NFL quarterback rankings, Week 8: Patrick Mahomes dominates

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports   Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports   Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday afternoon, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes went into San Francisco and torched an elite defense for a 44-23 win.

Our 2022 FanSided NFL quarterback rankings go live each Wednesday 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.

NFL quarterback rankings

2022 stats: 225 yards | 52.2 comp % | 0 TD | 1 INT | 4.9 YPA | 32.7 QBR

Rypien was largely forgettable as he led Denver’s offense to nine points, all while producing a Russell Wilson-esque stat line. Not great.

2022 stats: 771 yards | 68.5 comp % | 2 TD | 7 INT | 6.1 YPA | 41.1 QBR

Pickett has played in three games and thrown seven interceptions. Against the Dolphins, he threw two horrific picks to end the game.

2022 stats: 297 yards | 70.5 comp % | 2 TD | 0 INT | 6.8 YPA | 33.0 QBR

Walker played a nice game against the Buccaneers, avoiding turnovers and making a few tight-window throws. Impressive effort and something to build off.

2022 stats: 201 yards | 60.6 comp % | 2 TD | 1 INT | 6.1 YPA | 39.9 QBR

Heinicke is the quintessential backup quarterback. Not threatening any good starter, but decent enough to win a few games.

2022 stats: 781 yards | 70.7 comp % | 5 TD | 3 INT | 8.5 YPA | 35.3 QBR

Zappe has Bill Belichick intrigued, but the mistakes were many, and the loss was ugly.

2022 stats: 1,048 yards | 55.9 comp % | 5 TD | 6 INT | 7.7 YPA | 37.3 QBR

Fields doesn’t have much talent around him, but he’s making some plays with his arm and legs. He played well on Monday night to beat the Patriots.

2022 stats: 946 yards | 63.4 comp % | 7 TD | 4 INT | 7.2 YPA | 51.0 QBR

Dalton’s numbers aren’t bad save the interceptions. The problem? You can’t discount the turnovers, which killed the Saints last Thursday.

2022 stats: 693 yards | 57.4 comp % | 1 TD | 2 INT | 6.9 YPA | 48.6 QBR

Wilson isn’t doing enough for New York to win consistently in November and December. With running back Breece Hall out for the season, the second-year quarterback needs to make more plays.

2022 stats: 1,350 yards | 63.8 comp % | 7 TD | 5 INT | 6.5 YPA | 36.0 QBR

Mills makes some nice plays, but they are too few and far between. Tough to see Houston rolling with him into 2023 without significant improvement over the next 11 games.

2022 stats: 2,008 yards | 68.3 comp % | 9 TD | 9 INT | 6.8 YPA | 42.0 QBR

Ryan took the biggest fall of any quarterback this week, and now he’s getting benched for Sam Ehlinger. It’s all kinds of over for the former MVP.

2022 stats: 1,584 yards | 62.7 comp % | 6 TD | 5 INT | 6.8 YPA | 57.6 QBR

Brissett played well against the Ravens, avoiding pressure and completing 22-of-27 passes while under constant pressure. However, he’s limited because he doesn’t create the big play.

2022 stats: 1,225 yards | 66.7 comp % | 6 TD | 2 INT | 6.5 YPA | 62.6 QBR

Jones threw for 202 yards and ran for another 107, giving the Giants a dual-threat in their win on Sunday over Jacksonville. Most importantly, no turnovers — although an interception was called back on a roughing the passer penalty.

2022 stats: 1,179 yards | 61.3 comp % | 7 TD | 4 INT | 7.9 YPA | 58.8 QBR

Mariota threw for 9.5 yards per attempt against the Bengals, but was only trusted to make 13 attempts despite trailing big most of the day.

2022 stats: 1,456 yards | 64.3 comp % | 9 TD | 4 INT | 7.9 YPA | 41.1 QBR

Garoppolo makes plays, and then he throws the ball up for grabs at the goal line. Can’t do that against a team like the Chiefs.

2022 stats: 1,097 yards | 65.1 comp % | 6 TD | 3 INT | 7.9 YPA | 40.8 QBR

Tannehill isn’t inspiring, but he doesn’t often make the killer mistake. That was the difference of Titans-Colts this past weekend.

2022 stats: 1,583 yards | 62.3 comp % | 11 TD | 6 INT | 7.5 YPA | 52.7 QBR

Goff had a tough day in Dallas, struggling with pressure (five sacks) and two interceptions. Not nearly enough against an elite defense.

2022 stats: 1,667 yards | 65.5 comp % | 7 TD | 4 INT | 5.9 YPA | 49.1 QBR

Murray is still averaging less than 6.0 yards per attempt, and now he’s yelling at Kliff Kingsbury. The numbers need to improve, and perhaps they will with DeAndre Hopkins back.

2022 stats: 1,707 yards | 63.0 comp % | 9 TD | 4 INT | 6.9 YPA | 52.1 QBR

Lawrence got off to a hot start this year, but he’s still missing too many easy throws. Jacksonville missed out on two touchdown tosses against the Giants when Lawrence’s passes sailed over the heads of their intended receivers.

2022 stats: 1,576 yards | 71.1 comp % | 6 TD | 8 INT | 7.0 YPA | 46.4 QBR

Stafford has to be praying for his offensive line to be better out of the bye. It’s been a really tough year for the defending champs, allowing 22 sacks in six games.

2022 stats: 1,597 yards | 66.8 comp % | 11 TD | 3 INT | 6.5 YPA | 40.5 QBR

Rodgers is a mess right now. It’s not all him, but the reigning two-time MVP isn’t seeing the field well, and it’s costing the Packers dearly. He needs to elevate those around him.

2022 stats: 1,942 yards | 66.9 comp % | 8 TD | 1 INT | 6.6 YPA | 53.2 QBR

Brady couldn’t engineer a single touchdown drive against the Panthers. Tampa Bay’s offense has become an epic struggle of ineptitude, and it’s a combination of play-calling, the line and a dearth of talent behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

2022 stats: 1,502 yards | 66.2 comp % | 9 TD | 5 INT | 6.6 YPA | 51.1 QBR

Out of the bye, Cousins and the Vikings have a 2.5-game lead in the NFC North. This weekend, it’s the Cardinals, and a chance for Cousins to get fat on a bad defense.

2022 stats: 1,296 yards | 67.3 comp % | 9 TD | 3 INT | 8.6 YPA | 72.0 QBR

Tagovailoa almost threw four interceptions against the Steelers, but got away with every bad throw. We can attribute some of those tosses to rust, but the third-year vet has to be sharper.

2022 stats: 1,520 yards | 63.5 comp % | 9 TD | 4 INT | 7.2 YPA | 62.0 QBR

Carr is quietly playing well for the Raiders this season. Smart, controlled and targeting Davante Adams relentlessly. It’s a recipe for success.

2022 stats: 341 yards | 61.1 comp % | 1 TD | 1 INT | 6.3 YPA | 34.2 QBR

Prescott wasn’t great against the Lions in his return from a broken thumb, throwing for 207 yards and a score. Still, it was a productive way to ease back into the lineup.

2022 stats: 1,397 yards | 61.4 comp % | 13 TD | 6 INT | 7.1 YPA | 63.3 QBR

Jackson completed nine passes on Sunday. Since Week 2, Jackson has failed to throw for 220 yards in any game. He needs to lift the passing game to greater heights.

2022 stats: 1,712 yards | 73.5 comp % | 11 TD | 3 INT | 8.0 YPA | 68.8 QBR

Smith is the best story in the NFL this season. He’s continued to play at a top-10 level, helping Seattle to a shocking 4-3 record.

2022 stats: 2,009 yards | 65.9 comp % | 12 TD | 4 INT | 6.5 YPA | 53.6 QBR

Herbert should actively be picketing in front of SoFi Stadium, begging ownership to step in and force head coach Brandon Staley to hire a new offensive coordinator.

2022 stats: 2,097 yards | 68.9 comp % | 15 TD | 5 INT | 7.8 YPA | 57.0 QBR

Since Week 1, Burrow has thrown one interception. He’s playing elite football, and it showed against the Falcons with a line of 481 passing yards and three touchdowns.

2022 stats: 1,514 yards | 66.8 comp % | 6 TD | 2 INT | 8.2 YPA | 59.6 QBR

Hurts is coming off the bye and drawing a Pittsburgh defense that’s vulnerable. The Eagles are doing everything right, including supporting Hurts with weapons and a great defense.

2022 stats: 1,980 yards | 66.9 comp % | 17 TD | 4 INT | 8.3 YPA | 75.4 QBR

Allen is moving back one spot, largely because he was idle and Mahomes was unbelievable. That said, with Mahomes on the bye this week, Allen can reclaim his spot.

2022 stats: 2,159 yards | 66.9 comp % | 20 TD | 5 INT | 8.2 YPA | 76.8 QBR

Mahomes is currently leading the NFL in passing yards, touchdown passes and QBR. Other than that, he’s having a really average season.