QB Stock Market Week 9: Jalen Hurts looks like old self. Anthony Richardson looks young

Henry McKenna

NFL Reporter

Just about every elite quarterback is kicking into gear — even if his team isn’t.

And then there’s Patrick Mahomes.

Whereas Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow have to contend with their shoddy defenses, Mahomes’ defense is overcoming him. That’s why his latest interception against the Raiders — his ninth of the year — didn’t even matter this past Sunday. The Chiefs defense responded to Mahomes’ turnover by forcing a turnover on downs in the red zone. So, while his rough season continues — where he plays down to his opponents and struggles to transition between pass-catchers — Mahomes remains undefeated.

And, yes, in the top 10 of this list.

For the QB Stock Market, we weigh the most recent performances with 30% importance, while 70% is applied to the rest of 2024. One question holds importance above all others: What have you done for your team lately?

Previous weeks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (⬆️ 1)
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (⬇️ 1)

The Ravens don’t have a WR1 — a guy that can separate at any given moment (or win contested catches at will) — but Jackson is the guy that makes the play when all the guys are covered. He runs for chunk yardage and he protects himself.

This, we all know, right?

But it’s interesting, if only because we’re unlikely to see him get more help at WR despite this obvious shortcoming — even if we just saw Mahomes, Allen and Aaron Rodgers add a top-tier wideout. Those teams are building up their QBs. In the case of a mobile guy like Allen, they’re adding a WR to keep him from running the ball.

Lamar probably won’t get that luxury.

In a game when Jackson’s receivers had three costly drops, the Ravens will keep expecting him to operate at an MVP level. In a season when the defense is allowing 26.1 points per game, seventh-most, Jackson is expected to score 27 points per game.

That should give context to how exceptional Jackson has had to play this year to generate wins. And he was still outstanding against the Browns — just not perfect. There were a handful of plays that he and the Ravens wish they could have back in Cleveland.

Two stood out on offense — I specify offense because, on defense, Kyle Hamilton dropping the game-winning interception might have been the worst play of the game:

Lamar missed a very open Zay Flowers on third-and-21 for what would’ve been a touchdown.
Standing wide open for what would’ve been a 30-yard gain, Rashod Bateman dropped a ball that hit him in the helmet on third-and-14. It seemed Bateman lost the ball in the sun.

The reigning MVP was 3 of 10 for 41 yards on third down — even with an insane 4.83 seconds to throw. Don’t get me wrong, there were absolutely brilliant moments from Jackson. But with Cleveland finally realizing its potential on defense and Jameis Winston rallying the offense, the Ravens fell prey to a trap game.

3. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (↔)

What is there to say except … watch this.

OK, so there is actually more to say. I always have more to say. And while I don’t want to put a damper on the year’s most electric play — well … drip, drip.

It was Daniels’ worst performance of his NFL career. But like any good quarterback, he figured out how to pull out the W.

The Bears beat Daniels up, with seven QB hits and two sacks. As the pressures piled up, Daniels began to rush his decisions and throw the ball with less accuracy and touch. The Hail Mary was one of the most beautiful plays of the year — and certainly the most electric. But Daniels struggled with a really good defense. It wasn’t just that the Bears limited what Daniels could do. It was also that Daniels missed the opportunities that Chicago gave him. And *whispers very quietly* that’s why Daniels had to win the game on a desperate heave.

So, do we chalk it up to Daniels being clutch? Or do we think the Bears put together a blueprint on Jayden Daniels? I guess we’ll find out.

OK, speaking of which, let’s watch it again.

4. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (⬆️ 3)
5. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (⬇️ 1)
6. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (⬇️ 1)
7. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (⬆️ 7)

There were times at the beginning of the season when Hurts didn’t appear to see the field clearly.

There were times when there was nothing to see — with his pass-catchers totally covered.

But the Eagles offense was back in full strength on Sunday against the Bengals. There were plays where it didn’t really matter who Hurts threw to. Every guy was open — by at least 10 yards.

Hurts scored three touchdowns on the ground and stole a few souls from would-be tacklers. Afterward, he was asked why the rushing plays were so effective.

“I don’t know,” he said. “It got called.”

So … it sounds like he’s angling to see those red-zone rushes called more often.

To that point, I’m not sure the Eagles are wholly past their dysfunction. That comment seemed to intimate some issues. And then there was the weird moment when Josh Sweat pushed away coach Nick Sirianni in the fourth quarter. It’s still weird in Philly.

But Hurts is keeping them alive. He had command of the offense and he was working the coverage, including a third-and-16 when he connected with A.J. Brown for 17 yards. Hurts looked right to shift the zone away from Brown. And then, on time, he looked and fired to Brown, who had plenty of space for the first down.

They made a low-percentage play look easy.

“When you’re able to be the imposer, I think that says a lot about what you are offensively,” Hurts said. “There are multiple ways to impose. … Whatever it is, as long as you’re in full control. I think that’s a mentality that we’re trying to develop and I’m trying to push — it’s about what we do. It’s not about what anyone else does.”

That’s the Eagles offense we used to know.

8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (⬆️ 5)
9. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (⬆️ 1)
10. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (⬇️ 2)
11. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (⬇️ 5)
12. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (⬇️ 1)
13. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (⬆️ 2)
14. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (⬆️ 4)
15. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (⬇️ 6)
16. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (⬆️ 8)
17. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (⬇️ 5)
18. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers (⬆️ 2)
19. Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns (new)
20. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (⬇️ 1)
21. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (new)

It mattered enormously how Tua played in Week 8 — until they lost. And now, it’s really a matter of what’s next for the Dolphins and their quarterback.

They’re not going to make the playoffs after a 2-5 start.

Tua has never been better than when he’s with Mike McDaniel. But McDaniel is starting to look less and less like the genius we once deemed him to be. And to be fair, he was transcendently impressive for weeks at a time. But the Dolphins haven’t sustained their successful runs, and they are an absolute disaster without Tua in the starting lineup.

There’s a real chance Miami will part ways with McDaniel if this season keeps trending downward. And then what does that mean for Tua? If he’s playing for a different coach, are we sure he’ll be anywhere as good as he’s been under McDaniels?

Even with Tagovailoa back, the future is murky for Miami.

22. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (⬇️ 5)
23. Drake Maye, New England Patriots (⬇️ 3)
24. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (⬇️ 1)

When I saw Nix’s stats, I went into the game film thinking I’d be watching something entertaining.

I was wrong.

I found myself literally yawning my way through Nix’s 28-of-37, 284-yard, three-touchdown output. It was not the impeccable performance that the box score made it out to be. Nix is extremely conservative with the football, refusing to make a play where it’s not readily available, with a 5.4 tight-window throw percentage. He took what the Panthers gave him — which was a lot since Carolina stinks.

Nix missed a handful of open receivers in the deep game but regularly found Courtland Sutton, who remains one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL — if not the most.

OK, OK, OK, I don’t mean to be such a hater. There was one throw that I loved. Nix ripped a ball downfield to Adam Trautman, who hauled in a one-hander for a touchdown.

*golf clap*

Nix has come a long way from the opening two weeks when he registered zero touchdowns and four interceptions. It remains to be seen, however, whether he has any illustrious qualities around which the Broncos can build an offense.

25. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (⬇️ 3)
26. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets (⬇️ 5)
27. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (new)
28. Mason Rudolph, Tennessee Titans (⬇️ 2)
29. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts (⬇️ 4)

When you watch Richardson on RedZone or the highlights on X, you’re missing something substantial. The Colts quarterback produces some of the coolest plays. And he does it basically every week. Something miraculous.

Unlike Nix, there’s never a dull moment. Even Richardson’s incompletions can get wild. But in all the moments that you don’t see on RedZone or on X, Richardson is a hot mess.

He attempts unnecessarily difficult passes. He’s late to anticipate his receivers’ routes. He’s inaccurate. He is quick to run the ball, in part because he’s slow to see what’s going on downfield. And that’s where he always seems to want to go: deep. He sent 18 of his 32 passes at least 15 yards downfield. He completed just three of those attempts. That’s, in part, why the quarterback is posting a historically low completion percentage.

I’m not going to get worked up over his decision to take a breather when he subbed out in the third quarter. He shouldn’t have done that. Nor should he have admitted it. But that’s just a youngster making youthful mistakes. And that speaks to my bigger point about Richardson.

This is just his 10th career start.

The Colts think they can win now with Joe Flacco, but I don’t like the decision to make the change at QB. Even if they make the playoffs, they’ll inevitably get bounced, probably in the first round. Maybe Richardson has been immature, but they’re doing him a disservice by benching him at this point in his career. He has already sat back and watched. He has an incredible arm, rushes the ball so well and escapes pressure as well as anyone. The traits are there — the coaches just need to get him to play the position better. As the backup, he’ll have to go back to the basics.

The first step will be getting Richardson to take and make the easy throw — once he gets the chance to throw again.

30. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders (new)
31. Daniel Jones, New York Giants (⬇️ 3)
32. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints (⬇️ 3)

Henry McKenna is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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