Ranking all 32 NFL QBs after Week 7: Mahomes proves inevitable, Tua bombs

The Week 7 NFL slate was a strange one. The afternoon was filled with mediocre quarterback play as middling teams exchanged blows. It was rather depressing, actually. The evening games and Monday night spiced things up a bit. Baker Mayfield finally looked mortal. Dak Prescott went ballistic. The Falcons let us all down again in classic Falcons fashion. You know, the good stuff.

As far as these quarterback rankings are concerned, this was... a tricky week. Josh Allen was on the bye. Lamar Jackson still hasn't returned from his injury. That means the top is something of a crapshoot these days. Mayfield submitted his claim for the No. 1 slot last week, but followed it up with his worst performance of the season in a big spot. Meanwhile, there's Patrick Mahomes, just sort of hanging around, chugging along, and quietly churning out MVP numbers as the Chiefs hit their stride. The man won't quit. It's annoying, unless you're a Chiefs fan.

Should we treat these quarterback rankings as an exercise in totality and objectivity, or as more of an MVP power rankings, where standout performances (good or bad) really swing things? I dove into some of my thinking on that matter in last week's QB rankings, if you care to read further. But know we are doing our best to live in the present and evaluate these rankings as a living, breathing, evolving organism.

Let's dive in.

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Ranking all 32 NFL starting quarterbacks after Week 7

Patrick Mahomes just won't leave us alone

Patrick Mahomes is sort of like the individual manifestation of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Aside from Dodgers fans, nobody wants that team in the World Series again. We crave fresh blood. New storylines. But Mahomes keeps on keeping on. Kansas City stumbled out of the gate, but the Chiefs have stacked two impressive wins in a row to eclipse .500 and assert themselves in the AFC West. Mahomes, meanwhile, is right back at the top of MVP ladders.

The Chiefs stomped the Raiders, 31-0, on Sunday afternoon. It was never particularly close. We can't take much that happens against Las Vegas seriously right now, but Mahomes was in compete control, completing 26-of-35 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns, with 28 yards as a runner, to boot. Mahomes spread the wealth evenly, connecting with the newly reinstated Rashee Rice seven times for 42 yards and two scores. Travis Kelce picked up three catches for 54 yards. Hollywood Brown caught the other TD.

Kansas City's defense was elite from the jump. Now the offense is rounding into form with a healthy wide reciever room. Mahomes might not be as flashy and explosive as he once was, but he's still delivering throws only he could make on a weekly basis, with a level of command and maturity befitting the greatest quarterback of the post-Tom Brady era. The Chiefs are still very much a thing.

Dak Prescott is carrying the Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys walloped the Washington Commanders, 44-22, in a high-scoring divisional showdown. It was a sobering loss for Washington, as it seems the Commanders just don't have the same juice they did a year ago. For Dallas, it was a much-needed statement win, and proof that the Cowboys can at least stick around despite a deficient defense. The reason why? An absolutely elite offense, led by a bonafide MVP candidate in Dak Prescott.

If the Cowboys weren't a .500 football team through Week 7, Prescott would sit No. 1 on virtually every MVP board at this point. Whether you trust him in the grand scheme of postseason contention is a fair question, but Prescott has proven that — when healthy and locked in, with a half-decent offensive line — he can put up numbers with the best of 'em. Dallas' George Pickens trade has worked like a charm. That one-two punch with CeeDee Lamb makes the Cowboys so difficult to hold down, with Prescott capable of stretching the defense and delivering challenging throws over the top.

Dallas' defense is going to bleed points against practically every opponent, which will prevent the Cowboys from reaching that upper echelon of contention. But week to week, Dallas can hang with anybody, and Prescott deserves his flowers. The bright spotlight in Dallas can color folks' perception of him, often in a negative way, but Prescott's incredible efficiency thus far in 2025 is a sign that he can still level up. He has completed 71.6 percent of his passes (fourth among qualified QBs) through seven weeks for 1,881 yards (second in NFL) and 16 touchdowns (second in NFL).

Tua Tagovailoa officially hits rock bottom

The Miami Dolphins fell to 1-6 with an embarrassing performance against Cleveland on Sunday. The Browns won 31-6 despite not generating much offense, a product of excellent field position and a landside victory in the possession battle. Tagovailoa completed only 12-of-23 passes for 100 yards in over three quarters, coughing up three interceptions, before Mike McDaniel finally turned to Quinn Ewers in garbage time.

Tagovailoa is still slated to start in Week 8, but it's fair to wonder how much longer Miami can keep it up. His contract is a complicating factor, but Tagovailoa has done nothing but undermine the Dolphins' offense this season — both on and off the field, delivering abysmal performances and chasing them with boneheaded comments that leave tangible fractures in the locker room.

Ewers is probably not a good NFL quarterback, and it's fair to wonder if any NFL team should really trust Zach Wilson again. But Miami is out of better options. Tagovailoa can't operate under pressure, he floats way too many dangerous passes into traffic, and there are very few ancillary benefits. He's not mobile. Wilson and Ewers will both make mistakes of their own, but at least Miami might be able to generate a few more explosive plays with genuine arm talent on the field.

We can't quit Joe Flacco, apparently

The Cincinnati Bengals offense came alive for a thrilling 33-31 victory over the one-loss Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. Joe Flacco turned back the clock and out-dueled Aaron Rodgers, the sort of phrase that might induce a decade-old sense memory. He completed 31-of-47 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns, connecting 16 times with Ja'Marr Chase for 161 yards and a score.

That's the benefit of rostering arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL — and it's why the Bengals brought in Flacco to begin with. This season is on thin ice without Joe Burrow, especially since the defense won't carry its weight, but Flacco can at least put points on the board. He's a bit stiff in the pocket these days, absent what little mobility he once had in his Baltimore heyday. But Flacco operates with complete and total confidence, willing to air it out and force the defense to make plays. With this receiver room in Cincy, Flacco is going to convert a lot more 50-50 balls and high-risk prayers than he did in Cleveland to begin the season.

Flacco won't stick around much longer. He's reaching retirement age, now well past his 40th birthday. But even so, the former Super Bowl champ deserves a ton of credit for how boldly he plays football. A lot of aging QBs lose the zip on their throws and start to lean too heavily on manufactured targets and check-downs. Flacco comes out swinging every night. He doesn't always connect, but damn is he trying. That counts for a lot, and it's why the Bengals unseated a quality Steelers team in primetime.

Jaxson Dart is bringing the good vibes back to New York

The New York Giants blew a significant fourth quarter lead, and credit to Bo Nix for leading the comeback and keeping the Broncos out of fraud watch (for now). But even in a gut-wrenching loss, 33-32, Dart was able to once again raise the spirits of long-suffering Giants fans. The team they share a stadium with has, um, less to be thrilled about, but Dart feels like a genuine franchise quarterback — the sort of propulsive, positive force that can drag a team out of obscurity and put it back in the national conversation.

Dart still has his warts, to be clear. He only completed 45.5 percent of his passes on Sunday and he committed his fifth turnover in four starts. We needn't act like he's a finished product, or even the runaway to win Rookie of the Year. But Dart is totally and utterly fearless, a mindset that has rubbed off beautifully on his teammates. Cam Skattebo as the Robin to Dart's Batman certainly helps. This entire Giants team is playing harder, and it's because Dart is willing to put his body on the line in a way no other quarterback really is.

Does he need to cut down on turnovers and play a bit smarter in the future? Of course. Is it really sustainable to run through tackles like a battering ram attacks a brick wall? Maybe not. But in the here and now, Dart — still only 22 years old — has the Giants feeling like a viable threat every week. It's been a while since New York fans felt this kind of hope in football.

QB changes are coming...

Tua Tagovailoa, Geno Smith and Justin Fields were all benched at some point on Sunday. The Dolphins are going to stick with Tagovailoa in Week 8, but Quinn Ewers recently leapfrogged Zach Wilson on the depth chart. It feels like Miami is moving toward starting the rookie once their season passes the point of no return. As for New York, Tyrod Taylor was reportedly trending toward a Week 8 start before he popped up on the injury report as day-to-day with a knee injury. There is immense uncertainty there. Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett are now in open competition for the job in Las Vegas, per head coach Pete Carroll.

It feels like all three of these quarterbacks, if not imminently, will lose their jobs before long. Others are stuck in depth chart limbo, too. Spencer Rattler has outperformed expectations all season long, but it still feels like the Saints might want to give second-round pick Tyler Shough a whirl eventually. Michael Penix Jr. can't let his foot off the gas pedal in Atlanta, because Kirk Cousins is sitting right there, waiting to pounce on the slimmest of opportunities.

The winds of change are howling in the quarterback world right now. We can expect this list to change dramatically in the weeks to come as new names arrive and disappear, and fresh wrinkles develop.