2023 NFL top 10 QB rankings heading into week 3 and why Tua Tagovailoa isn't number one just yet
By Brian Miller
When the NFL season started, this list looked a whole lot different but two weeks and one game into the season and we have to wonder what exactly is going on. Injuries, poor play, you name it. The shake-up began in week one and hasn't stopped.
1. Jalen Hurts continues to show he should have been drafted higher
Jalen Hurts has the Eagles flying high and is a complete quarterback. He can run and make all the throws you would expect from an NFL QB. Hurts is elite and there is no denying it.
2. Josh Allen is sliding but for now, he remains in the top five
Josh Allen has something that the other top two QBs have. Durability. How he can run like he does and take hits without getting hurt is unreal. His arm strength is incredible but he is inconistent and if that continues, he is going to fall out of the top five.
3. Tua Tagovailoa is probably the most accurate QB in the NFL.
The only thing anyone can knock Tua for is his durability questions. No other QB in the NFL is as consistently accurate as Tua in or out of the pocket. He currently leads the NFL in yards passing and that could be something that remains throughout the entire NFL season. Take away the deep route and he is perfect on the short. In fact, teams should want him to throw deep, that is when he is most inaccurate, albeit barely.
4. Kirk Cousins is looking like he could lead any team to a championship.
Kirk Cousins is playing great football through two weeks but the team that surrounds him isn't providing much support, especially on defense. The Vikings are 0-2 but that will not be the case all year and they have a very good if not likely chance to end the season as a WC entry or the division winner.
With the top five out of the way, it gets a little murky as to who is in the next group of NFL QBs. Some will naturally rise and some might even fall as the season progresses.
Our next five will be an interesting group to watch as the next weeks unfold. They should be the last of the elite QBs but that could change and for at least one of them, they haven't looked elite.
5. Joe Burrow has yet to play like an elite QB this year and that needs to change soon.
Joe Burrow gets the 6th spot based on what everyone knows he is capable of but he is out of the top five because everyone is seeing that the Bengals are not playing good football right now, even at QB.
6. Lamar Jackson is healthy and looking to make a big statement in 2023.
Jackson has the Ravens 2-0 to start the season and he is leading his team perhaps better than he has in the past. His numbers are solid and the contract distractions are behind him. He has the Ravens looking like an easy walk to the AFC North title.
7. Justin Herbert has the talent but he isn't showing it so far.
Through two weeks of football, Herbert is showing he has a big arm and can get out of trouble but he isn't showing he can close a lead and he isn't showing he can be consistently accurate. His WRs are healthy and so far that hasn't changed much for him.
8. Trevor Lawrence should be higher and my guess is he will be after another week or two.
Lawrence has the Jaguars looking like the runaway favorites for the AFC South. As a QB he is showing much more patience and consistency than he showed a year ago.
9. Baker Mayfield maybe shouldn't be ranked this high but he is playing much better than he has at his other stops.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-0 with Baker Mayfield at QB. Many fans thought the Bucs were going to challenge for the number one overall pick in the 2024 draft. Now, they could be looking at winning the division. Fans are, however, waiting for the old Mayfield to show up.
I think that Mayfield will not be in the top long and players like Brock Purdy could rise but he is still making some errors that have yet to cost the 49ers anything but a down or two. I considered Dak Prescott at 10 but so far, I'm not all that impressed with the Cowboys offense as much as their defense.