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The quarterback rankings heading into Week 18 tell the tale of the 2021 NFL season. The MVP race is heating up as well and the top signal-callers all have a claim for the award.
The final week of the regular season is here and the top quarterbacks in the NFL are all looking to make noise in the postseason. Here's how the rankings stack up ahead of the first Week 18 in NFL history.
Week 17 NFL QB rankings #5-#4
#5 - Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Last Ranking: Unranked
Patrick Mahomes has had a nice stretch of play after an uncharacteristically slow start to his season. He most recently had 259 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
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While that is average for Mahomes, he now has 4,569 yards and 35 touchdowns this season. That has him near the top of the NFL leaderboards and are not pedestrian numbers by any means. In his last four games alone, he has 10 touchdowns and only one interception. The Kansas City Chiefs are 3-1 in that stretch.
Week 18 quarterback rankings have to take the entire season into account. In a few years, Mahomes' current stats will be good enough for MVP consideration. The Chiefs are also 11-5 and still have a chance to claim the top spot in the AFC.
Mahomes has just built up expectations so high that anything other than routine four-touchdown performances seems like a letdown.
#4 - Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Last Ranking: #5
Joe Burrow shows up a spot above Mahomes after winning the Week 17 duel between the two sides. Burrow has to be included among the best quarterbacks in the NFL after his past two games.
Week 16 saw Burrow absolutely light up the Baltimore Ravens defense. He finished with 525 yards and four touchdowns in a dominating 41-21 win. Would he slow down in Week 17? Not quite, as he finished with 446 yards and four touchdowns in a thrilling victory over the Chiefs.
He connected with Ja'Marr Chase for 266 of those yards and also three touchdowns. There was simply nothing the Chiefs defense could do to stop the dynamic duo out of LSU. That has mostly been true of NFL defenses all season.
Burrow is only in his second season and his first was cut short due to a knee injury. Throwing for nearly 1,000 yards in two weeks against top AFC contenders proves he is among the best at his position in the NFL. Oh, he also led the Bengals to an AFC North crown as well. He should be atop the weekly rankings for years to come at this rate.
NFL QB Rankings: Top 3
#3 - Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Last Ranking: #3
Matthew Stafford holds strong in the third spot on this NFL list after a winning (but not great) performance against the Baltimore Ravens. He did throw for two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions in the 20-19 victory.
Stafford has had a weird year because he ranks second in the NFL in yards with 4,648 yards and 38 touchdowns. He has thrown six interceptions in the past three games, even if the Los Angeles Rams won all three.
Rams fans are hoping that Stafford from earlier this season shows up. Yet his entire body of work still has him atop the quarterback rankings and could earn him an MVP vote or two. Getting close to 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns is something to celebrate.
#2 - Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Last Ranking: #1
Aaron Rodgers has seemingly become the NFL MVP favorite, even if his stats don't stack up with the top quarterback in the league. More on him later.
Rodgers is having yet another phenomenal season and has led the Green Bay Packers to a 13-3 season for the third consecutive year. That's NFL history in itself.
He has 3,977 yards and 35 touchdowns in only 15 games. Playing that extra game may have sealed his MVP case for good. But one thing to remember about Rodgers is that he rarely turns the ball over. He has four interceptions all season and has not thrown one since mid-November.
He recently threw for two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings in primetime and easily could have had more if needed. The only question now is what 2022 will hold for Rodgers. He has proven all he had to and is among the best, not just in the NFL today, but in the history of the league.
#1 - Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last Ranking: #2
Tom Brady deserves the top overall spot on this list. He leads all NFL quarterbacks in yards with 4,990 and in touchdowns with 40. He has done this without certain top talent all season and is not showing any signs of slowing down at the age of 44.
Sunday was a vintage Brady performance that came against an old rival in the New York Jets. Antonio Brown walked off the field during the game, but Brady did not let that affect him or the offense. He finished with 410 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner with just seconds remaining.
Brady and Rodgers are now in a fun, tight race for NFL MVP. Both of them are deserving and it has been fun all season to watch them continue to thrive so late in their respective careers.
Brady may even have to go up against Rodgers in the NFC Championship Game to try and win his eighth career Super Bowl. He may also have to square off with Stafford. But no matter who he faces, his success this season proves he should be the favorite until proven otherwise.
