It’s that time where we rank the top five Black signal-callers in the league following Week 2.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is still the gold standard, no matter how much talking heads want to knock him off his perch. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, albeit in a loss, was his usual dynamic playmaking self.
1.Patrick Mahomes – Chiefs
One week after torching the Cardinals for well over 300 yards and five touchdowns, Mahomes came up big again in a 27-24 win over the division rival Los Angeles Chargers. KC battled back from a 17-7 deficit to get the early season win.
While Mahomes didn’t throw for as many yards or touchdowns in this one, he made two plays that have become synonymous with his brilliance at the position.
DIME. #ChiefsKingdom #LACvsKC on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/Fa02SqPmRn pic.twitter.com/Jq926jIsoa— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2022
With his team teetering, Mahomes made a sidearm throw between three Charger defenders for a touchdown. And his laser to wide receiver Justin Watson on third-and-5 for a touchdown with the defense applying heavy pressure just reinforced Mahomes’ greatness.
Following the tough victory, Mahomes kept it simple.
“We scored when we needed to score. I’ll just keep reiterating. I’m so proud of those young guys on the defense, man.”
2. Lamar Jackson — Ravens
In Baltimore, Jackson did everything he needed to, but his defense blew leads of 28-7 and 35-14 in a 42-38 home loss to the Dolphins. Jackson passed for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for over 100 yards, becoming the first player in NFL history with a 75-yard touchdown pass and run in the same game.
LAMARVELOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TUNE IN ON CBS! pic.twitter.com/nCyyHMqU0G
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 18, 2022
His efforts put him into sole custody of first place all time for QBs rushing for 100 yards. Jackson’s 11th time doing so broke the tie with former NFL QB Michael Vick.
3. Kyler Murray — Cardinals
The Cardinals were staring at a second consecutive loss to start the season when Kyler Murray stepped up, earning his $230M payday he received in the summer. Arizona trailed the Raiders 20-0 and 23-7 before mounting a furious comeback to steal the win on the road.
Murray’s ability to extend plays and throw darts was on full display as the Cards mounted their rally. Murray looked like the diminutive dynamo we witnessed in high school and college, torching a Raiders pass rush that got to him but couldn’t seem to corral him.
Hoping to avoid the dreaded 0-2 hole, Murray showed why the team gave him that big extension in the offseason.
MURRAY MAGIC!!!!!!!!!@K1 X #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/6lwMSQVP1r
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 18, 2022
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said this about his QB’s magical playmaking.
“It’s not how we drew it up. I’ll say that.”
But when you have someone like Murray, you just let him play and give him as many options as possible.
4. Jalen Hurts — Eagles
The Eagles signal-caller continued his great play after the team’s season-opening win over the Lions where he tallied 333 total yards, including 90 rushing. Hurts was dynamic in the Eagles’ home opener against the Vikings on Monday night. He passed 26 of 31 for 333 yards, plus he added another 57 yards rushing. Philly has deep playoff run aspirations, and the play of Hurts will go a long way in determining if that happens. Head coach Nick Sirianni has designed a scheme that accentuates Hurts’ unique dual-threat skill set.
- Russell Wilson — Broncos
It wasn’t a pretty first half for the Broncos and Wilson following Monday night’s last-second debacle in a loss to the Seahawks in Week 1. Wilson came out in his home debut in the Mile High City and heard some boos early in the game. A different Wilson appeared in the second half, and while he was still a bit erratic, he made enough plays to help his team avoid an 0-2 start.
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