Another week and another new leader in our weekly NFL Black QB rankings. For many weeks it’s been Chiefs maestro Patrick Mahomes leading the way. But with him on a bye week, Eagles signal caller Jalen Hurts stepped up into the top spot.
1. Jalen Hurts – Eagles
Coming into the season Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni made it his point to marry his offensive system to the strengths of Hurts. That move has paid off for the lone unbeaten team in the league at 7-0. Hurts has been dynamite this season, with his best game coming in the Sunday, Oct. 30 win (35-13) over the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers.
The former Alabama and Oklahoma college product completed 19 of 28 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those touchdown tosses went to star receiver A.J. Brown, who’s acquisition on draft night has changed the trajectory of the Eagles offense.
Hurts was asked about his arrival as a franchise quarterback this season. The cerebral leader remains humble yet confident.
“You’ll never get to a point where you say, ‘I’ve arrived,’ ” Hurts told reporters. “There is no arrival; there’s only the journey.”
Jalen Hurts to AJ Brown is beautiful!pic.twitter.com/j95JKna3tg
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 30, 2022
2. Lamar Jackson – Ravens
LJ8 struggled for long periods against the Cleveland Browns last week and in the first half against the Tampa Bay Bucs on Thursday night.
The 2019 unanimous MVP rebounded to play better in the second half against Tampa, leading Baltimore to a 27-22 win over the Bucs. In the game, Jackson passed for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for another 42 yards. While Jackson’s play has been erratic, the Ravens are still 5-3 and in first place in the AFC North. LJ had several highlight reel plays as well against a pass rush that just couldn’t seem to corral the elusive playmaker.
TOUCHDOWN @DaGorilla4!!!!
WE'RE UP 17-10!!!
Tune in on @NFLonPrime. pic.twitter.com/8VIPYLq4CO
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 28, 2022
3. Geno Smith – Seahawks
The surprising Seattle Seahawks are being led by a QB in Smith who was written off a long time ago. But as he said after the Hawks season-opening win he “didn’t write back.”
Smith seems to have used that as motivation this season as he’s led the team to a 5-3 record, good enough for first place in the NFC West. On Sunday’s 27-13 win over the then 6-1 Giants, Smith went 23 of 34 for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
Still not writing back.
3 straight wins for @GenoSmith3 and the @Seahawks. pic.twitter.com/T73QzK4a9q
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2022
Head coach Pete Carroll raved about his starting QB ….
“What can I say, he’s the real deal. This is the real receipt, there’s no mystery, no ‘Oh, he’s gonna run out of gas;’ it’s not like that. He knows exactly what he’s doing and he shows you week-in and week-out, throw, after throw, after throw… I mean, what a thrilling story, he just hung in there so tough and blasted it and now he’s enjoying all of the fun of it, so yeah, he did great.”
4. Justin Fields – Bears
Fields is beginning to figure this thing out, even though the losses are piling up for the Chicago Bears. You can see Fields clearly getting more comfortable behind center. The former Ohio State Buckeyes star flashed brilliance in Sunday’s 49-29 loss to the Cowboys. The dynamic dual-threat finished with 151 yards passing and two touchdowns. He also used his legs to rush for another 60 yards. The Bears are devoid of talent at most skilled positions, but Fields has made the most of it.
5. Kyler Murray – Cardinals
During Sunday’s 34-26 loss to the Vikings, the diminutive Murray was electric and animated on the sidelines as usual.
He also had two costly interceptions that stymied scoring opportunities. The Vikings’ pass rush really bothered him in the fourth quarter by boxing him in and making him throw over them, and that’s where his mistakes were made.
When it’s all said and done, Murray still manages to pass for 326 yards and three touchdowns.
Honorable Mention: Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett was masterful in Cleveland’s 32-13 upset over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
Brissett, who is “filling in” for Deshaun Watson, who missed the eighth game of an 11-game suspension, was outstanding, going 17 of 22 (77 percent) for 278 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for a 133.7 rating.
He threw a 53-yard pass to Amari Cooper in the fourth quarter that made the highlight reels. NextGen Stats puts Jacoby’s performance into perspective. Brissett earned a 95 passing score, the highest by any QB in a game this season.
