2026 NFL QB Power Rankings: Purdy Leads Mahomes Entering Week 5

Quarterbacks are the most important position in football. After all, they're the highest-paid players, and the past 13 NFL MVP award winners are, you guessed, quarterbacks. While some quarterbacks are a byproduct of their offensive ecosystems, a select few elevate above their current circumstances to the ranks of the elite.

These rankings are fluid and designed to tell the story of each starting quarterback's respective rise and/or fall throughout the season. That's why some quarterbacks in this week's rankings rose as many as 12 spots or fell as many as 10. In a vacuum, Patrick Mahomes would remain No. 1 for the foreseeable future and so on. He hasn't been in the top spot for some weeks now given his torn ACL and others playing better ahead of him. However, that isn't set in stone, and he could rise back to the top of the board in the near future.

So where do the league's biggest names line up entering the fifth week of the regular season? Enjoy the Week 5 edition of the 2026 NFL Quarterback Power Rankings:

NFL QB Power Rankings 1

Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers QB After the San Francisco 49ers ' 24-14 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 4, Brock Purdy (218 yards passing and two touchdowns on 19 of 30 passing) is the only quarterback in NFL history to start 4-0 with one or fewer sacks, fumbles or interceptions combined, per CBS Sports Research. Purdy leads the NFL in passer rating (126.2), passing success rate (61.9%) and expected points added (EPA) per dropback (0.53) while co-leading the league in passing touchdowns (11). Purdy's EPA per dropback of 0.53 is the second-highest through four games in the 21st century, behind only Tom Brady's 0.59 EPA per dropback in New England's 16-0 2007 regular season. He's also been accurate, ranking fifth in the NFL in completion percentage (69.9%). Purdy rightly retains his No. 1 ranking entering Week 5. (No change) 2

Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is fully back. He has the Chiefs out to a 4-0 start, and once again, no one is better than him when throwing outside the pocket. Mahomes leads the league in both completions (23) and passing touchdowns (five, tied with Aaron Rodgers ) outside the pocket. He also ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in virtually every key passing metric. Mahomes would be back in the top spot if not for an all-time first quarter of the 2026 season from Purdy. (No change) 3

Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens QB Another week, another efficiency clinic from Lamar Jackson . In the Baltimore Ravens ' 24-18 win over the Tennessee Titans he was almost perfect, completing 15 of his 20 throws for 222 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 20 rushing yards. Jackson is second in the league in passer rating (119.6), second in the league in EPA per dropback (0.34), third in completion percentage (70.8%) and he leads the NFL in yards per pass attempt (10.1). Jackson is the first quarterback to average 10-plus yards per pass attempt through the first four games of a season since 2018, when both Jared Goff and Ryan Fitzpatrick accomplished the feat. (No change) 4

Dak Prescott Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott went into the Houston Texans ' house and diced them up, throwing for a season-high 335 yards and the game-winning touchdown to CeeDee Lamb with 40 seconds left while completing 32 of his 45 throws (71.1%). Prescott now ranks fifth in the league in EPA per dropback (0.24), fourth in completion percentage (70%), seventh in passing yards (1,065), tied for seventh in passing touchdowns (eight) and tied for seventh in passer rating (105.0), all while carrying one of the worst defenses in football once again. (+2) 5

Josh Allen Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen's 13 total touchdowns (six passing and seven rushing) lead the NFL, but his fourth turnover of the year couldn't have occurred at a worse time in Week 4. He threw a rough interception with 1:14 left that sealed a 29-26 defeat against the New England Patriots in a game that could have left the defending AFC champions demoralized early in the season. Instead, they now have new life, partly because of Allen. (-1) 6

Trevor Lawrence Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence finally defeated Joe Burrow after losing his first three starts against him across their NFL and college careers. Lawrence threw for an efficient 227 yards and a touchdown on 18 of 23 passing in a 22-17 victory. Lawrence is now third in the league in passer rating (111.2), seventh in completion percentage (69.2%) and tied for seventh in passing touchdowns (eight) for the 3-1 Jaguars . (-1) 7

Jared Goff Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff is the fourth quarterback in NFL history with 1,200-plus passing yards (1,214, the second most in the NFL) and no turnovers through the first four games of a season. The other three are Aaron Rodgers (2020), Patrick Mahomes (2018) and Drew Brees (2018). Goff is the only one of the four without a winning record (2-2) in those games, but that's in large part because the Lions have the NFL's second-worst scoring defense (31.8 points allowed per game). His efficiency has been fantastic, ranking fourth in EPA per dropback (0.26) and fifth in passer rating (108.6). (No change) 8

Kirk Cousins Las Vegas Raiders QB Kirk Cousins ' 11 passing touchdowns are tied for the league lead, and his Raiders are 3-1. Cousins went toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in a narrow 30-27 defeat, throwing for 365 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The interception came in a weird spot with the play clock running down, but Cousins has the Raiders out to a 3-1 record. He's also tied the team record for the most consecutive games with multiple passing touchdowns (four) to begin a season. (+1) 9

Joe Burrow Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow ranks second in the league in completion percentage (71.3%), and his 1,171 passing yards, the fifth most in the league, are his most through the first four games of a season. He stuffed the stat sheet in a 22-17 defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which he threw for 428 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions while also rushing for a score. However, the Jaguars turned his two turnovers into 14 points, which made the difference in the game's outcome. (-1) 10

Bryce Young Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young now leads the NFL in passing yards (1,268), and his nine passing touchdowns are tied for the third-most in the league while also ranking as the most through the first four games of a season in Panthers history. Those numbers feel even greater within the context of Young being the league's most pressured quarterback at a 47.4% rate while helping carry an injury-plagued Panthers team to first place in the NFC South entering their bye at 2-2. (+2) 11

Jordan Love Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love has to do everything for the Packers this season. They rank dead last in rushing yards per game (58.0), nearly 20 yards fewer than the Bengals ' 74.3 rushing yards per game. That makes it nearly impossible to play quarterback when the defense can not even bother to think about your run game. Love has thrown multiple touchdowns in all four games this season, which is a huge factor in how Green Bay is somehow 2-2 through four weeks. He was an efficient 22 for 30 for 197 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 17-14 Week 4 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . (+2) 12

Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta Falcons QB How valuable is quarterback Michael Penix Jr . to the Atlanta Falcons ? With Bijan Robinson taking handoffs from Cooper Rush The Falcons had just 16 points in two weeks and were off to a 0-2 start. With Penix Jr. back from his torn ACL injury, Atlanta has scored 80 points since Week 3, the most in the NFL. Yes, Robinson is the engine, but Penix Jr. has taken care of business in consecutive primetime wins at the Packers and Saints . Since Week 3, Penix ranks third in EPA per dropback (0.33), fifth in completion percentage (73.3%), first in pass yards per attempt (10.6) and fourth in passer rating (113.1). (+6) 13

Sam Darnold Seattle Seahawks QB After throwing a goofy interception on the first play of the game, Sam Darnold locked in and threw for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 of 22 passing in a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers . Darnold is the first quarterback in Seahawks history to win 16 of his first 20 regular season starts, and his 101.1 passer rating (101.1) ranks ninth in the NFL. (+2) 14

C.J. Stroud Houston Texans QB The Houston Texans are 0-4, but it's not C.J. Stroud's fault despite the hit his reputation took for a putrid 2025 postseason. In 2026, he has the fifth-most passing yards in the league (1,141) while being tied for the second-best touchdown-to-interception ratio (5-0) in the league through Week 4. Stroud's running backs are giving him nothing, averaging the fewest rushing yards (53.5) and yards per carry (2.9) among NFL running back groups this season while the vaunted defense from a year ago ranks 26th in scoring defense (27.3 points per game allowed). (+9) 15

Matthew Stafford Los Angeles Rams QB The shine from Matthew Stafford's 2025 NFL MVP season is fading fast. He has now thrown an interception in every game, including two games with multiple interceptions. Stafford had just two such games from 2024 to 2025. Despite getting Puka Nacua back in Week 4, Stafford looked quite uncomfortable against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 24-20 victory. He'll take an even more uncomfortable plunge if his inefficiency continues. (-5) 16

Tyler Shough New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough played turnover-free football in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, but much of the damage from his 286 yards and a passing touchdown on 30 of 48 passing came after halftime when his Saints trailed 24-7. His 1,203 yards passing are the third-most in the NFL, but he also co-leads the league in both fumbles (five) and fumbles lost (three). (-2) 17

Geno Smith New York Jets QB Geno Smith leads the NFL in completion percentage with a 5-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He battled through a right wrist injury in Week 4 against the Bears in a 23-12 defeat in which he threw for 119 yards and a touchdown on 8-of-15 passing. When he has thrown deep this season, he's been quite effective, completing 8-of-12 throws of 20-plus air yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. (-6) 18

Deshaun Watson Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson's NFL career seemed destined to end after the 2026 season when his Cleveland Browns contract expires, but that may no longer be the case after his 3-1 start this season. Watson doesn't have the same arm strength he did in his Houston Texans' prime, but he has enough left in the tank to lead a game-winning drive, something he has done in each of the last three games. During those drives, he has completed 15 of his 20 throws with two touchdowns. (+4) 19

Jalen Hurts Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense was horrendously bad in their 24-20 Week 4 loss against the Los Angeles Rams . They blew a double-digit lead thanks to Hurts averaging a career-low 3.0 yards per dropback while completing 12 of his 27 throws for 93 yards. He also absorbed four sacks. After his 7.5 yards per pass attempt ranked 12th in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season, Hurts is now averaging an NFL-worst 4.7 yards per pass attempt since Week 3. (-2) 20

Drake Maye New England Patriots QB Drake Maye returned from the dead, throwing for 269 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception in a 29-26 upset road win over the Buffalo Bills . He also scrambled for a season-high 54 rushing yards. Maye's seven interceptions still lead the NFL, but

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2026-nfl-qb-power-rankings-week-5-brock-purdy-drake-maye/)._