Ranking all 32 NFL quarterbacks after Week 8

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Mendoza line

This is a concept the “Around The NFL” crew started using about a decade ago. Adapted from a baseball batting average, it signifies a line below which teams should be looking to replace their starter.

If I had to create separation within this four-name tier, I’d say the top two guys are above that line, while the latter couple of names, I wouldn’t invest heavily into building a team around.

#15 Ryan Tannehill

Las Vegas Raiders v Tennessee Titans

Talk about a quarterback who can rely on the ground game. In the one game Tannehill wasn’t available for this past Sunday, the Titans were able to win despite rookie backup Malik Willis only attempting – and not completing – one pass in the second half.

That doesn’t mean Tannehill hasn’t done his job pretty well. Taking out a Monday Night matchup from week two, when they ran into a buzzsaw with the Bills and Tannehill was intercepted twice, he has only thrown one pick compared to the seven touchdowns he’s accounted for.

Moreover, 11.6% of his passes have gone for 20+ yards. That’s despite Robert Woods being the only player on the team with at least 150 receiving yards and Justin Fields being the only guy pressured at a higher rate across the NFL (29.3%).

A big reason Tennessee is sitting at 5-2 right now is the fact they’ve gotten into the end-zone on 13 of 17 red-zone trips. Tannehill has the second-best passer rating in that area among NFL quarterbacks behind only Aaron Rodgers (121.9).

#16 Derek Carr

Las Vegas Raiders v New Orleans Saints

It’s not easy to come away with a lot of positives for the quarterback of a team that just laid a goose-egg on Sunday.

Carr has certainly regressed this season, after he had been playing like a top-10 player at the position in each of the previous two seasons without a top-flight alpha receiver.

The Raiders reunited him with former Fresno State teammate and All-Pro Davante Adams this offseason. Yet, he’s on pace to basically match his worst numbers across the board for his career if you take out his rookie year, when he was playing for a 3-13 squad.

Carr has gone from finishing behind only Tom Brady with 67 completions of 20+ yards, to being tied for 18th right now with just 19 of those through seven games (which puts him on pace for 46 on the year).

That’s a big reason why Las Vegas has the third-lowest difference in average yards per rush compared to net yards per pass attempt of just 0.7, for a 2-5 squad. When the Raiders have faced a legit pass-rush, protection has been an issue, but considering how effective Josh Jacobs has been in the run game and how quickly Davante can beat his man when one-on-one, this isn’t good enough right now.

#17 Daniel Jones

Now we’re moving on to a couple of guys whose teams didn’t prioritize locking up long-term this offseason. The Giants declined picking up Jones’ fifth-year option. Looking at his resume at the time who could blame them? He had a 21-to-17 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the past two seasons, a league-high 36 fumbles since entering the lineup, and a combined record of 12-25 as a starter.

Throughout his career, he’s rarely had a full complement of healthy receivers and he’s played behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. This season, he has now at least moved “behind” Justin Fields and Ryan Tannehill in terms of percentage of dropbacks under pressure (29.1%).

Jones currently ranks 35th among quarterbacks with just nine completions of 20+ yards. A big part of that is the lack of vertical threats in this offense, but the quarterback doesn’t deliver a whole lot of explosive plays through the air.

However, the coaching staff hasn’t really asked him to either, and what he has brought to the table is the ability to keep drives alive, converting 12 of a league-high 35 third-and-long attempts as a passer. Moreover, he's behind only Lamar Jackson and Justin Fields with 363 rushing yards on 64 attempts.

He also has two more game-winning drives to his name than any other team in the league (five).

#18 Jimmy Garoppolo

San Francisco 49ers v Los Angeles Rams

There’s a big drop-off after Tua Tagovailoa, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen as far as EPA per play is concerned, but Jimmy G is the next man up in that statistic (+0.218).

Kyle Shanahan’s ability to create opportunities for big runs and scheme open throws over the middle – the area Garoppolo targets more frequently than any other QB in the league – is the main reason the Niners have been one of the most efficient offenses for multiple seasons.

The 49ers signal-caller ranks behind only the Jets’ Zach Wilson, who works under Mike LaFleur, with 7.2 yards after the catch per completion. This, despite having probably the most dynamic four-man combination of pass-catchers in the league, without a whole lot of big-boy throws outside the numbers.

So the limitations and reasons why San Francisco wanted to move on to Trey Lance still remain, but Jimmy has played his role well. He has completed exactly two-thirds of his passes and he’s fifth in yards per attempt (8.1). He's also one of seven guys with a passer rating north of 100 and outside of Patrick Mahomes, Garoppolo converts the highest rate of third-and-eights or longer (41.7%).