QB Report Cards for 2025 NFL Week 17

The holiday season wasn't giving for multiple NFL franchises trying to stay in the playoff hunt. All but four teams left this past weekend with their fates sealed during the regular season's final week.

With the postseason scene mostly set, it's easy to look at those squads that already clinched and understand they benefit from the best quarterback play. For the most part, those organizations already eliminated will continue to search for answers at the game's most important position.

Bleacher Report continued to evaluate the performances from the quarterback of each squad and which direction direction they're trending. While some have championship aspirations, others will be vying to position themselves for the No. 1 overall pick and potentially pick this year's Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza (or Oregon's Dante Moore with a good College Football Playoff run).

It's the stark contrast that exists in a quarterback-driven league.

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel

Score: 37-14 loss vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Stat Line: 21 of 37 for 212 yards and two touchdowns

Tre McBride becoming the all-time leading receiver among tight ends in a single season was the best thing to come out of the Arizona's blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

McBride caught 10 passes, which gave him 119, to surpass Zach Ertz's 116 receptions during the 2018 campaign. The figure not only broke the positional record, but he set a new franchise record as well.

"I'm proud of him," Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters. "He's one of the best players out there. I'm down about the team and I know he's down about the team, but I don't want to overlook that. He has had a fantastic year."

Since Brissett entered the lineup, McBride benefited the most, with 90 catches over the last 11 games. But their connection is the only thing to write home about since the Cardinals are 1-10 during that stretch.

Grade: C

Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Score: 27-24 win vs. Los Angeles Rams

Stat Line: 13 of 20 for 126 yards and a touchdown

This version of the Atlanta Falcons is exactly what the organization expected last offseason when it signed Kirk Cousins to be its starting quarterback, with all of the surrounding talent already in place on offense.

Cousins struggled before being benched last season. He's now two full years removed from the Achilles tear that ended his 2023 campaign, and he's looking more and more like his old self.

Granted, Bijan Robinson running for 195 yards, including a career-long 93-yard touchdown, certainly makes life easier. But Cousins is efficiently operating the offense during the Falcons' current three-game winning streak. The veteran quarterback completed 64.9 percent of his passes, with a six-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio, during that stretch.

The Falcons will go into the offseason with Michael Penix Jr. designated as their starting quarterback. Atlanta can release Cousins with a June 1 designation and save $35 million toward the 2026 salary cap. His performance late in the season should be enough to warrant a starting job elsewhere.

Grade: B

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Score: 13-12 loss vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Stat Line: 23 of 35 for 262 yards and a fumble lost; seven carries for 27 yards and two scores

The Buffalo Bills and their fans have grown so accustomed to Josh Allen bringing the team back after making big play after big play that it's shocking when he fails to do so, as he did Sunday against the Eagles.

Allen scored the potential game-tying touchdown with five seconds remaining in regulation. Instead of playing for overtime, the Bills went for the outright victory. However, Allen missed a wide open Khalil Shakir and failed to convert the two-point attempt.

"[Playing from behind is] not where you want to live for most of the game," head coach Sean McDermott told reporters, "and that's where I felt like we were for quite a bit of it. I did see some of the adjustments later in the game. We started getting the ball out on the perimeter a little bit with the shorter passing game and out of Josh's hands and into the flat. Things that we're going to need to learn and take forward with us as we move forward and grow as an offense."

Allen has been dealing with a foot injury. The issue clearly hampered him. But he was out on the field and the Bills expected him to make big plays when necessary. The NFL's reigning MVP didn't come through on this particular occasion.

Grade: D

Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens

AP Photo/Matt Ludtke

Score: 41-24 win vs. Green Bay Packers

Stat Line: 16 of 20 for 107 yards and a touchdown; eight carries for 60 yards

Tyler Huntley had the easiest job of any NFL quarterback this season, because all he had to do Saturday was turn and hand the ball to Derrick Henry.

OK, the previous statement may be an oversimplification but it points toward how dominant the Ravens were at the point of attack in Green Bay. Henry carried the ball a career-high 36 times for a whopping 216 yards and four touchdowns.

"It's embarrassing having the opponent coming into our house and the way they were celebrating and talking to us and just feeling the complacency and the energy on the sideline," Packers defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness told reporters. "Frankly, it's unacceptable. Starting with myself, the defense and honestly, all three phases. At this point of the season, we gotta find a way to play collective and be better. Definitely embarrassing."

Huntley did his part by efficiently operating the passing game when needed and adding another rushing threat.

Grade: B

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

AP Photo/Rusty Jones

Score: 27-10 loss vs. Seattle Seahawks

Stat Line: 14 of 24 for 54 yards and an interception; nine carries for 27 yards and a score

The Carolina Panthers had an opportunity to put away the NFC South and claim their first division title since the 2015 campaign, when the team went on to represent the conference in Super Bowl 50.

But this version of the Panthers don't have an MVP candidate behind center.

Instead, Bryce Young faltered when the Panthers could have taken care of business and sown up a division crown. According to Fantasy Life's Ian Hartitz, Young's 54 passing yards were the fewest by a quarterback with at least 24 attempts since 1980.

To be fair, the Seahawks did a good job dictating where Young went with the ball thanks to Seattle's looks and pressure packages. Still, Carolina's passing game can't go M.I.A. when games matters this much.

"Ton of credit to the (Panthers') defense, they did a great job. Offensively, we let them down today. That sucks," Young told reporters. "Obviously it starts with me. We all take ownership. Had opportunities with the defense helping us out there. Didn't take advantage of them."

Grade: F

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn

Score: 42-38 loss vs. San Francisco 49ers

Stat Line: 25 of 42 for 330 yards and two touchdowns

Caleb Williams played well during Sunday Night Football. The 49ers' Brock Purdy was better.

Two of the NFC's top teams stood tall like heavyweight fighters going punch for punch, but the Bears failed to deliver a knockout blow.

Chicago had three chances to win the game from San Francisco's 13-yard line. Williams threw an incompletion, the subsequent hook-and-lateral came up short of the goal line and the Bears quarterback couldn't create anything during the game's final play with a pass that fell harmlessly to the ground in the endzone.

"It's frustrating, obviously, you don't want to lose a game ever," Williams told reporters. "And then also just being in that position and having a shot at the end is all you can ask for in those moments. But we've got to do a better job overall."

The loss can be a learning experience for last year's No. 1 overall draft pick. Williams can communicate better and be more consistent. Even so, he played well enough overall for his team to win. The Bears were simply bested by an opponent playing better at the moment.

Grade: B+

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Jeff Dean

Score: 37-14 win vs. Arizona Cardinals

Stat Line: 24 of 31 for 305 yards and two touchdowns

The Cincinnati Bengals organization experience quite an emotional swing in recent weeks, with Joe Burrow's cryptic comments about needing to love the game, then winning two of their last two games by more than three scores.

The Bengals may have sputtered through another lost season, but Burrow appears to be back on track and the team is building positive vibes going into the offseason.

"He's playing like I know Joe to play," head coach Zac Taylor told reporters. "It's fun to watch. We all just want to finish the season the right way."

Taylor's squad even had a little fun during their blowout victory by designing a play with 345-pound offensive lineman Cordy Ford lined up as a receiver and being targeted for an impressive 21-yard gain on his 29th birthday.

"I'm always for fun stuff like that," Burrow said. "No. 1, it keeps the defense off balance. No. 2, it was just fun."

Grade: A

Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Matt Durisko

Score: 13-6 win vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Stat Line: 17 of 23 for 186 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions

Inconsistency is expected of any rookie quarterback. The most important aspect of their development is how they progress through their opportunities. A first-year signal-caller should be better at the end of the season from where they began.

For Shedeur Sanders, his limited sample size is even more critical because the Browns, once again, have a massive quarterback decision to make this offseason.

A hot start to Sunday's contest created excitement before the rookie quickly fell off, made poor reads and threw a pair of interceptions. Granted, the second came after being hit from his blind side and the ball ricocheting off a defender's helmet. However, the first was the perfect example of the major concerns found within Sanders game by holding the ball too long, trying to do too much and not having the arm to make up the difference.

Sanders has now started six games. The Browns are no closer to knowing whether they have an answer at the game's most important position. As of now, Cleveland shouldn't pass on an opportunity to draft a top quarterback prospect if it presents itself.

Grade: C

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Score: 30-23 win vs. Washington Commanders

Stat Line: 19 of 37 for 307 yards and two touchdowns

Dak Prescott is solidly in the conversation as the NFL's most consistent quarterback in 2025. In fact, his six games of 300 or more passing yards are the league's most this season.

Prescott's performance is in the conversation with MVP frontrunners Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye. However, his team is out of the postseason, because others on the roster continually let Dallas' quarterback down.

The Cowboys' Christmas Day performance proved to be a change of pace, with Prescott missing some throws but the defense excelling on third down and in the red zone.

"It definitely wasn't my sharpest," Prescott said of his latest performance. "I got to go back and look at film. I know a couple of them, they did a good job of putting a top on it. I wanted to be greedy early and honestly had some of my shots and missed them. … Just missed some throws. … We were able to get a win, though. That's the most important part of it."

Grade: B+

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

AP Photo

AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann

Score: 20-13 win vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Stat Line: 26 of 38 for 182 yards, a touchdown and an interception

The Denver Broncos reverted back to making life too difficult on themselves. In a game where the rival Chiefs were down to their third-string quarterback, suffering from injuries along the offensive line and already eliminated from the postseason, Nix and Co. struggled.

"It's great to get that win," Broncos head coach Sean Payton told reporters. "You always have to remember this: You're playing the heart of a champion, Andy Reid and this team. I don't care who comes out of that locker room. This is a team that basically has been at the top of our league for the better part of this century, and there's a ton of respect we have for what they've been able to accomplish."

Saturday's outing became the first this season when Nix threw at least 35 passes, completed over 65 percent and still averaged under 5.0 yards per attempt.

"We just did what we had to do," the quarterback said.

Grade: C

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

AP Photo/Abbie Parr

Score: 23-10 loss vs. Minnesota Vikings

Stat Line: 18 of 29 for 197 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions and three fumbles lost

Five turnovers from a quarterback in a must-have game is a worst-case scenario. The entire Detroit Lions' 2025 campaigned turned into a worst-case scenario. After finishing 15-2 a season ago, Detroit faced a elimination game in Week 17 and came up short against a Minnesota Vikings team with an undrafted rookie at quarterback.

"When you can get out there with a defense like that and a play-caller like that, it's just fun," Vikings safety Harrison Smith told reporters. "I don't care what day it is. I don't care what's on the line. I don't care what's at stake. We play a really aggressive style of football that I absolutely love."

Minnesota's defense is known for its ultra-aggressive play-calling. Brian Flores' unit generated significant pressure. Jared Goff operates within the scheme and thrives when he can distribute the ball. He's not going to create much outside the offensive structure. The Vikings attacked, made Goff uncomfortable and forced him into mistakes.

Grade: F

Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers

AP Photo/Mike Roemer

Score: 41-24 loss vs. Baltimore Ravens

Stat Line: 18 of 21 for 288 yards, a touchdown and fumble lost; nine for 60 yards and two scores

Malik Willis has come a long way in his professional career, to the point where Saturday's performance in a loss to the Ravens has many clamoring for him to become a starter elsewhere after this season.

The pending free agent did everything he possibly could to help the Packers win, but Green Bay's defense let him down by allowing over 400 yards, including a staggering 307 rushing yards, with Baltimore scoring on all but one of their offensive possessions (not including the final kneel-down).

"He should get a chance to get a starting quarterback job in this league," Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy told reporters, "because the way he's been able to step in his time in Green Bay and every time he's kind of answered the call, he's done a really, really good job."

Willis did leave the contest with a slight shoulder injury, but the quarterback described it as "a little tweak."

Jordan Love is the Packers' starting quarterback, and he will be in the lineup once he's cleared from the league's concussion protocol. But Willis continued to impress with his latest outing.

Grade: A

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Score: 20-16 win vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Stat Line: 16 of 28 for 244 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions

CJ Stroud started hot against the Chargers yet faded quickly. Fortunately, the Houston Texans took care of business and made sure Justin Herbert and Co. couldn't claw their way back into the contest.

Granted, a controversial penalty negated a sack that could have given the Chargers the ball back late in the fourth quarter. The call didn't break in Los Angeles' favor, though.

Instead, Stroud began the contest by completing four straight passes for 142 yards and two scores. He only needed two more drives that ended in field goals to close out the contest.

"It gave us confidence, man," safety K'Von Wallace said of the Texans' early offensive success. "We can go be more aggressive. We could go take more chances. When you have a quarterback who's diming and dishing out like that and gaining explosives, you want to do everything to limit explosives from the opponent."

Grade: C+

Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Score: 23-17 loss vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Stat Line: 17 of 30 for 147 yards, a touchdown and an interception

The story remains the same since Philip Rivers became the Indianapolis Colts' starting quarterback. Rivers did enough for the team to win, but the defense didn't make a play when needed.

Indianapolis led for the entire first half Sunday. The Jaguars finally gained an advantage in the third quarter, but Rivers and the offense immediately responded with a touchdown to regain the lead. Jacksonville scored the game's final nine points to capture the victory.

As a result, the Colts' historic collapse continued with the team's sixth-straight loss. At 44 years old, Rivers is limited. Yet, Indianapolis held leads in each of his three starts only to see them vanish.

"We were talking in there and I think the start, the hot start, is what probably makes this whole thing hurt even more," Rivers told reporters. "If it had been one of those kinds of back-and-forth years the whole year—you look up and you find a way to win eight, nine games and you go, 'Shoot, just kind of a grinding kind of year.' But the fact they were at eight (wins) so soon and it's just been a tough last six-game stretch or so."

Grade: C

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Foto/AJ Mast

Score: 23-17 win vs. Indianapolis Colts

Stat Line: 23 of 37 for 263 yards and an interception; eight carries for 26 yards and two scores

Trevor Lawrence had played exceptionally well in recent weeks but hit a speedbump Sunday against the Colts.

To be fair, the Jacksonville Jaguars offense did more to stop itself than anything the Colts threw at them. Jacksonville committed a pair of first-half, red-zone turnovers, including a Lawrence interception when he threw behind his target and allowed the trailing linebacker to create a turnover.

The Jaguars still managed 370 yards and won the possession battle by nearly five minutes. Jacksonville has reached the stage where mistakes no longer signal the team's downfall. Instead, Lawrence and the roster is talented enough to respond in those instances.

"We've got the confidence that when we play well, we can beat anybody," the quarterback said. "Who cares who thinks who is the best team? We'll actually have the chance to prove it. We'll have our shot."

Grade: B

Chris Oladokun, Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann

Score: 20-13 loss vs. Denver Broncos

Stat Line: 13 of 22 for 66 yards and a touchdown

Expectations weren't high after the Kansas City Chiefs suffered season-ending knee injuries to their all-universe starting quarterback and top backup option. Unsurprisingly, the Chiefs' offense didn't do much with Chris Oladokun making his first career start.

The unit managed only 139 yards. Kansas City's lone score came courtesy of a short-field after a Bo Nix interception. The 28-year-old Oladokun showed some promise with his ability to throw on the run and create outside of structure. He simply doesn't have the full skill set to exploit a good NFL defense, which isn't a knock because he did enter a difficult situation after years of putting in work on the practice squad.

"It is hard to play in the NFL, and it's hard to stick on rosters." Oladokun told Ed Easton Jr. of Chiefs Wire. "But also internally, it really motivated me. Made me look at myself in the mirror and see what I need to get better at physically and mentally, and I think I had a really good plan with my QB coach back home, C.J. Bennett. We sort of attacked, and I said if I get another chance, I won't let it slip."

Grade: D+

Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo

Score: 34-10 loss vs. New York Giants

Stat Line: 20 of 28 for 176 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions

The Las Vegas Raiders understood the assignment. The organization needed to lose Sunday in order to be placed in the driver's seat for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

To be clear, the players and coaches want to win. Even so, certain decisions, like continuing to start Geno Smith during a lost season, didn't place the Raiders in the best position to win, just like the staff's decision to shut down Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby.

True to form, Smith threw two more interceptions adding to his NFL-leading total of 17. The veteran then left the game with an ankle injury.

Instead of evaluating the younger quarterbacks on the roster, the Raiders decided to put Smith back in the lineup and continued to lose. Now, the organization has an opportunity to finally invest in a top-shelf quarterback prospect in order to replace Smith and hopefully provide the directionless franchise with long-term stability.

Grade: D

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Wally Skalij

Score: 20-16 loss vs. Houston Texans

Stat Line: 21 of 32 for 236 yards, one touchdown and an interception

Two constants have emerged as part of the Los Angeles Chargers' 2025 offense: The team's offensive line will continually change, while Justin Herbert will do everything in his power to overcome the issues up front.

As talented as Herbert is, he couldn't do so Saturday against the Texans' top-ranked defense. Houston generated five sacks and eight more quarterback hits.

"These guys have been playing lights out, all year, every single game," Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters. "But the way the D-line showed up today with sack after sack, really putting pressure on the quarterback, it was really cool to see a lot of different guys get a sack."

The Chargers already clinched a postseason berth with only seed consideration still in play during Week 18. Maybe Los Angeles' coaching staff should let Herbert sit against the Denver Broncos to avoid the quarterback taking any unnecessary hits and possibly getting injured.

Grade: C

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

Score: 27-24 loss vs. Atlanta Falcons

Stat Line: 22 of 38 for 269 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions

The juxtaposition of what Drake Maye did Sunday compared to Matthew Stafford's performance Monday could determine this year's MVP race.

Stafford has been truly great for the majority of the 2025 campaign. His effort against the Falcons can be classified as his worst, though. Atlanta's safeties had a bead on the Rams quarterback and understood what he wanted to do throughout the contest, with Xavier Watts and Jessie Bates III combining to intercept Stafford on third different occasions.

Those turnovers led to 14 points in the Falcons' favor.

To make matters worse, Stafford still had a chance to win the game and missed a wide open Xavier Smith with 21 seconds left to play.

Maye got the closest a quarterback can get to a perfect outing a day earlier, while Stafford clearly made mistakes and missed throws he shouldn't have while playing in primetime. Plus, the Rams fell to the sixth seed on the NFC side of the playoff bracket.

Grade: F

Quinn Ewers, Miami Dolphins

AP Photo/Doug Murray

Score: 20-17 win vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Stat Line: 14 of 22 for 172 yards and two touchdowns

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel made a bold move by benching the team's $212.4 million quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, and replacing him in the lineup with a seventh-round rookie.

The initial return wasn't good. But Quinn Ewers rewarded the coach's trust in his second start. Ewers was particularly effective during Sunday's first half with 172 passing yards and two touchdowns.

"You have an idea, a feeling that the game isn't too big for a player based on your history and your experience day in, day out with them," McDaniel said of Ewers. "And I think it's awesome in this profession when you believe in people and they take advantage of the opportunity.

"I think Quinn played a very good game with what we asked him to do."

Ewers was once viewed as an elite talent entering the collegiate ranks. He had an up and down career but flashed during his time with the Texas Longhorns. So, he's not a typical late-round rookie. It's up to McDaniel and his staff to harness and maximize the quarterback's skill set, which they did Sunday.

Grade: B

Max Brosmer, Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Stacy Bengs

Score: 23-10 win vs. Detroit Lions

Stat Line: nine of 16 for 51 yards

Many probably turned on the NFL's second Christmas Day contest and wondered to themselves, "Who is the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback?"

Max Brosmer was the correct answer, though it probably didn't matter who lined up behind center with how the Vikings defense played against the Lions.

As OptaStats noted, the undrafted rookie became the first quarterback in NFL history to play an entire game, finish with under 70 passing yards, while being sacked at least seven times, and still see his team win.

"NFL football is hard, and people say it a lot," Brosmer told reporters. "NFL football is fun too. That's not me saying I don't enjoy this. My favorite part is the process."

At the bare minimum, Brosmer didn't commit any turnovers. Besides, everyone on the Vikings can enjoy an outcome that eliminated a division rival from playoff contention, whether they actually played well or not.

Grade: D

Drake Maye, New England Patriots

AP Photo

Score: 42-10 win vs. New York Jets

Stat Line: 19 of 21 for 256 yards and five touchdowns

Drake Maye's performance Sunday is the closet thing anyone will ever see to a perfect outing by an NFL quarterback. The MVP candidate became the first QB in league history to complete at least 90 percent of his passes while throwing for 250 or more yards and five touchdowns.

As with any great quarterback and team leader, Maye didn't take credit.

"Coach's play calling," Maye said when asked what led to his latest performance. "Getting guys open, guys running the right routes, at the top of the route with the right feel for zone. I felt like I was throwing it pretty good. And from there, the guys up front keep on blocking their butts off and give me time to make plays and extend plays and find guys down the field."

An opportunity to light up the New York Jets defense may not be a huge MVP resume-builder. Yet quarterbacks have faced far worse defenses in the past and never did what Maye did.

Grade: A+

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/George Walker IV

Score: 34-26 win vs. Tennessee Titans

Stat Line: 22 of 27 for 333 yards and two touchdowns

Thanks to a strong finish to the season, Tyler Shough now has a case to become the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The quarterback will have competition, particularly from Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who leads all rookies in receptions, receiving yardage and and touchdown catches. However, Shough pieced together back-to-back 300-yard passing outings, while the Saints have won four-straight games. The first-year signal-caller hasn't committed a turnover in the last three weeks, either.

A strong finish, with the potential emergence of a franchise signal-caller, may be enough to push Shough toward the top of the rookie class, even though he didn't take over as the Saints' starter until Week 9.

"He's obviously having a special season," Moore said of Shough. "I know he doesn't start the season as the starter, but just the way he's handled himself through this whole journey, I think really, really special."

Grade: A

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants

AP Photo/David Becker

Score: 34-10 win vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Stat Line: 22 of 30 for 207 yards; nine carries for 48 yards and two touchdowns

The Giants weren't ready to pack it in this season. They were ready to win, and they did so decisively Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

As part of the Giants' best outing in over two months, Jaxson Dart returned to form and looked like the quarterback who originally took the team's lineup by storm.

It's understandable that New York's coaching and medical staffs want to make sure the rookie is judicious with his decisions to run the football and avoid taking big hits. Though Dart's mobility can be weaponized, as it was Sunday with a pair of rushing touchdowns.

"I'm going to make mistakes here and there, and I'm going to bounce back from them," Dart told reporters. "I'm going to have some hits that I took early on that I saw were kind of unnecessary, and then you just make adjustments. At the same time, you've got to continue to just play your game. You can't make somebody into somebody that they're not. I just felt like I definitely played smart and just got away from any of the unnecessary stuff."

Grade: B

Brady Cook, New York Jets

AP Photo/Frank Franklin

Score: 42-10 loss vs. New England Patriots

Stat Line: 19 of 33 for 152 yards and one touchdown

Brady Cook had no chance against the Patriots. The New York Jets trailed 21-0 before they even got the ball in the second quarter. New England led 35-3 at halftime.

Cook did underthrow a first-quarter pass that turned into an interception. Still, the Jets ran into a buzzsaw. Aaron Glenn's team didn't respond and the head coach admitted as much.

"I always talk about how we come out and we play with effort," Glenn told reporters. "Today was probably the one time (this season) I felt like our effort wasn't as good as I'd want it to be. And that's just me not BS'ing you guys, just being honest. I didn't think that the effort was where it needed to be."

As an undrafted free agent, Cook couldn't ask for more than an opportunity. Unfortunately, his opportunity to start happened as part of a directionless team that may have given up before the season actually ended.

Grade: F

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Score: 13-12 win vs. Buffalo Bills

Stat Line: 13 of 27 for 110 yards and a touchdown

Once again, the Philadelphia Eagles offense sputtered yet the team found a way to win. Jalen Hurts certainly didn't help the situation.

Hurts didn't complete a single pass during Sunday's second half. According to ESPN Research (h/t Benjamin Solak), the Eagles' starter became the first quarterback since at least 1978 to go 0-for-7 or worse in multiple second halves this season.

At times, the Eagles are winning in spite of Hurts, not because of him. Philadelphia only beat the Bills because Josh Allen missed a wide open Khalil Shakir during the two-point conversion in the game's final seconds.

"I don't think it's a conservative thing to have good ball security and be mindful that the turnover margin directly correlates with winning," Hurts said after the game. "That's a truth of the game and that's a well-known fact of how we've been able to play over the past five years."

Grade: D

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Score: 13-6 loss vs. Cleveland Browns

Stat Line: 21 of 39 for 168 yards

Aaron Rodgers appeared more concerned Sunday with not allowing Myles Garrett to set the NFL's single-season sack record than actually executing the Pittsburgh Steelers' pass offense.

The unit never got going. It averaged 3.9 yards per attempt, converted only three of 15 third-down attempts and didn't score a touchdown in either of its red-zone trips.

"To an extent, they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron (Rodgers) than getting the win," Garrett told reporters after the Browns' win. "That's what came back to bite them."

Also, Rodgers is experienced enough to identify and understand favorable matchups. Three straight targets of an elite cover corner in Denzel Ward with the game on the line is a massive failure for a rookie quarterback, let alone a 42-year-old, four-time NFL MVP.

Now, the Steelers must battle for their playoff lives because they were spooked by an elite defender and couldn't handle business against one of the NFL's worst teams.

Grade: F

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6924620/2025/12/29/sirianni-hurts-mailata-respect-eagles-bills-win/

Score: 42-38 win vs. Chicago Bears

Stat Line: 24 of 33 for 303 yards, two touchdowns and an interception; six carries for 28 yards and two scores

The San Francisco 49ers are peaking at the right time while emerging as an offensive juggernaut.

Since the team's Week 14 bye, the Niners averaged 42.3 points and 455.3 yards per game, including 496 Sunday against the Bears.

Purdy has been nearly flawless through those contests. Although, San Francisco was forced to rally when the quarterback threw an unexpected pick-six on the 49ers' first offensive snap. From that point forward, San Francisco scored five touchdowns during their next seven drives. Purdy is currently operating Kyle Shanahan's offense at an elite level, while adding some creativity and playmaking skill to the mix.

"Brock's been playing his ass off," Shanahan told reporters. "Made some huge plays in this game. Kept some drives alive with his legs. Made some off-schedule plays. And was an assassin out there throughout the whole day."

Grade: A-

Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

AP Photo/Brian Westerholt

Score: 27-10 win vs. Carolina Panthers

Stat Line: 18 of 27 for 147 yards, a touchdown, interception and fumble lost

Sam Darnold's performance over the last month can be described as hit or miss. However, he's made throws and plays when necessary to keep the Seattle Seahawks on track, with the team winning six straight games.

Sunday's performance against the Carolina Panthers was much of the same, though Seattle still won by three scores.

"I know it wasn't Sam's best game of all-time and the stats reflect that," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters, "but there are some big-time third-down throws with pressure in his face."

Seattle doesn't need Darnold to be a dominant quarterback. The team can lean on an elite defense and a talented duo of running backs in order to grind out games.

The postseason is rapidly approaching, though. Seattle has a chance to claim the NFC's No. 1 overall seed with a Week 18 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Eventually, Darnold will need to do more than he has as of late.

Grade: D+

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AP Photo/Doug Murray

Score: 20-17 loss vs. Miami Dolphins

Stat Line: 33 of 44 for 346 yards, two touchdowns, two interception and a fumble lost

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their fourth-straight game and seven of their last eight yet, somehow, still have a shot at winning the NFC South with a Week 18 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Their situation doesn't excuse the team's poor play since its Week 9 bye. In particular, Baker Mayfield hasn't been the same quarterback over the last two months. He's been actively bad at points. He's simply missing throws that he made earlier in the season thanks to erratic timing and ball placement.

Not everything falls on Mayfield. The Buccaneers offense, particularly their front five as of late, has dealt with numerous injuries. The run game never got going Sunday against the Dolphins. Tampa Bay often asks its quarterback to pull the team out of some difficult situations.

Earlier this season, Mayfield was up to the task. He hasn't been as of late.

Grade: C-

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

AP Photo

Score: 34-26 loss vs. New Orleans Saints

Stat Line: 21 of 40 for 251 yards, two touchdowns and a fumble lost

The Tennessee Titans had to be a little envious Sunday. The New Orleans Saints are closer to where the Titans want to be than Tennessee currently is.

New Orleans has a rookie quarterback vying for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Saints have improved as the season progressed, extending their current winning streak to four games. The NFC South squad is trending in the right direction.

Meanwhile, the Titans don't have a permanent head coach, currently find themselves among the league's bottom five teams once again and their rookie quarterback flashes but needs to do too much because of a poor surrounding cast.

Ward and the Titans did have three fourth-quarter opportunities to either take the lead or tie the game but failed to get the ball past New Orleans' 37-yard line.

Grade: C+

Josh Johnson, Washington Commanders

AP Photo

Score: 30-23 loss vs. Dallas Cowboys

Stat Line: 15 of 23 for 198 yards

Josh Johnson has built the ultimate career as a journeyman quarterback.

He made only his 10th start since being a fifth-round selection in the 2008 draft, while at his 22nd NFL stop (between 14 different franchises).

"I feel like where he's coming from, and he can speak for a lot of us, is we put the work in all week," Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu said when asked about Johnson. "We don't come here just like, 'Hey, we're going to go out there and lose.' That's never the mentality. We're all competitors at the end of the day, and Josh is a good example of that. He's a leader. He played his ass off."

Johnson's perseverance defies description. At the same time, his awesome story didn't translate to a storybook ending on Christmas Day when leading the Commanders against the Cowboys.

A third-string quarterback generally doesn't garner much attention during a lost season, but Johnson's story is something to watch if he starts in Week 18.

Grade: C