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Week 11 Rankings:
1 - Matthew Stafford (LAR): 130 passing yards, 0 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT in 21-19 win vs SEA.
Consistent excellence. Thats the only way to summarise Matthew Stafford's 2025 displays so far. In what should have been his toughest test of the season thus far against a stern Seahawks defence, Stafford cooly and expertly managed yet another Rams victory that keeps his side in pole position in the race for the NFC's number one seed. Stafford has emerged as the unanimous MVP front runner for the first time in his career, which at 37 would make him the oldest first-time MVP in NFL history. As for his Rams, at 9-2 they are by far the most consistent outfit of all the contenders, making them and their quarterback great bets to finish top of pill come January.
2 - Drake Maye (NE): 281 passing yards, 2 rushing yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs in 27-14 win vs NYJ.
Drake Maye continues to take the NFL by storm. The famous 'year 2 bounce' has truly come to fruition for the Patriots and New England fans are already crowning their second-coming of Tom Brady. Maye's offence is firing on all cylinders, and he is putting himself firmly in the discussion for the best young quarterback in entire league. New England has a pretty light remaining schedule too, and with a matchup next week at Cincinnati, his numbers should only improve going forward.
3 - Josh Allen (BUF): 317 passing yards, 40 rushing yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs in 44-32 win vs TB.
Vintage Josh Allen. Nothing could better describe the performance of the Bills Quarterback on Sunday, with his 6 total touchdowns and 2 interceptions perfectly encapsulating the Josh Allen experience. Not only did this win get the Bills back on track, it has clawed Allen back into the race to retain his MVP crown. The 2 interceptions were an eyesore, but anytime a quarterback puts up 6 touchdowns any mishaps along the way can largely be ignored. A Thursday Night clash against a top defence in Houston will be great test to see if this momentum can continue - if it can, maybe the race for the AFC East isn't over just yet.
4 - Lamar Jackson (BAL): 193 passing yards, 10 rushing yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs in 23-16 win vs CLE.
Not vintage Lamar Jackson. Not even close. Something just isn't quite clicking for the Ravens offence since Jackson returned, even if a poor performance against the Browns and Myles Garrett is somewhat understandable. In a vacuum, this showing was one of the worst of Lamar's career and he looks out of sync with his entire supporting cast, including a Derrick Henry who looks like father time has finally caught up with him. Despite this, the Ravens are 3-0 since his return and very much back in the hunt for the playoff spot which at one point looked as if it would elude them this season. With two games against the Steelers still to come in the battle for the AFC North, the Raven's destiny is back in Lamar's hands, but he will need to regain some of last year's form if he is to take advantage.
5 - Patrick Mahomes (KC): 276 passing yards, 3 rushing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT in 19-22 loss vs DEN.
Patrick Mahomes needs to carry this team again and right now he doesn't look up to the challenge. For the first time in his career, the Kansas City Chiefs are struggling and Patrick Mahomes is part of the reason why. With the team sat at 5-5, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what they do well and the 'Championship DNA' which has carried them through recent postseasons is evading them thus far. Mahomes needs to re-discover his form quickly to avoid losing 3 straight regular season games for the first time in his career, and with the Chiefs sat as the AFC's 9th seed, it's not only their AFC crown in jeopardy but also their spot in the postseason. Next Sunday's clash against Indianapolis has suddenly transformed from a regular Week 12 game into a final opportunity for the Chiefs dynasty to save their season.
6 - Baker Mayfield (TB): 173 passing yards, 39 rushing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT in 32-44 loss vs BUF.
Baker's early season magic has worn off and what remains is a Buccaneers team that is tumbling worryingly down the NFL standings towards mediocrity. Back-to-back games against AFC East contenders in New England and Buffalo were always going to be tricky for Tampa, and they kept both of these games close, but in both ties it felt like the more talented side came out victorious and that wasn't Baker & co. It might simply be that this roster is not deep enough for Mayfield to drag this team far in the playoffs, as it looked at one point like he would. Despite that, Mayfield's individual performances have remained at a standard worthy of 'elite' quarterback status, probably for the first time in his 8 year career.
7 - Jalen Hurts (PHI): 135 passing yards, 31 rushing yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs in 16-9 win vs DET.
It's not pretty, but Jalen Hurts is still (just about) doing enough to keep bringing W's back to the reigning Super Bowl Champions. The Philadelphia Eagles might be the most scrutinised 8-2 team in recent memory, with their locker room chaos leading many to doubt their ability to repeat last years championship. Whilst everything off the field would imply this team is prime for a collapse, on the field they just keep winning and whilst Jalen isn't exactly the reason why, he's also not making any 'game-losing' plays either. His play has been far from inspiring, but so far it hasn't needed to be and the one consistent ability he has shown throughout his career is that he can turn it on in the biggest of moments.
8 - Dak Prescott (DAL): 268 passing yards, -4 rushing yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs in 33-16 win vs LV.
Dak continues to shine against bad teams. Whilst obviously not as impressive as dominating a contender, this is still an important skill for an NFL quaterback, and it's the only reason that Dallas is still somewhat in the playoff race. Every time the Cowboys have faced a bad defence this year, Dak Prescott has looked like one of the very best this sport has to offer, connecting with his superstar receiving duo of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb to terrorise opposing secondaries. So far, this has been enough to keep the Cowboys afloat, but they won't make it into the postseason unless these types of performances become the norm - regardless of the opposition.
9 - Justin Herbert (LAC): 81 passing yards, 21 rushing yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT in 6-35 loss vs JAX
This was sadly predictable. The one constant of Justin Herbert and his Los Angeles Chargers' roller coaster season has been that as soon as an offensive lineman goes down hurt, this offence becomes hugely compromised. Combine that with an elite defensive line on the opposite sideline and the 35-6 final score of the Chargers trip to Jacksonville doesn't make for very surprising reading. That being said, this excuse can only go so far to relieve Herbert of some blame for this performance. Many quarterbacks deal with offensive line injuries throughout the season and still keep their teams competitive, something which Herbert clearly is unable to do.
10 - Sam Darnold (SEA): 279 passing yards, 11 rushing yards, 0 TDs, 4 INTs in 19-21 loss vs LAR.
Unfortunately, Sam Darnold seems unable to beat his big game curse. The Seahawks were excellent against the Rams in every aspect aside their quarterback, who went back to his 'seeing ghosts' mode that we became so familiar with during his time in New York and at the end of last season in Minnesota. The Rams appear to have Darnold's number and that doesn't bode well for Seattle's eventual playoff seeding or any future postseason matchup but there is a silver lining to Sunday Night's performance. Darnold turned the ball over 4 times, a number which usually signals a blowout loss for his team, and yet the Seahawks were still able to attempt a potential game-winning field goal as time expired against one of the premier outfits in the NFL. If Darnold can just play slightly better, Seattle could still be in with a real shot at contention.