelling Kansas City to a 34-28 victory.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. 3. 51. Los Angeles Rams. Matthew Stafford. player
2021 stats: 3,898 yards | 66.7 comp % | 33 TD | 9 INT | 8.2 YPA | 67.4 QBR
LW: 3
We didn’t see Stafford due to COVID jumbling the schedule, so he stays put. Seems fair.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Aaron Rodgers. player. Green Bay Packers. 2. 49
2021 stats: 3,487 yards | 67.8 comp % | 30 TD | 4 INT | 7.9 YPA | 66.9 QBR
LW: 2
Rodgers was his typical efficient self on Sunday, helping Green Bay score 31 points while throwing for three touchdowns. He’s right there for his fourth MVP award.
player. 48. Scouting Report. QB. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pick Analysis. Tom Brady. 1
2021 stats: 4,348 yards | 67.1 comp % | 36 TD | 11 INT | 7.2 YPA | 64.1 QBR
LW: 1