NFL starting quarterbacks ranked by QBR before Week 4: Patrick Mahomes on pace for new low

This story has been updated from its original state to reflect Monday's NFL results.

Patrick Mahomes knows.

The Kansas City Chiefs keep winning to start the 2024 NFL season, but their superstar quarterback hasn't quite looked right through three games.

"I feel like I haven't played very well, and that's not a stats thing," Mahomes admitted after the Chiefs improved to 3-0 with a narrow 22-17 win at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.

The stats also back up Mahomes' analysis. He's currently on pace to throw for a career low in yards and set a career high for interceptions after three games. Even more telling is where he ranks compared to other quarterbacks in ESPN's QBR (quarterback rating) heading into Week 4.

While the top of the QBR rankings continue to be littered with heartwarming reclamation projects such as Derek Carr, Sam Darnold and Malik Willis, Mahomes checks in at No. 22 in QBR entering Week 4. At the moment, he trails players such as Jacoby Brissett, Bo Nix and Daniel Jones in the metric. Keep in mind that, since becoming the starting quarterback for the Chiefs, Mahomes had never finished outside the top five in QBR before last season, when he was No. 8. He led the league in QBR as recently as 2022.

Here's how the rest of the NFL's quarterbacks rank based on QBR for the season (including an unlikely leader), and how they did in terms of QBR during Week 3:

32 THINGS WE LEARNED IN NFL WEEK 3: These QB truths can't be denied

ESPN's QBR, explained

Every week, ESPN gives each quarterback a QBR for their latest performance. According to ESPN, the rating is intended to "incorporate all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties."

QBR measures each play's degree of success and how much credit the quarterback deserves for the play. The statistic also takes into account the strength of opposing defenses faced. The final result is an efficiency rating as a number on a 0-to-100-point scale. The cumulative rating is averaged out on a per-play basis across the course of the season.

Ranking NFL quarterbacks by total QBR ahead of Week 4

Here's how every starting quarterback stacks up before Week 4 of the NFL season, based on their 2024 QBR:

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (QBR: 92.6)

2. Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers (89.5)

3. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers (86.6)

4. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (81.1)

5. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (75.6)

6. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (74.4)

7. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (73.5)

8. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (68.7)

9. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (67.9)

10. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (62.5)

11. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (62.4)

12. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (60.9)

13. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets (60.3)

14. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (55.3)

15. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (55.2)

16. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (55.2)

17. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (54.4)

18. Daniel Jones, New York Giants (52.7)

19. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots (50.5)

20. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts (49.6)

21. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (49.1)

22. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (47.4)

23. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (46.9)

24. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (45.5)

25. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (45.5)

26. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders (44.1)

27. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (43.1)

28. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (34.4)

29. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (33.8)

30. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (29.6)

31. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (26.8)

32. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (23.5)

33. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (23.0)

34. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (9.1)

35. Skylar Thompson, Miami Dolphins (5.1)

NFL WEEK 3 WINNERS, LOSERS: Texans, 49ers dealt sizable setbacks

NFL Week 3 QBR leaders

Here's how every starting quarterback did in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, based on their QBR:

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (28-25 win at Dallas Cowboys) — 96.8

2. Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers (30-14 win at Tennessee Titans) — 92.9

3. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers (36-22 win at Las Vegas Raiders) — 86.9

4. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (27-24 loss at Los Angeles Rams) — 86.1

5. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets (24-3 win vs. New England Patriots) — 81.1

6. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (26-7 win at Tampa Bay Buccaneers) — 80.6

7. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (34-7 win vs. Houston Texans) — 74.7

8. Daniel Jones, New York Giants (21-15 win at Cleveland Browns) — 72.8

9. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (27-24 win vs. San Francisco 49ers) — 64.5

10. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (22-17 win at Atlanta Falcons) — 57.8

11. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (20-10 win vs. Los Angeles Chargers) — 55.4

12. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (20-10 loss at Pittsburgh Steelers) — 52.7

13. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (28-25 loss vs. Baltimore Ravens) — 52.2

14. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (20-13 win at Arizona Cardinals) — 44.0

15. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders (36-22 loss vs. Carolina Panthers) — 41.7

16. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (15-12 win at New Orleans Saints) — 41.2

17. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (15-12 loss vs. Philadelphia Eagles) — 40.8

18. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (20-13 loss vs. Detroit Lions) — 37.7

19. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (21-16 loss at Indianapolis Colts) — 35.8

20. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (24-3 win vs. Miami Dolphins) — 35.3

21. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (22-17 loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs) — 30.7

22. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (21-15 loss vs. New York Giants) — 27.3

23. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (34-7 loss at Minnesota Vikings) — 25.1

24. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots (24-3 loss at New York Jets) — 23.5

25. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts (21-16 win vs. Chicago Bears) — 17.6

26. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (30-14 loss vs. Green Bay Packers) — 15.1

27. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26-7 loss vs. Denver Broncos) — 10.1

28. Skylar Thompson, Miami Dolphins (24-3 loss at Seattle Seahawks) — 7.9

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Week 3: NFL quarterback rankings by QBR in 2024