1. Kyler Murray +2

Kyler Murray looks like the early frontrunner for the MVP award, and helping to beat Jacksonville through the air really boosted that argument. The Air Raid offense finally looks like it is taking good form.

2. Patrick Mahomes 

Even though the Chiefs have not been able to get wins out of their most recent fourth quarter slumps, that does not start with Mahomes. Granted his play was not as perfect against the Chargers last Sunday, but overwhelmingly positive play over the last three years tells us not to be concerned.

3. Tom Brady -2

The Buccaneers’ loss was due to a team that is currently superior to all other teams. The loss should not be pinned on Brady who, in the end, had a pretty good game and had it without Rob Gronkowski for part of the game.

4. Matthew Stafford +2

Being on the Rams is probably the best thing to happen in Matthew Stafford’s career. He is finally being unleashed as the deep thrower he was meant to be, and he is creating a dynamic connection with young wide receiver Cooper Kupp and longtime veteran Robert Woods.

5. Dak Prescott +6

Prescott recovered well from the sloppy game he had in week two with a completely dominant week three performance. Prescott’s offense was unstoppable for the Philadelphia defense through the air and the defensive line could not keep him contained even when the pocket was collapsing around him.

6. Josh Allen -2

The Josh Allen MVP expectations are coming back after a slow start to the season. Allen has had two back to back amazing performances, his latest featuring Allen throwing for four touchdowns and no picks and making the Washington defense look like a bunch of clowns.

7. Justin Herbert +5

Justin Herbert got to be the latest quarterback to get the ease of playing the Chiefs defense. Herbert threw four touchdowns and no picks in the loss and is doing a really amazing job of moving this offense and proving that former first round receiver Mike Williams is not a draft bust.

8. Aaron Rodgers -3

Even though Aaron Rodgers has been doing Rodgers things this year, this offense feels a step slower than it has for the past three seasons. Rodgers keeps finding himself in close situations both with San Francisco and Detroit in spots and apart from Davante Adams, his rapport with his receivers is noticeably lower than it has been in recent years.

9. Derek Carr -1

I’ve said this in my past reviews of Derek Carr and I’ll keep saying it; He is doing an incredible job of elevating the talent around him. There are few cores more dangerous than Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow, and Bryan Edwards, and this is due to how well Carr is playing right now.

10. Russell Wilson -3

Russell Wilson is having an incredibly difficult time carrying this team into the playoffs unlike years past. Now with two potential Super Bowl contenders and a team coached by one of the best coaches in the NFL, the Seahawks have a lot of ground to make up. The burden falls on Wilson to make sure the offense gets going again and the Seahawks have a chance to compete.

11. Joe Burrow +3

Joe Burrow feels like an inconsistent Derek Carr. On one hand he is doing an incredible job of helping Ja’Marr Chase be a breakout rookie this season, and on the other hand Burrow has games like his game against Chicago where he had three picks and held back the offense. I think good games against good teams have proven Burrow to be an excellent NFL talent, but only time will tell if this is accurate.

12. Ryan Tannehill +1

Ryan Tannehill looked much more like his efficient, less mistake prone self against the Colts on Sunday, but even with how well he was playing there’s no reason he should be throwing two picks against the Colts defense.

13. Lamar Jackson -4

Lamar Jackson has had a sneaky bad start to the season. Good plays may have saved him in the second half to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, but other than that win Jackson has little to hang his hat on. His ground game has at least marginally declined, and through the air he is inaccurate to the point of really bad interceptions. Jackson’s past good plays and Rashod Bateman’s return should help fix these issues.

14. Teddy Bridgewater +1

Talk about mistake free, Teddy Bridgewater has not thrown one interception to start out the 2021 season. Bridgewater’s offense has been consistent, if not dominant and he is creating good connections with Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. However, the one challenge that Bridgewater has not faced is a dominant team. It remains to be seen how that affects Bridgewater’s play down the stretch.

15. Baker Mayfield -5

Baker Mayfield’s good play has been dramatically enhanced by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt consistently being the best running back tandem in the NFL and both having excellent games each time they play. That said, Mayfield is having a good season. One near win against the Chiefs and two decisive wins against the Texans and Bears are proving Mayfield and the Browns to be worthy opponents.

16. Sam Darnold +6

I am waiting for the other shoe to drop on Sam Darnold, who has been weirdly consistent to start out the 2021 season for the Panthers. If he continues his consistent play, then the Jets should really be embarrassed that they did not succeed in unlocking Darnold’s potential.

17. Jimmy Garoppolo -1

With how Jimmy Garoppolo is playing there is no rush to replace him. Almost getting a win against the Packers to move to 3-0 would have been the perfect way to hold Trey Lance back for even longer, but Jimmy will continue to stay in the starting role until the team begins to collapse around him.

18. Kirk Cousins

Checkdown Kirk Cousins is at the exact same place as last week. Good counting stats are accompanied by dramatically yawn inducing play featuring a rushing attack carried by Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. It should be acknowledged that Justin Jefferson is finally playing like he did last year and that Cousins hasn’t been ruinous, but putting Cousins in primetime or against a good team will have a disastrous effect.

19. Matt Ryan +4

How much credit should be given for any quarterback beating the Giants defense? Matt Ryan should have little to be excited about this year but at least he is building a decent rapport with Kyle Pitts in the passing game.

20. Jalen Hurts +5

An extremely poor first half of football was immediately accompanied by a second half featuring beautiful passes that were either dropped, or too well covered to be of any use. We have seen that Jalen Hurts has a good arm and can lead this offense, but he needs to be more consistent and have a faster start to games.

21. Jameis Winston -1

Jameis Winston is this year’s penultimate hot and cold quarterback. Winston followed a five touchdown performance in week one with an interception filled week two, and then followed that performance up with another dominant touchdown performance. Now that Taysom Hill is back in the gadget role, I doubt Winston will have much competition, but more mistakes should beg the question if there should be some competition.

22. Mac Jones -5

We just got a peak at what the Patriots are like when there is no secured running game. Mac Jones had only one touchdown and three interceptions against the Saints on Sunday and looked extremely mistake prone. There is still more than enough time for Jones to improve, but this is not a good look with this being his first real shot of carrying the load.

23. Jared Goff -4

Jared Goff may have started out the season okay, but he stayed exactly the same. Goff has not led this offense to wins against any teams in three games that have been extremely close at times. An inability to close out games is one of the worst flaws that a starting quarterback can have.

24. Carson Wentz

In a similar vein to Jared Goff, Carson Wentz is not moving this offense nearly as proficiently as he should, but that is most likely due in part to Wentz dealing with injuries to both of his ankles. 

25. Ben Roethlisberger -4

In March, Ben Roethlisberger will turn 40 years old. Perhaps that justifies not moving the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals and throwing two interceptions in one of the more sloppy offensive games of week three.

26. Taylor Heinicke -2

Any bottom tier quarterback would have crumbled with how the Bills were playing on Sunday, and to Taylor Heinicke’s credit it could have been so much worse. Two touchdowns and two interceptions is not the worst fate a quarterback could have when the opposing offense drops 41 points and has one of the league’s best quarterbacks.

27. Jacoby Brissett +2

Jacoby Brissett has shown himself to be a mid level game manager at best, and that is about the same level that Tua Tagovailoa would be at if he were still in the driver’s seat of the Miami offense. How much does Miami really lose by having Brissett instead of Tagovailoa right now?

28. Daniel Jones -2

Daniel Jones’ inability to move the ball down the field against the Falcons’ defense is one of the most concerning elements of the 2021 season. Jones has not built a consistent connection with any of his receivers, and Saquon Barkley’s poor play is certainly not helping matters.

29. Trevor Lawrence -1

Up to this point Trevor Lawrence has been extremely underwhelming as a first overall pick. Lawrence has thrown at least two interceptions in every game he has played and has been unable to use the three excellent weapons he has at wide receiver. There are no excuses for how poor he is playing except for the offensive line.

30. Davis Mills +2

Davis Mills not being last is one of the true upsets of this week’s QB Index. However, the dropoff from Mills to Tyrod Taylor is extremely significant and it shows in the Texans who, before the injury, were playing way better than anybody expected.

31. Zach Wilson -1

Can you chalk up the bad play to lackluster receivers and an abysmal offensive line? Answer: Yes definitely. The Jets have nothing on their offense outside of their starting quarterback, and their lack of preparation is going to kill Zach Wilson’s rookie season.

32. Justin Fields -5

Justin Fields only completed six passes for his entire first start and did nothing on the ground to make up for it. Fields should go right back on the bench whether it is Nick Foles or Andy Dalton starting so he has a chance to develop.