Who Is The Best Quarterback Through The First 8 Weeks Of Football?
The question that is always going through everyones mind: Who is the best QB? Well, lets look at some numbers. I parsed it down to only include QBs that have played 6 starts and filtered out some of the trash.
Let's start out with the most simple numbers of all. Who is playing the best in a bubble? The answer to that is also simple: Patrick Mahomes. He may not be jumping off the page like the turbo offense days, but they're finding ways to get it down after a slow start. And when you consider what his receiving room has looked like for most of the year and the lack of a run game, it only makes it more impressive. Right after him is Drake Maye, who has emerged as the 2025 gunslinger of the year.
Now let's give this all some context, starting with the strength of schedule.
Maye, IS playing out of his mind but it happens to be against the easiest schedule in football SO FAR. To be very clear, this is a good thing. You can only play the team in front of you, after all. And the schedule being easy is no guarantee of good QB play. Just ask the Vikings, who played the 4th easiest schedule this year but have sucked ass. Similarly, Josh Allen has had it easy this year and it won't get much harder. The Bills travel the second fewest miles this year and only leave the Eastern Time Zone twice this season (for reference, the Rams will travel across 44 time zones in 2025). Lastly, Daniel Jones has also had it fairly easy. They've played 3 playoff teams from last season, narrowly beating Denver, losing to the Rams and smoking an injury depleted, piss jersey-wearing Chargers. The other teams they've played have a combined 7 wins.
Advertisement
The usual suspects are near the top here. Goff has arguably the best tandem in the league, Cook is is flying under the radar and Taylor, who finally has a complimentary QB again, is playing at a MVP level. Obviously, RB numbers can be bent out of shape by different factors. If the team goes down early, rushes go down. If the O-line is bad, their efficiency goes down. A rushing QB can also split their carries up. But, overall, the teams at the top here are anchored by a common strength: Offensive line.
Again, top dogs here haven't had much movement over the last few years. The Colts are finally blocking for a good QB so they are shining like they used to. The Broncos are still making Nix look like a good QB and the Chiefs, despite all the bitching and moaning from their fans, still have a good unit anchored by the best center in the league. Similar to the RBs, they still share a symbiotic relationship with the QB. QB holds it too long, RB can't find the hole and they can end up looking bad. I still say prayers every day in all religions (Shoutout Steve Michalik) for Justin Herbert, who is being blocked by the worst Center in football and multiple dudes signed off the street.
Lastly, the defense. Bad defense can ruin even the most electric offense. Spags, once again, is leading a top unit but I'm mostly impressed with the Rams. They features some young guys and were very middle of the road last year but they have turned into a legit force. Second fewest PPGA and vs the 9th hardest schedule in football. No easy task! The glaring QB being fucked the most here is Dak Prescott. My god could they use a defensive superstar to shore up that defense.
Advertisement
So I guess the real question is what exactly determines who is the best? Is it who is putting up the best numbers? Is it who is doing the best despite bad circumstance? I think there is a medium. You can only play the team in front of you with the team you have, but that doesn't make all victories equal. To me, the answer is still Mahomes. He has the top-level line and defense but he has overcome the complete lack of run game (not only this year but the last few) and a lack of WR depth. After that, take your pick.