QB Report Cards for 2025 NFL Week 3

The Week 3 edition from Tales of the Quarterbacks includes revenge, redemption and possibly further recourse.

The Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield made their old head coaches pay. The Indianapolis Colts' Daniel Jones, Seattle Seahawks' Sam Darnold and San Francisco 49ers' Mac Jones showed they're more than former first-round draft busts. Finally, change may be forthcoming in Cleveland, with plenty of uncertainty in New Orleans and New York with the Jets as well.

How did each of the NFL's starting quarterbacks perform during the third week of action? Bleacher Report assessed and graded every outing, with only a handful of signal-callers playing at a high level.

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

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Score: 16-15 loss vs. San Francisco 49ers

Stat Line: 22 of 35 for 159 yards and a touchdown

The Arizona Cardinals are now in Year 7 of the Kyler Murray era, and it's still difficult to tell if he's ever going to elevate the team into a consistent winner. Case in point, the Cardinals began the year 2-0, albeit against soft competition in the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. During the team's first divisional game of the campaign, the Cardinals fell short with Murray providing marginal play.

Yes, the diminutive passer has a strong arm and the athleticism to create plays. Yet he didn't do enough to help his team win against an opponent with its backup quarterback on the field.

Murray needs help from the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., who is experiencing a disappointing start to his sophomore campaign, and the Cardinals must find a way to replace running back James Conner after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury. But those reasons are exactly why a team invests a No. 1 overall pick in a quarterback. He's supposed to help erase mistakes. Murray has never consistently done so.

Grade: C

Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Brian Westerholt

Score: 30-0 loss vs. Carolina Panthers

Stat Line: 18 of 36 for 172 yards and two interceptions

Michael Penix Jr.'s Week 3 outing ended with him on the bench watching as the rival Carolina Panthers completed a dominant victory. The second-year quarterback was pulled because the game was "out of hand," per head coach Raheem Morris. However, the situation does indicate how Penix's afternoon went.

"I just think he missed his throws today," Morris said. "We won't make excuses. We won't have any excuses about anything mechanical or anything of that nature. We did not play well on any phase, and he did not play well as well. We didn't play well around him and we gotta play better across the board."

Since throwing for 298 yards in Atlanta's season-opener, Penix completed 54.4 percent of his passes during the following two weeks.

Grade: F

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

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Score: 38-30 loss vs. Detroit Lions

Stat Line: 21 of 27 for 288 yards and three touchdowns

The Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson made some crisp throw throughout Monday's contest against the Lions. However, three things stood out about the quarterback's performance that didn't lead to a winning performance.

In a high-scoring game against the good opponent, the chance to break serve became important. Down a touchdown in the second quarter, the Ravens had the ball at the 1-yard line. After three unsuccessful runs, Jackson couldn't find anyone open in the end zone or make anything happen, as he has a tendency to do.

Second, Jackson's numbers looked great, but he didn't play mistake-free football. Baltimore's quarterback should have been intercepted if not for a bad drop by Lions safety Brian Branch.

Finally, the greatest dual-threat quarterback in NFL history doesn't give up on plays. Against Detroit, Jackson held the bell too long which contributed to being sacked seven times.

Grade: B

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

Score: 31-21 win vs. Miami Dolphins

Stat Line: 22 of 28 for 213 yards and three touchdowns

The standard that Josh Allen has built for himself is so high that even when he plays as well as he did against the Miami Dolphins, with a 78.6 completion percentage and three touchdowns, it never felt like he was piecing together a special outing.

Then again, he delivers one or two plays per contest, where he reminds watchers that he's basically better than anyone else in the game. For example, his sly little shovel pass to tight end Jackson Hawes for a touchdown.

"Yeah, just extending the play, a little naked action," Allen said. "[Hawes] did a good job of just staying in concert with me and just got the corner there. I think it was just cool to just kind of commit one way, and he stayed alive for me and made a play."

Grade: A

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

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Score: 30-0 win vs. Atlanta Falcons

Stat Line: 16 of 24 for 121 yards and a rushing touchdown

Bryce Young didn't need to do much in the Carolina Panthers' dismantling of the Falcons. Carolina managed only four more passing yards than the team's rushing total.

Two interceptions by the Panthers defense directly led to 14 points. Aside from Young's four-yard touchdown scamper to open the scoring, the Panthers offense was set to cruise control throughout most of the contest because the defense created three total turnovers.

"I think we all just committed to playing our brand of football," Young said during a postgame interview. "During the first two weeks, we weren't able to get on track with that. We, as a team, came together and stayed on schedule and made sure to play our brand of football."

Grade: C+

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

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Score: 31-14 win vs. Dallas Cowboys

Stat Line: 19 of 28 for 298 yards and four touchdowns

The best game of Caleb Williams career (so far) came against his former head coach, and current Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

Understandably, many wondered if Williams was even the right fit in Ben Johnson's new system based on previous two weeks. Sunday's performance showed exactly why Williams' potential with Johnson as his play-caller is so enticing.

Williams and the offense was efficient on third downs and executed in the red zone. The sophomore signal-caller showed off his natural arm talent and play-making skills. With the offensive line holding up, Williams was able to stand tall and deliver the football, inside and outside of structure.

"I thought [Williams] was really good," Johnson said. "And the thing that you don't see on the stat sheet is he's getting a lot more comfortable calling those plays in the huddle. We're able to get out of the huddle a little bit faster and we're able to get on the line and operate a little bit cleaner as well. I was proud of him for that."

Grade: A

Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Score: 48-10 loss vs. Minnesota Vikings

Stat Line: 19 of 27 for 140 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions

The Cincinnati Bengals season might be over before it really had a chance to begin. Jake Browning is a quality backup quarterback, but he's still a backup.

The Bengals dropped to 0-3 after being manhandled by the Vikings. Joe Burrow isn't coming back anytime soon to rectify the situation, either.

"They're saying three months, I don't see three months being an actual timeline," FOX Sports' Jay Glazer said before the Bengals' Week 3 contest. "I think more so [Burrow has] a chance [to return] if they make the playoffs, but only because it's Joe Burrow."

Browning doesn't have the arm talent or athleticism to make the best out of a bad situation and it showed against the Vikings.

Grade: F

Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar

Score: 13-10 win vs. Green Bay Packers

Stat Line: 21 of 36 for 142 yards and an interception

The Cleveland Browns found a way to win Sunday, but veteran quarterback Joe Flacco still isn't giving the team what it needs to be successful each week and it's become a topic of discussion within the walls of the team's facility in Berea, Ohio.

"Earlier this week, [head coach] Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees spent much of Monday in meetings weighing whether to hand the job to Browns rookie Dillon Gabriel," Brad Stainbrook reported.

The defense and special teams were the driving forces behind Cleveland's first win of the 2025 season. Nothing Flacco did should stop any momentum toward the Browns getting a look at one of their rookie quarterbacks and see if they can provide a spark.

Grade: D

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

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Score: 31-14 loss vs. Chicago Bears

Stat Line: 31 of 40 for 251 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions

Dak Prescott's two interceptions during Sunday's contest against the Bears basically encapsulate the Dallas Cowboys season.

The first occurred early in the fourth quarter when Prescott rolled to his right and found a wide open George Pickens, yet the pass caromed off of the wide receiver's hands into the diving arms of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

The second came late in the fourth while the Cowboys were in the red zone. On 4th-and-1 from the 1-yard line with less than five minutes to play and trailing by 17 points, Prescott lofted a pass toward Jalen Tolbert. But the quarterback threw off his back foot, didn't get much on it and Edmunds undercut the pass for his second interception.

"If you're not making positive steps, then you're losing ground," owner Jerry Jones said after the contest.

Grade: D+

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Score: 23-20 loss vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Stat Line: 14 of 25 for 153 yards and a touchdown

You know a quarterback is playing well when his teammates rush to defend him. In Bo Nix's case, he's been poorly by missing open targets with multiple deep opportunities.

"Nah, he ain't miss no throws. ... He played a great game," running back JK Dobbins told reporters. "We got his back. I got his back. He's a great quarterback. It's a team game. We lost. We lost as a team. It's not on him. It's not on him. ... I gotta make more plays for him, and that's it. He ain't made no bad throws, he just—it is what it is. We gotta make a play for him, even if it's not a good-placed ball. Gotta make the play so, that's what it is."

Fair play to Dobbins for trying to build his quarterback's confidence. However, his comletion percentage ranks 19th overall (64.2) and his yards per attempt falls to 26th (5.6)

Grade: D+

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

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Score: 38-30 win vs. Baltimore Ravens

Stat Line: 20 of 28 for 202 yards and a touchdown

To understand how much trust the Detroit Lions coaching staff has in its quarterback, the ball was placed in Jared Goff's hands during the most important moment of Monday Night Football.

On 4th-and-1 from Detroit's own 49-yard line, while winning by one score, offensive coordinator John Morton called a pass. Goff delivered a beautiful ball to his favorite target, Amon-Ra St. Brown, for a 20-yard completion.

Running back David Montgomery sealed the deal one play later, with a 31-yard touchdown scamper.

Goff may not be as physically gifted as Monday's counterpart, Lamar Jackson, but he's as consistent of a passer and presence in his offense as anyone else in the NFL. Even with multiple new coaches found among Detroit's staff, the Lions have a steady presence behind center.

Grade: A

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Score: 13-10 loss vs. Cleveland Browns

Stat Line: 18 of 25 for 183 yards, a touchdown and an interception

The situation is a little different when Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is facing an elite defense instead of benefiting from one.

To fully understand the difference, Love led the NFL in air yards per target through the first two weeks of play (12.5) yet averaged 1.6 against the Browns, per NFL Next Gen Stats (h/t The Athletic's Matt Schneidman).

Despite everything, the Packers were in a position to win until Love threw a terrible interception with just over three minutes remaining, which directly led the Browns' game-tying touchdown.

Love and the Packers' offense simply didn't do enough despite winning the possession battle by nearly nine minutes and the Browns managing only 221 yards.

Grade: D

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

AP Photo/Gary McCullough

Score: 17-10 loss vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Stat Line: 25 of 38 for 204 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions

Houston has problems and its quarterback is one of them. It seems unfathomable to say after such a promising starting to C.J. Stroud's career, but here we are.

So far this season, Stroud has thrown more interceptions (three) than touchdowns (two), including a pair Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. To make matters worse, one of those picks came during the Texans' final drive while Houston still had a chance to tie the game.

To be fair, the ball was tipped coming out of Stroud's hand, but that issue points to another problem. Stroud isn't performing well behind a porous offensive line, which limits what Texans do offensively. So far, the approach has mostly been a short passing game. Houston is 0-3 and need significantly more from the quarterback position.

Grade: D

Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/George Walker IV

Score: 41-20 win vs. Tennessee Titans

Stat Line: 18 of 25 for 228 and a touchdown

A 3-0 start to the season with a strong performance each week from the Indianapolis Colts offense is more than a promising start. It feels like it's building toward something more, specifically with Daniel Jones after being previously discarded as a first-round bust.

Jones might have found a forever home in Shane Steichen's offense, which is highly beneficial to both. An interesting development occurred in Week 3, as the Colts began to implement Jones' running ability into the offense. He was also deadly with the deep passing game by completing seven of nine attempts over 10 air yards or more, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

As long as Jones continues to limit any or all mistakes, it won't be long before people starting discussing a potential contract extension.

Grade: B+

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Score: 17-10 win vs. Houston Texans

Stat Line: 20 of 40 for 222 yards and an interception

The Jacksonville Jaguars made it to 2-1 almost in spite of Trevor Lawrence. However, the stats don't tell the entire tale of the quarterback's performance from Sunday's action.

His completion percentage could have been better had his wide receivers not committed multiple drops. At the same time, Lawrence has struggled this season with the deep passing attack. The 25-year-old is among the league's worst when trying to drive the ball 10 or more yards downfield.

However, when it mattered the most, Lawrence connected with Brian Thomas Jr. on a 46-yard completion that set up the game-winning touchdown.

"That was a huge play in a big-time moment," head coach Liam Coen said. "We gotta get it cleaned up, but he should absolutely take confidence from that play and be able to continue going forward."

Grade: C

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Score: 22-9 win vs. New York Giants

Stat Line: 22 of 37 for 224 and a touchdown.

The Kansas City Chiefs offense isn't whta it once was, but it's getting better. Two important factors emerged during Sunday Night Football against the Giants

First, Patrick Mahomes wasn't the team's leading rusher. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combined for 79 yards. Second, wide receiver Tyquan Thornton is becoming a bigger threat with each passing week.

Mahomes can carry the offense, but the entire team is better when the quarterback has help, hence a good showing against a Giants defense that features a top-notch front. But the potential turning point of the season occurred when the three-time Super Bowl MVP threw a lateral, raced after the ball, stripped it from a defender and made the recovery.

"That's how he rolls," head coach Andy Reid said. "He goes 100 miles an hour. … It seems like every week he does something like that. The guys know that he's all in. It's not like he's just throwing the ball back there. He's going to do whatever it takes to come out on top in the game."

Grade: B

Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

Score: 41-21 loss vs. Washington Commanders

Stat Line: 19 of 29 for 289 yards and three touchdowns

Geno Smith will never be what the Las Vegas Raiders expected when they acquired him from the Seattle Seahawks with the disastrous play of the Raiders' offensive line.

Granted, Smith didn't play well in Week 2. But he did enough against the Commanders to push his team toward victory. Instead, the Commanders lit the Raiders and their quarterback up. Las Vegas allowed five sacks, eight quarterback hits and multiple pressures. Washington isn't known for having elite pass-rushers, either.

Smith isn't the most nimble quarterback. He can move. But his game is predicated on delivering from the pocket. He can't be under duress every time he drops back to pass, or the entire offense will be limited.

Grade: C+

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Carrie Giordano

Score: 23-20 win vs. Denver Broncos

Stat Line: 28 of 47 for 300 yards, a touchdown and an interception

The Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert had been playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL, but the Denver Broncos defense is a different animal when it's playing aggressively.

Granted, the Broncos still surrendered 376 yards and allowed the Chargers to move the ball 43 yards in under two minutes for the game-winning field. Even so, a weakness emerged in Herbert's game.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Herbert faced a pressure rate of 54.7 percent, which was a career-high. The quarterback did not fare well. He completed 43.5 percent of his passes, and the pressure directly led to Herbert's interception—a tipped passed when attempting a throw into a tight window. However, the quarterback also threw his lone touchdown after evading three Broncos defenders.

Herbert found a way, which is what good quarterbacks do.

Grade: B

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Score: 33-26 loss vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Stat Line: 19 of 33 for 196 yards, two touchdown and an interception

Matthew Stafford did enough for the Los Angeles to win against the Eagles, but the Rams' field-goal unit let the team down late in the contest.

Still, Stafford is a pro's pro. He understand everything starts with the quarterback position.

"There's so many other plays in this game that we can learn from and be better," Stafford told reporters. "First and foremost, myself. Disappointed with how I threw it in some instances today. Just go back to it, continue to work hard and know that what you're doing and the process that we're doing is the right thing and find ways to win games."

On a positive note, the Stafford-to-Davante Adams connection continues to grow and become a significant part of the Rams' offense.

Grade: C

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

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Score: 31-21 loss vs. Buffalo Bills

Stat Line: 22 of 34 for 146 yards, two touchdowns and an interception

One play is all it takes to ruin what could be a solid outing.

Tua Tagovailoa looked lost in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. He bounced back the following weekend against the New England Patriots. He didn't muster much against the Buffalo Bills, but Miami was driving the ball late in the fourth quarter and down by only a touchdown. Tagovailoa threw a backbreaking interception where he didn't see the linebacker in the hook zone.

What was the worst part about the turnover? The Bills knew it was coming.

"Shoutout to linebackers coach Al Holcomb, he put it on tape a few times," Terrel Bernard told reporters. "He told me if I see it, go… I broke on it and that was it."

Grade: D

Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings

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Score: 48-10 win vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Stat Line: 14 of 20 for 173 yards and two touchdowns

Unlike Sunday's counterpart, Jake Browning, Carson Wentz has been a starting quarterback in the NFL and he's experienced his fair share of success. Despite joining the less than a month ago, the 32-year-old veteran looked prepared and calm leading the Minnesota Vikings offense.

"I was the least surprised person in the whole building today that he was able to go out there and effectively run our offense," head coach Kevin O'Connell said of Wentz.

The quarterback didn't need to put up big yards or making eye-popping plays, not with the defense spotting him five turnovers. But J.J. McCarthy's injury is certainly less of a hit if the Vikings can lean on Wentz.

Grade: B

Drake Maye, New England Patriots

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Score: 21-14 loss vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Stat Line: 28 of 37 for 268 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and a fumble lost; seven carries for 45 yards

Sunday's performance by Drake Maye felt like a throwback to his rookie campaign.

The flashes of impressive plays were there. At the same time, he didn't get enough help from his teammates, with three fumbles from New England's running backs and a lack of field awareness from Demario Douglas late in the game when the Patriots were in position to tie the score.

"I wish I would've told those guys, 4th-and-1, just try to catch it and get up field," Maye told reporters. "I wish I would've told them that in the huddle. Those little things go a long way… Nothing Pop did wrong."

Everyone needs to be more consistent on the Patriots offense.

Grade: C

Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

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Score: 44-13 loss vs. Seattle Seahawks

Stat Line: 28 of 39 passing for a touchdown and interception

Spencer Rattler is giving everything he has as the starting quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. It's simply not good enough to elevate a team with a clear talent deficiency throughout its roster.

Every week, the story remains the same: Rattler is doing some things and has has ability. Yet the Saints continue to lose. In fact, they've lost nine straight with Rattler behind center. He's not to blame. At the same time, he's not the solution, either.

As the Saints continue to slide, thoughts of the team moving on at the game's most important position will quickly dominate the conversation. Whenever a team is clearly as bad as the Saints have been to start this season with a minus-43 point differential, a new quarterback is part of the potential solution.

Grade: C

Russell Wilson, New York Giants

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Score: 22-9 loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Stat Line: 18 of 32 for 160 yards and two interceptions

The New York Giants are quickly reaching the point of no return with Russell Wilson as the team's starting quarterback. Jaxson Dart's time is inevitable.

Big Blue faithful is already turning on the 36-year-old veteran, who simply didn't have the same touch Sunday when trying to push the ball downfield. Both of his interceptions were ugly underthrows.

"Obviously, I've been able to show that throughout my career and obviously last week and everything else, too, what we're capable of as an offense," Wilson said. "... We needed one or two big plays. Unfortunately, didn't come our way."

Here's the thing: Even when Wilson played relatively well last week and looked more like his old self, he still threw a backbreaking interception in overtime. Clearly, he hasn't been good enough during an 0-3 start.

Grade: F

Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

Score: 29-27 loss vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Stat Line: 26 of 36 for 197, two touchdown, an interception and a fumble lost; eight carries for 48 yards

With Justin Fields still in the NFL's concussion protocol, Tyrod Taylor took the reins of the New York Jets offense. The 36-year-old veteran has now started at least one game with six different franchises. He understands what's asked of him and how to handle an offense.

"We did a lot of stuff on the ball during the second half to put a little more stress on the defense," Fields said. "We talked about being aggressive this game. Obviously, the first half, we started out pretty good with two scoring drives. But we kind of stalled during the second quarter. We talked at halftime about sticking true to our gameplan, which was back to the aggressiveness."

Through the second and third quarters, the Buccaneers controlled the action. Taylor then led two fourth-quarter drives of 73 yards or longer. Even so, it didn't prove enough with Baker Mayfield on the other sideline.

Grade: C

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

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Score: 33-26 win vs. Los Angeles Rams

Stat Line: 21 of 32 for 226 yards and three touchdowns and a fumble lost; nine carries for 40 yards and a score

The Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts continually find ways to win. The team is now 3-0 despite throwing for minus-one yard during the first half of Sunday's meeting with the Rams.

"If that doesn't show you what type of team we are, I don't know what does," Hurts said during the FOX telecast. "We completely did that to ourselves in the first half. Completely. That's something we gotta fix. It's as simple as that. It's unacceptable."

He added, "We gotta come out aggressive and play our game. You saw our game in the second half."

Hurts ended up with 226 passing yards. The offense obviously received help from the Eagles' special teams, with two blocked field goals. Still, Hurts and Co. didn't allow one bad half to define an entire performance. Instead, the Eagles offense scored came roaring back with three second-half touchdowns.

Grade: C

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Score: 21-14 win vs. New England Patriots

Stat Line: 16 of 23 for 139, two touchdowns and an interception

For Aaron Rogers, the only thing of consequence to come out of Sunday's meeting with the Patriots is surpassing former teammate Brett Favre as fourth all-time in passing touchdowns.

Otherwise, he understands the Pittsburgh Steelers won their latest contest because of the defense, which created five turnovers, including two inside their own 5-yard line.

"[The defense] came out and played incredible," Rodgers said during the CBS telecast. "We were terrible on offense after the first two drives. I didn't have a good game. ... The defense won the game. We have to get in the film room and get better."

Rodgers played better than expected through two weeks. The offense took a step back in Week 3. Pittsburgh is still looking for an entire team effort.

Grade: C-

Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers

AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

Score: 16-15 win vs. Arizona Cardinals

Stat Line: 27 of 41 for 284 yards, a touchdown and an interception

When a backup quarterback enters the lineup for any period, the best a team can hope for is that he plays well enough to keep the squad from losing games. Well, the San Francisco 49ers are 2-0 since Mac Jones became the starter for the injured Brock Purdy.

To Jones' credit, he led a 10-play, 63-yard game-winning drive against the rival Cardinals. During that series, he was five of eight passing for 59 yards. It was an important performance by a quarterback previously dinged for his inability to lead his team late in contests.

"I really was just motivated to change the narrative," Jones told reporters.

Purdy may return to the lineup as soon as this coming weekend. If he does, San Francisco's QB2 can return to the bench with a hearty, "Job well-done."

Grade: C+

Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

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Score: 44-13 win vs. New Orleans Saints

Stat Line: 14 of 18 for 218 yards and two touchdowns

With back-to-back impressive victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Saints, quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks look legit. The quarterback is doing what was expected of him after signing a big free-agent deal this fall.

Against the Saints, the 28-year-old veteran completed 77.8 percent of his passes. He was on a heater in the first half with only one incompletion on 11 attempts while providing both of his touchdown passes. Of course, the Seahawks didn't have to do much in the second half after building a 38-6 halftime lead.

Darnold was particularly effective pushing the ball downfield. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he completed six of eight passes with 10 or more air yards. Interestingly, Tory Horton had more targets than Cooper Kupp. Watch as the rookie's role grows in the coming weeks.

Grade: A

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Score: 29-27 win vs. New York Jets

Stat Line: 19 of 29 for 233 yards and a touchdown; four carries for 44 yards

Baker Mayfield has led game-winning, final-minute drives in back-to-back-to-back weekends, hence why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 3-0. He has developed into one of the league's most clutch performers.

"We see it every single day in practice," wide receiver Emeka Egbuka said after Sunday's game. "He's a natural born leader—someone who is willing to die on the field before giving up or shutting down. I think it's pretty special to have someone like that at the helm of your offense and at the helm of your team, so we're in good hands."

The Bucs are now without their top two wide receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, due to injury. Mayfield, meanwhile, keeps making plays, with Egbuka as a emerging favorite.

Grade: B+

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/George Walker IV

Score: 41-20 loss vs. Indianapolis Colts

Stat Line: 23 of 38 for 219 yards, a touchdown and an interception

Cam Ward's start to Sunday's contest couldn't have gone any worse, with the rookie coming around late to his check-down option and throwing a pick-six during the Tennessee Titans' first offensive against the Indianapolis Colts.

Past that point, Ward completed 62 percent of his passes and threw a touchdown. The Titans moved the ball 282 yards of offense. This year's No. 1 overall pick still needs more from the weapons around him, but he's showed improvement with each passing week.

Though Ward understands more is expected of him, particularly with the need to play faster and not take multiple sacks.

"I think that's the biggest thing, not getting the ball out," Ward told reporters. "I got to continuously remind myself to help [my receivers] out and get the ball out."

Grade: C+

Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders

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Score: 41-25 win vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Stat Line: 15 of 21 for 207 yards, a touchdown and a fumble lost; six carries for 40 yards and a touchdown

Vintage Marcus Mariota showed up Sunday against the Raiders. Mariota was effective as a passer and a runner while filling in for Jayden Daniels, who is dealing with a knee injury.

It's been 10 years since Mariota became the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. His time as a potential franchise quarterback came and passed. But he's been a quality backup at multiple stops. He's now holding down the fort with the Commanders, which is vital because the team has serious postseason aspirations, with or without Daniels in the lineup.

"I think I'm here for a reason," Mariota told reporters. "... Whether that's going to be something that's long-term or something that just keeps going, I have no idea, but right now I'm just focused on enjoying this in the present moment and whatever my role is for this team because I think we have a special group of guys."

Grade: B