American Football

NFL QB Rankings After Week 1: Josh Allen Sets the Early Pace

By Hugo Brennan

NFL QB Rankings After Week 1: Josh Allen Sets the Early Pace

Week 1 delivered immediate movement across the NFL quarterback landscape, from Josh Allen’s late-game heroics in Buffalo to rough debuts, injury exits and a handful of costly turnover performances. With only one regular-season game in the books, the early evaluations remain volatile, but several passers gave their teams reason to believe.

Week 1 NFL quarterback report: Allen leads early surge

SEO Title: NFL Week 1 QB Report: Josh Allen, Caleb Williams and Lamar Jackson Set the Pace

SEO Description: Josh Allen, Caleb Williams and Lamar Jackson headline the strongest Week 1 quarterback performances, while injuries, turnovers and pressure problems shape the early NFL picture.

What happened in Week 1

  1. Josh Allen powered the Bills past Houston, 36-31, despite nearly handing the Texans a decisive interception late in the fourth quarter. Kamari Lassiter dropped Allen’s end-zone throw, allowing Buffalo to survive. Allen ran for two touchdowns, hit DJ Moore for a 43-yard score and finished a 96-yard winning drive by threading a touchdown pass to Josh Palmer between defenders. He averaged 12.6 air yards per attempt, his best mark since Week 18 of 2022, while completing 11 of 16 throws traveling at least 10 yards for 286 yards and two touchdowns.
  2. Caleb Williams and Chicago overwhelmed Carolina in a 59-37 win. Williams threw a touchdown to Cole Kmet over two defenders and made an off-platform throw to Rome Odunze that helped create another score. Entering his third NFL season, the 24-year-old appeared comfortable in Ben Johnson’s system while still creating outside its structure. His 29-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter reached a top speed of 20.8 mph.
  3. Lamar Jackson led Baltimore’s rout of Indianapolis with 324 passing yards in Declan Doyle’s new offense. Jackson targeted Zay Flowers frequently before the wide receiver exited with a hamstring issue, then spread the football around effectively. Derrick Henry rushed for 144 yards, but Jackson remained central to an offense that looked capable of putting him back in the MVP race.
  4. Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville made Cleveland’s defense look overmatched. Lawrence continued the form he showed late in 2025, reconnecting with Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Brenton Strange throughout a dominant Jaguars performance.
  5. San Francisco beat the Rams in Australia despite a less-than-usual outing from reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford. Stafford still posted a plus-2.5% completion percentage over expected. Brock Purdy, meanwhile, carved up the Rams and remained composed after De’Zhaun Stribling was injured. Purdy completed all seven of his under-center, non-play-action dropbacks for 76 yards and two touchdowns, including a 39-yard strike to Demarcus Robinson. He also threw touchdown passes to three receivers in their 30s, including Mike Evans.
  6. Bryce Young’s Panthers lost to Chicago, but the quarterback showed rare conviction and aggression in Dave Canales’ offense. Young threw for 289 yards against zone coverage and averaged 14.5 yards per attempt in those situations. Against man coverage, he had 72 yards at 4.2 yards per attempt. His development over the next month could carry major implications for contract discussions in Carolina.
  7. Jalen Hurts guided Philadelphia past Washington by combining timely scrambles with downfield production. Hurts completed six of nine throws of 10 or more air yards for 176 yards and three touchdowns, making it one of the best deep-passing performances of his career. The Eagles still need more play-to-play consistency, but Hurts carried the offense when it mattered.
  8. Jayden Daniels kept the Commanders competitive in Philadelphia, throwing a touchdown to Stefon Diggs and directing a 12-play, 63-yard touchdown drive late in the game. He was pressured on 19 of 38 dropbacks, matching the highest pressure rate of his career at 50%. Daniels went 15-for-19 for 138 yards and a touchdown from clean pockets, but only 3-for-15 for 26 yards and a score while under pressure.
  9. Baker Mayfield’s aggressive approach created two damaging turnovers in Tampa Bay’s 33-27 loss to Cincinnati. One gave the Bengals a defensive touchdown, while another likely erased a Buccaneers scoring chance. Mayfield averaged only 4.7 air yards per attempt and 2.0 air yards per completion, both among the lowest figures of his career. He completed 18 of 19 attempts under 10 air yards for 134 yards, compared with 5-for-8 for 82 yards beyond that distance.
  10. Tyler Shough overcame an awful first half to rally New Orleans against Detroit. He went 2-for-7 for 17 yards, an interception and a sack-fumble before halftime, then completed 8 of 11 passes against the Lions’ blitz for 79 yards and three touchdowns in the second half and overtime. Shough also completed 11 of 16 deep passes for 261 yards and a touchdown, the most such yards by a Saints quarterback since Drew Brees in 2016.
  11. C.J. Stroud played well for much of Houston’s narrow defeat in Buffalo, but lost fumbles at both ends of the game damaged an otherwise strong performance. Jordan Love similarly carried Green Bay early before the Packers crumbled against Brian Flores’ pressure packages. Green Bay’s offensive line struggled with blitz pickups and stunts, though Love also needed to settle the offense during the collapse.
  12. Arizona stunned the Chargers behind Jacoby Brissett, who leaned heavily on Trey McBride and hit Marvin Harrison Jr. for a long completion. Brissett completed six of nine throws beyond 10 air yards for 113 yards, producing a plus-23.9% completion percentage over expected. Sam Darnold, dealing with a glute injury, played only a limited number of snaps and did not have enough time for a full assessment.
  13. Geno Smith looked far more settled behind a strong Raiders offensive line than he did during his difficult 2025 season. He also began building chemistry with Adonai Mitchell. Jaxson Dart had a similarly encouraging opener for the Giants, repeatedly finding former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, although New York will face tougher defenses than Dallas moving forward.
  14. Drake Maye’s promising start unraveled in the fourth quarter. He threw three interceptions, all on attempts of at least 20 air yards, after throwing only one such interception all of last season. His final-drive interception cost New England 47.9% in win probability, the biggest single-play loss of his career.

Monday night results and quarterback concerns

  1. Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City defeated Denver 31-10. Mahomes scored on the ground and eventually threw two touchdown passes, but his mobility did not appear fully restored early in the game. Kenneth Walker III’s success helped the Chiefs, while Mahomes found more rhythm after halftime.
  2. Bo Nix produced one standout Denver drive, finishing it with a touchdown pass to Evan Engram to tie the game at 7-7. Otherwise, Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s pressure overwhelmed him. Nix faced pressure on 45.5% of his dropbacks, completed 2 of 10 passes for five yards and an interception under pressure, and absorbed two strip-sacks. From clean pockets, he was 15-for-18 for 126 yards and a touchdown.
  3. Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff generally looked familiar, though each operated below his usual level. Prescott’s failed throwaway attempt became an interception and led to a Giants touchdown, but none of the three showed a reason for major concern after one game.

Other quarterback developments

  • Justin Herbert threw for 200 yards, but his fourth-quarter interception came at a damaging moment as his team attempted to erase a nine-point deficit. The throw was an unusual risk for a quarterback normally known for protecting the football.
  • Aaron Rodgers showed a flash of his old form by rolling left and firing a touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth against Atlanta. In Pittsburgh’s 20-13 victory, Rodgers repeatedly looked for DK Metcalf and took more vertical shots than he did last season. His 9.2 air yards per target marked his highest average as a Steeler, while his 2.95-second average time to throw was his third-highest with the club.
  • Kirk Cousins moved Atlanta’s offense effectively against Miami and threw three touchdown passes, with Bijan Robinson creating much of the pressure on the Dolphins defense. But the 38-year-old also threw two ugly interceptions and stumbled untouched while releasing an errant pass. The performance could hasten calls for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
  • Daniel Jones showed understandable rust in his first game since a season-ending Achilles injury. Baltimore’s early three-score lead limited Indianapolis, and Jones forced an interception into a crowded window with Roquan Smith sitting underneath in coverage.
  • Malik Willis flashed mobility and scored a rushing touchdown in his first game as a full-time starter, but his play remained uneven. He threw several quality passes and did not appear overwhelmed, yet an ugly interception and a limited overall impact left Miami needing more from him.
  • Kyler Murray’s Minnesota debut ended quickly. He threw an interception on his first attempt under immediate pressure, then suffered a concussion after sliding at the end of a short run and taking a late hit that drew a flag.
  • Cam Ward’s first game in Brian Daboll’s offense ended in a 23-10 loss to the Jets. Weak pass protection and an absent rushing attack left the rookie under constant stress. Ward faced pressure on 42.1% of his dropbacks, completing 3 of 10 passes for 17 yards under pressure, compared with 16 of 22 for 123 yards and a touchdown when protected.
  • Cooper Rush could not create a downfield passing threat in Atlanta’s low-scoring loss to Pittsburgh. Kyle Pitts had one target and no catches, while the Falcons leaned almost entirely on Bijan Robinson. Rush did not complete a pass while pressured and went 6-for-14 for 83 yards with two interceptions when holding the ball longer than 2.5 seconds. Pittsburgh did not play a single snap of man coverage.
  • Deshaun Watson’s stat line did not reflect his struggles. He was slow to process, inaccurate when pressured and threw an interception on his third attempt of the season. Watson took excessively deep drops, occasionally created his own pressure and looked like a quarterback still adjusting after two years away from regular-season action. His late touchdown pass to rookie Denzel Boston was the clearest positive, and Week 2 could become an important test for his roster future.

Early takeaway

Allen, Williams, Jackson and Lawrence delivered the clearest Week 1 statements, while Young, Purdy, Hurts, Brissett and Shough supplied encouraging signs in different circumstances. The league’s first weekend also offered warnings: turnovers hurt Stroud, Love, Maye, Mayfield and Herbert, while pressure defined difficult outings for Nix, Ward, Rush and Watson. One week is not enough to settle any season-long quarterback debate, but it was enough to establish a fast-moving early NFL hierarchy.