Week 2 NFL QB Report Card: Daniel Jones Looks Incredible, Cam Ward Doesn't

Week 2 of the NFL season is in the books, and quarterback play, as usual, took center stage. 

From MVP-level performances to head-scratching mistakes, we graded every starter on how they stacked up. Some passed with flying colors, others barely scraped by—and a few may already be playing for their jobs.

Green Bay Packers 27, Washington Commanders 18

Jordan Love, Packers

STATS: 19–31 passing, 292 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks; 3 carries, 12 yards

I'm still not convinced Jordan Love is a great NFL quarterback, but he didn't have to be on Thursday night. He did his job; Love didn't make any big mistakes, protected the football, and let his team's defense do its job. He still misses more throws and reads than Green Bay would like, but it might not matter if they keep playing defense the way they are. 

GRADE: B- 

Jayden Daniels, Commanders 

STATS: 24–42 passing, 200 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 4 sacks; 7 carries, 17 yards

I'm not going to be overly harsh on Daniels because the Green Bay defense is already showing how silly it can make a quarterback look. They completely shut down the Lions in Week 1, and Detroit responded with a 52-point outburst against the Bears in Week 2. It wasn't a great performance, but it was a tough spot on the road after a short week. 

GRADE: C

Dallas Cowboys 40, New York Giants 37 (OT)

Dak Prescott, Cowboys 

STATS: 38–52 passing, 361 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks; 3 carries, 17 yards

Just like last week when the Steelers and Jets surprisingly treated fans to one of the best games of the week, I'm not sure how many people thought Cowboys-Giants would be a barnburner. But it was, in large part, due to the play of the quarterbacks. Prescott looked good and led Dallas on two huge drives—one to tie the game in regulation and one to win in overtime. 

GRADE: A-

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott reacts after a play against the New York Giants during Week 2 of the NFL season.

(Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)

Russell Wilson, Giants

STATS: 30–41 passing, 450 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks; 3 carries, 23 yards

I was hard on Wilson last week, so naturally he bounced back with one of the best performances of his career. That being said, the Dallas defense typically struggles in pass coverage and, without Micah Parsons, didn't generate a lot of pressure. Still, credit where credit is due. Wilson earned himself another start. 

GRADE: A-

Detroit Lions 52, Chicago Bears 21

Jared Goff, Lions

STATS: 23–28 passing, 334 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT, 0 sacks

Goff bounced back from a terrible performance against the Packers to post a tremendous line in Week 2. He played nearly flawless. 

GRADE: A

Caleb Williams, Bears 

STATS: 19–30 passing, 207 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 4 sacks; 4 carries, 27 yards

While there wasn't much Williams could do—the Bears allowed 52 points—he posted another uninspiring game. 

GRADE: C-

San Francisco 49ers 26, New Orleans Saints 21

Mac Jones, 49ers

STATS: 26–39 passing, 279 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks; 6 carries, 6 yards, 1 lost fumble

Filling in for the injured Brock Purdy, Jones played a solid game throughout. He did turn the ball over early in the second half on a play that allowed the Saints to get back into the game. He also failed to put the Saints away by picking up just one first down on the team's final two drives. Still, the defense held, so it didn't matter.  

GRADE: C-

Spencer Rattler, Saints

STATS: 25–34 passing, 207 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks; 4 carries, 14 yards

Rattler looked better than last week, but he's still among the worst starting QBs in the NFL. He missed an easy touchdown throw to Chris Olave and the Saints ultimately missed a field goal on that drive. That proved to be costly for a team that lost by five points. 

GRADE: C

Seattle Seahawks 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 17

Sam Darnold, Seahawks

STATS: 22–33 passing, 295 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 2 sacks

Darnold certainly played better in Week 2 than he did in Week 1 and the Seahawks cruised to a win over the Steelers. That said, this was a Pittsburgh defense that allowed Justin Fields and the Jets' offense to score 32 points last week, so take that for what it's worth. And he still made some big mistakes, leading to two interceptions. 

GRADE: C+

Aaron Rodgers, Steelers

STATS: 18–33 passing, 203 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 3 sacks

Rodgers couldn't replicate his first performance in a Pittsburgh uniform and played poorly against the Seahawks at home. He threw two interceptions—both in the second half and one inside the Seattle five-yard line—and really struggled over the final two quarters. Pittsburgh led 14-7 at the break and scored just three points in the second half. 

GRADE: C-

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers passes against the Seattle Seahawks during Week 2 of the NFL season.

(Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)

Baltimore Ravens 41, Cleveland Browns 17

Lamar Jackson, Ravens 

STATS: 19–29 passing, 225 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks; 2 carries, 13 yards

Like a few top quarterbacks in Week 2, Jackson didn't have to do a ton. But he threw four touchdown passes and protected the football. Another strong performance from the two-time NFL MVP. 

GRADE: A

Joe Flacco, Browns 

STATS: 25–45 passing, 199 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks, 1 lost fumble 

At some point, the Browns have to give one of their rookies a chance to start, right? This isn't a good Browns team, and they have to play the Packers and Lions the next two weeks. Are they really going to trot out a 40-year-old Joe Flacco for an 0-4 team? 

GRADE: D

New England Patriots 33, Miami Dolphins 27

Drake Maye, New England Patriots 

STATS: 19–23 passing, 230 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks; 10 carries, 31 yards, 1 TD

Maye improved dramatically from a Week 1 dud against the Raiders, but it appears the Dolphins' defense might be the cure for struggling quarterbacks all season long. They can't get any stops and even made Maye and the Patriots' offense look like a juggernaut at times. 

GRADE: B

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins 

STATS: 26–32 passing, 315 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 5 sacks

The Dolphins are simply a bad football team and a lot of that falls on Tagovailoa's shoulders. Watch Tyreek Hill's reaction when Tua overthrows him on this play late in the game: 

Yeah, the team appears done with both their quarterback and head coach. It's time for some big changes in Miami. 

GRADE: D

Cincinnati Bengals 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 27

Jake Browning & Joe Burrow, Bengals 

BROWNING STATS: 21–32 passing, 241 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT, 1 sack; 1 carry, 1 yard, 1 TD

BURROW STATS: 7–13 passing, 76 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks

This grade is mostly based on the performance of Browning, who took over for an injured Burrow midway through the second quarter. With news that Burrow is slated to miss most—if not all—of the team's remaining games, Browning becomes the de facto starter. 

It was a mixed bag for Browning, who threw three interceptions (one of which was absolutely atrocious) but also led the team on a game-winning drive and had three total touchdowns. Can he keep the team afloat while Burrow recovers from foot surgery? That's the question. 

GRADE: B-

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is helped to the locker room after suffering an injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 of the NFL season.

(Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

STATS: 24–42 passing, 271 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 1 sack

Lawrence wasn't great against Cincinnati, throwing two interceptions in the first half. Jacksonville took the lead in the fourth quarter, but Lawrence couldn't get a key first down after Browning's third interception, and that opened the door for the Bengals game-winning drive. 

GRADE: C

Los Angeles Rams 33, Tennessee Titans 19

Matthew Stafford, Rams

STATS: 23–33 passing, 298 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack

The usual from Stafford: steady, mostly unspectacular, but enough to win. This is exactly what I wrote last week, and probably what I'll write most weeks. 

GRADE: B+

Cam Ward, Titans

STATS: 19–33 passing, 175 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 5 sacks; 4 carries, 8 yards, 1 fumble lost 

Woof, Ward is off to a bad start in his NFL career. Now, part of that is playing for the Titans, a franchise that has been stuck in the mud since a 12-win season in 2021. And, to be fair, Ward made one of the best plays so far in the NFL season. 

Overall, though, he's struggling to read defenses, taking a lot of sacks (some are his fault), and not making the easy throws. 

GRADE: D+

Buffalo Bills 30, New York Jets 10

Josh Allen, Bills

STATS: 14–25 passing, 148 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 1 sack; 6 carries, 59 yards

The Bills rushing attack—including Allen—did the heavy lifting in this one. Because the Jets' offense couldn't move the ball, like at all, Allen didn't have to shoulder much of a load. But he didn't turn the ball over and only took one sack. 

GRADE: B

Justin Fields & Tyrod Taylor, Jets

FIELDS STATS: 3–11 passing, 27 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks; 5 carries, 49 yards, 1 lost fumble

TAYLOR STATS: 7–11 passing, 56 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks; 3 carries, 21 yards

I warned everyone last week that Fields' Week 1 performance against the Steelers was an anomaly, and here we are. He was terrible before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a suspected concussion. Fields is not a starting NFL quarterback. Period. 

GRADE: F

Indianapolis Colts 29, Denver Broncos 28

Daniel Jones, Colts 

STATS: 23–34 passing, 316 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 1 sack; 6 carries, 2 yards, 1 TD

It's probably time to start putting some respect on Daniel Jones' name. Lighting up the Dolphins' defense was one thing, but replicating that in Week 2 against Denver showed that the guy might be on his way to a very good season. Sure, the Colts benefited from a questionable call to win the game, but Jones absolutely did his part, regardless of the result. 

GRADE: A

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones and center Tanor Bortolini warm up prior to the game against the Denver Broncos in Week 2 of the NFL season.

(Robert Goddin/Imagn Images)

Bo Nix, Broncos

STATS: 22–30 passing, 206 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 0 sacks; 3 carries, 20 yards

I must admit that I'm not a big believer in Bo Nix (or Sean Payton, but that's for another day) and I don't think he was particularly impressive in this one. He was outplayed by Daniel Jones, but wasn't necessarily bad. Overall, an average performance. 

GRADE: C

Arizona Cardinals 27, Carolina Panthers 22

Kyler Murray, Cardinals

STATS: 17–25 passing, 220 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack; 7 carries, 32 yards

It's always nice when your defense gives you a seven-point lead before you even take the field, and that's what Murray got on Sunday. Then, when he did take the field, it was in great field position after a second Panthers' turnover. Ultimately, Arizona had a 27-3 lead after scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the second half. 

But he made one of the worst plays you'll see all season, one that was part of the reason the Panthers ended up with a chance to win it late. 

GRADE: B-

Bryce Young, Panthers

STATS: 35–55 passing, 328 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 1 lost fumble

Young looked horrendous for the majority of the game, particularly early. He fumbled on the team's first drive (which the Cardinals returned for a touchdown), then threw an interception on the second. But he bounced back and led the team on three touchdown drives in the second half and even had a shot at being the hero and winning the game with a last-second touchdown (thanks to some help from the refs). 

However, that didn't happen. 

GRADE: B-

Philadelphia Eagles 20, Kansas City Chiefs 17

Jalen Hurts, Eagles

STATS: 15–22 passing, 101 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks; 9 carries, 15 yards, 1 TD

Much like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, Hurts didn't have to do a ton here. He threw for just over 101 yards and had only 15 rushing yards on nine attempts, mostly thanks to the Eagles running SEVEN "Tush Push" plays. But a win over the Chiefs, on the road, is still impressive.  

GRADE: B+

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

STATS: 16–29 passing, 187 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks; 7 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD

It's hard to pin Kansas City's struggles on Mahomes, since the offense lacks any semblance of a playmaker without Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice. Plus, Mahomes' interception was 100% on Travis Kelce. 

Still, he's not quite playing up to his own lofty standards through two games. 

GRADE: C+

Atlanta Falcons 22, Minnesota Vikings 6

Michael Penix Jr., Falcons

STATS: 13–21 passing, 135 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks

Penix didn't have to do much in a game where the opponent never threatened. Like many quarterbacks in Week 2, Penix avoided big mistakes and played well enough to win. Sometimes, that's all you need. 

GRADE: B-

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. walks off the field after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2 of the NFL season.

(Matt Krohn/Imagn Images)

J.J. McCarthy, Vikings

STATS: 11–21 passing, 158 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 6 sacks; 5 carries, 25 yards, 1 lost fumble

McCarthy played his butt off in the fourth quarter in Week 1, leading the Vikings to a win over the Bears. But the truth is that seven of the eight quarters that he's played in the NFL have been bad, including all four against the Falcons. 

McCarthy threw two picks, fumbled three times (losing one) and generally struggled the entire game. Now, he's out for 2-4 weeks. He needs to spend that time trying to get more comfortable in the Vikings' offense. 

GRADE: D

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Houston Texans 19

Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers 

STATS: 25-38 passing, 215 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 3 carries, 33 yards

Say what you want about Baker Mayfield, but the guy is a winner. It wasn't always pretty — the Bucs scored touchdowns on each of their first two possessions and then didn't score again until the final seconds. But Mayfield converted a ridiculous fourth-and-ten with his legs on the last drive and ultimately led the team on a game-winning drive. 

GRADE: B+

C.J. Stroud, Texans

STATS: 13-24 passing, 207 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks; 4 carries, 27 yards

Stroud continues to struggle since his electric rookie season. To be fair, the Texans have no running game and Stroud constantly faced pressure. That said, he also missed several big throws and just doesn't appear to have the same magic as 2023-24. 

GRADE: C-

Los Angeles Chargers 20, Las Vegas Raiders 9

Justin Herbert, Chargers 

STATS: 19-27 passing, 2 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks; 9 carries, 31 yards, 1 lost fumble

Justin Herbert and the Chargers' offense look very good, though it had some tough moments against the Raiders. But when they needed it, Herbert stepped up and made big throws, including a terrific early touchdown to Keenan Allen when Herbert was in a near sprint towards the sideline and a 60-yard strike to Quentin Johnston. 

GRADE: B+

Geno Smith, Raiders

STATS: 24-43 passing, 180 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 3 sacks; 5 carries, 20 yards

This was a disastrous performance for Smith, who threw an interception on his first pass of the game. One of his interceptions really didn't matter, acting more like a punt, but he just couldn't get the offense moving at any point. It showed itself in the fourth quarter when the Raiders desperately needed points, and he just couldn't get it done. 

GRADE: D

NFL Quarterback Power Rankings, Top 8 & Bottom 8

This isn't just based off of the first two weeks, but rather how I view the quarterbacks for the rest of the 2025 season. I'm focusing on the top and bottom 25%. Everyone else is in the middle. 

NOTE: For the purposes of these rankings, injured starting quarterbacks will still count so long as they are not expected to miss more than four games. 

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 1)

2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (3)

3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (2)

4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (5)

5. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (6)

6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (8)

7. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (7)

8. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NR) 

…

25. Drake Maye, New England Patriots (29)

26. Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals (NR)

27. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns (26)

28. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (28)

29. Justin Fields, New York Jets (27)

30. Russell Wilson, New York Giants (32)

31. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans (30)

32. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints (31)

Two weeks in, it’s clear the quarterback landscape is as unpredictable as ever. Some veterans are showing signs of decline while rookies and backups are fighting to prove they belong. With Week 3 approaching, the question isn’t just who will rise—it’s who can keep from falling further.