QB Report Cards for 2026 NFL Week 8

Week 8's quarterback performances were all over the board.

The Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow accomplished something that a quarterback hasn't done since Norm Van Brocklin in 1951. Conversely, Baker Mayfield didn't complete a single pass, yet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still managed a double-digit victory. Somewhere between those two points, the Baltimore Ravens were forced to play their emergency quarterback due to injuries suffered by Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. Oh, the Arizona Cardinals benched Jacoby Brissett as well.

These massive swings are exactly why Bleacher Report assesses every quarterback performance throughout the season to see how the position evolves through a campaign.

ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CIN | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | IND | JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN | NE | NYJ | PHI | PIT | TB | TEN | WAS

Arizona Cardinals: Jacoby Brissett & Gardner Minshew II

AP Photo/Matt Patterson

Score: 33-30 win vs. Dallas Cowboys

Stat Line: Brissett, 10 of 23 for 119 yards and an interception; Minshew, 17 of 23 for 188 yards and three touchdowns

Head coach Mike LaFleur finally made the call to move off Jacoby Brissett as the Arizona Cardinals' QB1. LaFleur benched Brissett, which allowed a little Minshew magic to occur.

Gardner Minshew took over the Cardinals' offense during Arizona's final third-quarter possession. From that point, Arizona scored four straight touchdowns to force overtime. The Cardinals needed two offensive series in overtime but eventually pulled off the upset.

Minshew has a history of providing a team with short-term juice. He's now done so for the Cardinals.

"He put on his cape and became Superman," head coach Mike LaFleur told reporters.

Though Arizona must seriously consider how long Minshew will lead the way, because the organization eventually needs to see what rookie Carson Beck can do now that the door has been opened to change.

Grade: Brissett, F; Minshew, A

Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr.

AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Score: 16-0 loss vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Stat Line: eight of 24 for 124 yards and four interceptions

Inexplicably, the Atlanta Falcons lost Sunday without the Tampa Bay Buccaneers completing a pass.

Penix completed a few passes. Maybe the Falcons should have reassessed their approach, because the downpour obviously affected quarterback play. Ultimately, the Falcons' signal-caller threw four interceptions.

Penix's counterpart, Baker Mayfield, may not have completed a pass, but he still finished the game with a higher quarterback rating. The Atlanta quarterback threw more passes than Mayfield attempted passes.

The conditions were what they were. The Bucs found a way. The Falcons failed to do so. Furthermore, Penix's decision-making should still be questioned based on where he decided to go with some of those passes.

"I've never thrown four picks in a game," Penix said afterward. "Man, I'm gonna shake back. I promise you that I will."

Grade: F

Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley & Joe Fagnano

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

Score: 36-10 loss vs. Buffalo Bills

Stat Line: Jackson, zero for one and zero passing yards; Huntley, two of four passing for zero yards; Fagnano, 10 of 21 passing for 91 yards and an interception

Emergency quarterbacks are rarely called upon to play in an NFL game. To the Baltimore Ravens' dismay, they were were forced to field three quarterbacks Saturday, with undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano playing the majority of Sunday's contest against the Buffalo Bills.

Lamar Jackson's injury is the primary headline coming out of the action. Jackson, who just returned from another injury, smacked his throwing hand on a helmet during his first pass attempt and needed to leave the game. He'll now require surgery on his thumb, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Ravens will place Jackson on injured reserve and the two-time MVP's season may be done.

Then, Tyler Huntley suffered a turf toe injury, which forced Fagnano into the lineup.

"Everybody tried to speak up, but it's different when you lose not one, but two of your quarterbacks," wide receiver Zay Flowers told reporters. "It's difficult to try to do anything, because now you're on your third (quarterback), and your third is your last, and you never know what's going to happen after that."

Grade: F

Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

Score: 36-10 win vs. Baltimore Ravens

Stat Line: 21 of 34 for 289 yards, two touchdowns and an interception; seven carries for 30 yards and a score

Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills don't lose after their bye week. Meanwhile, the team's quarterback is well on his way to becoming a two-time MVP if Allen continues to perform at the same level.

As Shawn Syed of Sumer Sports noted, the Bills currently own the league's top-ranked offense in EPA per play and Allen leads all quarterbacks in Total EPA.

Along the way, Allen surpassed Jim Kelly as the Bills' all-time leader in touchdown passes during Sunday's contest. Oh, Allen's nine rushing touchdowns lead the NFL as well.

When Buffalo started its contest slowly against the Baltimore Ravens, Allen provided the spark that pushed the team toward 20 second-half points.

"I mean, look, with Josh, we're spoiled, right?" Bills head coach Joe Brady told reporters. "He literally is one of one. He's incredible. And there's a lot of football still ahead of him."

Grade: A

Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young

AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps

Score: 27-19 loss vs. Green Bay Packers

Stat Line: 23 of 41 for 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception

Bryce Young was under duress throughout this past week's Thursday Night Game. The Green Bay Packers defense pressured Young on 22 of his dropbacks, according to ESPN's Mike Kaye. The Packers' six sacks matched Young's six completions when pressured.

Obviously, a quarterback can't thrive in that situation and Young hasn't. However, a quarterback can improve the situation to a degree, as Young did earlier this season but failed to do so as of late.

"I would say that it certainly doesn't look like he's got that quick, make-you-miss type of deal," Panthers coach Dave Canales said of his quarterback. "But he was able to create some space for himself. But the rush got after us and that's the bottom line. We've gotta take care of that first part of it, so we have an element of time to be able to execute the play."

Grade: D

Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow

AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar

Score: 43-36 win vs. Tennessee Titans

Stat Line: 38 of 48 for 462 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions; four rushes for 10 yards and a score

The Cincinnati Bengals trailed 13-0 at the start of Sunday's second quarter. The Tennessee Titans were positioned to pull off one of the season's biggest upsets. Then, Joe Burrow turned on the switch.

Burrow led six scoring drives over the next four quarters. He threw five touchdowns and scampered for one more. In doing so, he became only the second quarterback in NFL history to threw for 450 or more yards and five touchdowns, while adding a rushing score, according to ESPN Insights.

The performance wasn't perfect. Far from it. Burrow also chucked three interceptions, which were poor decisions. However, he responded and led his team to a critical victory that keeps the Bengals half-a-game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.

"The interceptions are so tough, and he'll want those throws back, but there were 40 other plays where he was playing at an elite level, and that's part of the game," Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. told reporters. "It's unfortunate that we turned the ball over, but you can't ask him to play perfect. It's tough. For him to go out there and fight and finish the way he did in that second half and in overtime, it was the reason we were able to win this game."

Grade: A-

Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson & Shedeur Sanders

AP Photo/Matt Durisko

Score: 27-6 loss vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Stat Line: Watson, 27 of 39 for 324 yards and a fumble lost; Shedeur Sanders, two of two for two yards

Deshaun Watson's stat line looks impressive in a vacuum, though the Pittsburgh Steelers controlled the contest.

The Steelers set the tone early by pressuring Watson on 65 percent of his first-half dropbacks, according to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. In total, Pittsburgh sacked Watson eight times and registered 13 quarterback hits.

"We can't let the quarterback get touched that much," Browns guard Zion Johnson told reporters. "but like I just said, we got to own our own mistakes and fight like hell to fix it."

Watson hasn't been great this season, but he's been effective, especially late in contests. A quarterback can't do much when he's pressured like Watson was throughout this AFC North matchup. Plus, the Steelers did an excellent job keeping the Browns quarterback contained so he couldn't affect the game as a runner. In fact, Watson's two rushing yards were his fewest during any 2026 contest.

Grade: D

Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Score: 33-30 loss vs. Arizona Cardinals

Stat Line: 19 of 29 for 195 yards and a touchdown

The Dallas Cowboys defense has taken the brunt of the blame for this year's failures and deservedly so. However, Dallas' offense isn't entirely without blame.

After establishing a 24-10 fourth-quarter lead, the Cowboys failed to score a touchdown twice despite being inside Arizona's 30-yard line during subsequent drives, then failed to move the ball in overtime.

Dak Prescott's 195 passing yards were his second-fewest this season and his 61.2 QBR was the lowest. Obviously, Brian Schottenheimer's play-calling was too conservative down the stretch. At the same time, Schottenheimer should have the confidence to put the ball in his quarterback's hands during critical moments.

"It's all of us," Prescott told reporters. "Don't put the blame on one person. Simple as that. I think that's weak. I think that's cowardly. This game is about all 11 that touch the field and every person that has a part in it, coaches and support staff. It's never just one person's fault.

Grade: C

Denver Broncos: Bo Nix

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Score: 28-24 win vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Stat Line: 20 of 32 for 222 yards and two touchdowns

Once again, Bo Nix excelled late in a contest and helped lead the Denver Broncos to victory. Head coach Sean Payton may prefer to start faster, but the end result is all that matters.

In the latest example, the Broncos trailed the rival Kansas City Chiefs by 11 points heading into Sunday's fourth quarter. Nix led two touchdown drives during the final frame to capture the victory.

During those two possessions, Nix complete five of six passes. Although running back Jonah Coleman deserves significant credit after taking a one-yard pass and turning it into a 51-yard scamper, which led to the game-deciding touchdown.

Overall, Nix has posted the league's best quarterback rating when trailing by one score in the fourth quarter since the start of the 1991 campaign, according to the Associated Press' Josh Dubow.

Grade: B+

Detroit Lions: Jared Goff

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Score: 19-15 win vs. Minnesota Vikings

Stat Line: 18 of 25 for 176 yards, a touchdown and an interception

Jared Goff's interception-less streak ended Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Even when Goff finally threw an interception, he really didn't. The quarterback's intended target slipped coming out of his break and wasn't in the right spot for the pass. Stuff happens.

Otherwise, Goff remained his (mostly) efficient and calm self from the pocket, even playing against the game's most aggressive defense. Minnesota blitzed Goff on 89.7 percent of his dropbacks, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. The Lions' signal-caller completed 17 of his 18 passes when facing pressure.

Goff also had the luxury of leaning on the team's run game. The Lions ran the ball 39 times in total. Jahmyr Gibbs and Sione Vaki combined for 218 yards on the ground, thus wearing down the Vikings defense and making life somewhat easier on the team's quarterback.

Grade: B

Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love

AP Photo/Mike Roemer

Score: 27-19 win vs. Carolina Panthers

Stat Line: 30 of 41 for 288 yards, three touchdowns and an interception

The Green Bay Packers' offensive line is in upheaval. The team can't run the ball. Green Bay's wide receivers drop more passes than any other unit. Even the Packers' special teams have let the offense down when a drive doesn't end with a touchdown. Despite everything, Jordan Love has taken all of it in stride and played well.

"Can't say enough great things about him because he's carrying the burden of everything right now, just dealing the ball and throwing a lot of great passes," head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters.

Amazingly, Love is still pushing the ball down the field more than any other quarterback. As Steve Palazzolo of the CTM Show noted, the Packers' signal-caller has the highest percentage of games since the start of the 2020 season with at least 40 attempts and an average depth of target over 10 yards.

Grade: B+

Indianapolis Colts: Daniel Jones & Anthony Richardson

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Score: 42-7 loss vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Stat Line: Jones, 19 of 28 for 144 yards, one touchdowns and two interceptions; Richardson, two of two for eight yards

After losing four straight games and trading two of the team's best players, the Indianapolis Colts' direction is obvious. The organization is already looking toward the future. A future that almost certainly won't include Daniel Jones based on his play. A change at quarterback could be coming sooner rather than later.

"I'm gonna evaluate everything," head coach Shane Steichen said when asked about Jones' standing as the Colts' QB1. "Every position going forward."

Jones has been unable to recapture the magic of last season. Instead, he's thrown at least one interception in all but one game this year and a pair of picks in two of Indianapolis' last three contests.

The Colts were flat out dominated Sunday. The team is clearly making moves to prepare for next offseason. The quarterback position must be evaluated. Anthony Richardson Sr. remains on the roster. Indianapolis might as well see what it has in the former fourth overall draft pick.

Grade: F

Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Score: 42-7 win vs. Indianapolis Colts

Stat Line: 10 of 14 for 210 yards, three touchdowns and a fumble lost

Trevor Lawrence didn't need to do a lot in a game where the Jacksonville Jaguars ran for as many yards as the quarterback threw. Though Lawrence deserves credit for his efficiency.

As ESPN Insights noted, Lawrence became the first quarterback since the 2015 campaign to throw three touchdowns despite fewer then 15 total pass attempts. The Jaguars had two weeks to prepare for a floundering Indianapolis Colts squad. Liam Coen's squad was ready for their opponent and Florida weather.

"We knew it was going to rain," Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten told reporters. "We knew we were going to run the ball, and we just went out and imposed our will."

Lawrence has now thrown two or more touchdown passes in five of Jacksonville's seven games, including seven during his last two outings.

Grade: A

Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes

AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Score: 28-24 loss vs. Denver Broncos

Stat Line: 30 of 41 for 321 yards and three touchdowns

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a game-winning touchdowns...until he didn't. A false start on right tackle Jaylon Moore prevented the go-ahead score, and the Denver Broncos' Malcolm Roach sacked Mahomes during the final play of the game.

The Chiefs have now lost two in a row. Mahomes and Co. haven't made the plays everyone has become accustomed to seeing from Kansas City's offense making during that stretch. The group isn't playing clean football, which has haunted the team.

"We had to go to a different play (on) that last one, and they covered it well," Mahomes told reporters. "Whenever you get there—you get that close—and you don't capitalize, you take that on yourself, and you learn from it."

Grade: B+

Las Vegas Raiders: Kirk Cousins

AP Photo/Rusty Jones

Score: 38-33 win vs. New York Jets

Stat Line: 19 of 26 for 247 yards and three touchdowns

Kirk Cousins understands the assignment. It's his job to get the ball to the Las Vegas Raiders' best player, Brock Bowers.

"The coaching point with Brock has been like it was with [Vikings WR] Justin [Jefferson], when he's covered, you still need to throw it," Cousins told reporters after Sunday's victory over the New York Jets.

Good things happen when the two-time Pro Bowl tight end is featured. Cousins targeted Bowers 10 times, which led to 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Truthfully, Bowers isn't a tight end. He's the Raiders' No. 1 wide receiver. He caught six passes Sunday aligned as an outside receiver, which is the most by a tight end over the last 10 years, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

Sometimes, the quarterback position can be as simple as, "Hey, I have an elite playmaker in my offense. Let's get him the ball."

Grade: A

Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert

AP Foto/Caroline Brehman

Score: 24-9 loss vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Stat Line: 24 of 32 for 257 yards and two interceptions

Justin Herbert may not be completely broken but something within the Los Angeles Chargers offense is. The team's scheme under coordinator Mike McDaniel continues to be under fire.

"The way things are with the wide receivers and the running backs, fullbacks and the tight ends, it all ties together so it works," guard Cole Strange said after previous playing for McDaniel with the Miami Dolphins. "But everyone has to be on the same page and kind of like firing on all cylinders for it to really work. There's just a lot of moving pieces that can be tough for a whole building to figure out in a year."

At 0-7, patience is running thin. Maybe Herbert just isn't a good fit in the scheme. At the same time, he's playing tentatively and not making good decisions, with two more poor interceptions during Sunday's contest against the Los Angeles Rams.

Currently, Herbert ranks dead last among qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per play, according to The Ringer's Sheil Kapadia.

Grade: F

Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford

AP Photo/Caroline Brehman

Score: 24-9 win vs. Los Angeles Rams

Stat Line: 17 of 25 for 157 yards, a touchdown and an interception

The Los Angeles Rams have finally reached the point where the team is treading water with an opportunity to get back on track and possibly live up to preseason expectations. However, Sean McVay's squad still needs better play from the league's reigning MVP, Matthew Stafford.

Stafford and the Rams were fortunate they played the league's worst team this past Sunday. The Rams won comfortably over their Los Angeles counterpart, but the offense didn't play particularly well.

"We really couldn't have started any worse offensively," McVay told reporters. "As weird as things went in that first half, (Stafford) strings together an unbelievable two-minute drive to allow us to even have a lead, which was unreal based on how poorly we played."

Stafford isn't the same quarterback today as last season. That change tends to happen with aging signal-callers. Still, the 38-year-old has plenty left in the tank to provide peak performance for stretches. If the Rams can't rely on their quarterback to be as consistent, the squad should lean more heavily on its run game, as it has over the last two weeks.

Grade: C

Miami Dolphins: Malik Willis

AP Photo/Doug Murray

Score: 24-19 loss vs. New England Patriots

Stat Line: 21 of 32 for 211 yards, two touchdowns and an interception

The Miami Dolphins have been far more competitive in recent weeks, but something still seems to be missing.

Against the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets—the latter of which turned into the Dolphins' first win—Malik Willis carried the ball 16 times for a combined 111 yards. During Miami's losses to the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, Willis ran the ball three times for 13 yards.

The Dolphins don't feature significant offensive firepower. The quarterback's ability to scramble or contribute on designed runs must be a bigger part of the offense. He's a potential playmaker, who gets bottled up too often. Miami's coaching staff should make his athleticism a staple of their offense to provide a regular dynamic opposing defenses must be prepared to address.

To Willis' credit, he completed over 65 percent of his passes during back-to-back outings for the first time this season. Still, the Dolphins came up short during the second half against their AFC East rival.

Grade: B

Minnesota Vikings: Kyler Murray

AP Photo/Rey Del Rio

Score: 19-15 loss vs. Detroit Lions

Stat Line: 17 of 29 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and an interception

The Minnesota Vikings finally came across an opponent with an offense good enough in the Detroit Lions to test Brian Flores' defense. Meanwhile, the Vikings' offense can't seem to get out of the starting blocks, which led to the team's first loss of the season.

Minnesota's quarterbacks have yet to surpass 250 passing yards in any game, including 210 Sunday from Kyler Murray despite playing against the league's worst defense. The growing frustration within the unit is becoming visible during games, specifically from All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who has now produced fewer than 45 receiving yards in three of the Vikings' last four games.

"We gotta find ways to get him the ball," Murray told reporters. "Obviously they're gonna double him, and they did today… this is my first year with him… Obviously he's frustrated, and that's understandable. He is who he is, and he has every right to feel the way he feels when he doesn't get the ball."

Grade: D

New England Patriots: Drake Maye

AP Photo/Doug Murray

Score: 24-19 win vs. Miami Dolphins

Stat Line: 16 of 20 for 199 yards and two touchdowns

The term "franchise quarterback" is subjective yet often ubiquitous in its designation. A true franchise quarterback is capable of elevating his team, especially the play of those around him.

Case in point, the New England Patriots' offense was slammed by injuries as the unit entered Sunday's matchup against the Miami Dolphins. AJ Brown, Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins weren't in the lineup. The team was starting two backup guards. Tight end Hunter Henry also left the contest due to an injured foot.

Somehow, Maye still played an efficient game and helped lead his team to a victory.

"You want to be a great quarterback in the National Football League, there's not a whole lot of excuses—you go out there and find ways to win for the football team," head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters. "I know that's who he is and who he wants to continue to be. He throws to the open guy and controls our offense and gets guys in the right spot."

Grade: B+

New York Jets: Geno Smith

AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

Score: 38-33 loss vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Stat Line: 20 of 32 for 290 yards, two touchdowns and an interception

Statistically, this current version of Geno Smith is the best quarterback New York Jets history. Please, stop the snickering after reading the previous sentence. Others probably rolled their eyes. Yes, Smith has been better than expected but the best ever?

As Football Perspective noted, Smith's current passer rating (104.5) through the first half of the 2026 campaign is higher than any Jets quarterback has produced in any single season.

Meanwhile, the Jets are actually wasting solid-to-good quarterback play. New York held a 30-21 third-quarter lead. Las Vegas scored 17 points during the final 20 minutes of regulation play. To be fair, the Jets offense sputtered down the stretch Sunday and wasn't particularly good in the red zone. But Smith and Co. did more than enough to win the game, which still didn't happen.

Grade: B

Philadelphia Eagles: Tanner McKee

AP Photo/John McDonnell

Score: 27-10 loss vs. Washington Commanders

Stat Line: 23 of 34 for 212 yards, an interception and a fumble lost; four carries for 25 yards

The Philadelphia Eagles haven't been in sync since Tanner McKee became the starting quarterback in Week 6. As Jeff Kerr noted, the Eagles rank 26th or worse in points per game, yards per play (dead last), passer rating, yards per attempt, yards per game and points per possession since that point.

To be fair, the Eagles offense wasn't exactly on fire with Jalen Hurts as its starting quarterback. Still, the unit has taken another step back and barely resembles an NFL offense at this juncture.

"I've been in situations like this before," running back Saquon Barkley told reporters. "We're grinding. We're trying to best to do our little things. We're getting coached great. I can't sit here and lie. Our coaches are doing a really good job, I feel like. Even if we're falling apart, you know, Nick is doing a really good job of just stepping up, calling us out. We're having great weeks of practices. It's just not translating to the game."

Grade: F

Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers

AP Photo/David Dermer

Score: 27-6 win vs. Cleveland Browns

Stat Line: 13 of 25 for 172 yards and an interception

Aaron Rodgers simultaneously understands the Pittsburgh Steelers sit atop the AFC North standings after Sunday's victory over the Cleveland Browns and his offense's performance simply isn't good enough.

"Not very complete," Rodgers told reporters. "Defense played excellent. Special teams did fine. But offense should've been a lot more points."

The group isn't executing at a high level, specifically in the passing game. Rodgers isn't entirely at fault, of course. DK Metcalf has three or fewer catches in his three of his last four outings. His downfield bobble led to Rodgers' interception during this latest contest.

Despite a relatively one-sided victory, the Steelers offense still has significant concerns regarding the ability to push the ball down the field with any consistency and red-zone efficiency or lack thereof.

Grade: C

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

Score: 16-0 win vs. Atlanta Falcons

Stat Line: no completions on three pass attempts; four carries for 14 yards

Last week, Baker Mayfield joked about how well he handed the ball off to Bucky Irving. His greatness at handoffs was on full display Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

Due to a torrential downpour, Mayfield didn't complete a single pass. Though he only attempted three. In doing so, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team since 1974 to win a game without completing a pass.

To take Tampa's recent performances one sept further, Mayfield threw for 64 combined yards over the last two weeks and the Bucs still won by double-digits in both contests, which is the fewest passing yardage with that margin of victory since the 1942 Pittsburgh Steelers, per Trey Wingo.

"I'll do whatever it takes to win," Mayfield told reporters. "That's all that matters to me."

Meanwhile, Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell combined for 310 rushing yards Sunday. The best thing Mayfield did was fumble three times then recover all three. But, hey, a win is a win.

Grade: D

Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Score: 43-36 loss vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Stat Line: 26 of 40 for 304 yards, two touchdowns and a fumble lost; seven carries for 41 yards

Cam Ward played his best game as a professional quarterback Sunday. It wasn't enough to elevate the Tennessee Titans over the Cincinnati Bengals, not with Joe Burrow on the other sideline.

Ward's 304 passing yards set a new career-high. Ward led the Titans offense on back-to-back touchdown drives when trailing during the fourth quarter. His playmaking was present and his decision-making improved compared to previous outings.

The Titans still lost in overtime, but hope has been rekindled after a disappointing start of the season from the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick. Granted, Ward can't take a sack that stalled Tennessee's final offensive possession in regulation. Still, he had his team in a position to win and the defense let the Titans downs.

Grade: B+

Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels

AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough

Score: 27-10 win vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Stat Line: 16 of 29 for 217 yards and a touchdowns; two carries for 23 yards

Jayden Daniels is playing mostly clean football, but his team isn't.

The Washington Commanders committed nine penalties for 70 yards Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The issue is particularly bad regarding presnap penalties.

"Coaches could beat a dead horse all they want," Daniels told reporters. "At the end of the day, you got to take accountability. You got to focus. You can't have mental lapses. Ultimately, that's on us."

The quarterback added, "It was very frustrating. But I think the message is, just, everybody—and the 'PG way' is—'Lock in. Focus. Take a deep breath and overcommunicate. Like, it doesn't matter if they know the snap count or what we're doing. Overcommunicate. Make sure everybody knows, so we don't have those mental lapses.'"

Washington has experienced its fair share of communication problems this season, whether it's presnap or in critical moments.

Still, Daniels was able to lead his team to its second victory against a depleted opponent. How the Commanders respond against the Los Angeles Rams this coming weekend will be a much better indication of where the quarterback and his team currently stand.

Grade: B