QB Report Cards for 2025 NFL Week 7

Patience is obviously wearing thin in the NFL through seven weeks of play, with at least two struggling teams benching their supposed franchise quarterbacks.

The Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa and New York Jets' Justin Fields haven't provided the leadership or level of performance expected from either.

Meanwhile, further questions need to be raised about a pair of former No. 1 overall picks in the Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence and Carolina Panthers' Bryce Young.

Conversely, the Cincinnati Bengals may have something with Joe Flacco as their starter. The Indianapolis Colts clearly do with Daniel Jones. Oh, Patrick Mahomes is heating up, too.

As the league nears the halfway point of the 2025 campaign, the picture continues to clarify regarding what every franchise features behind center, with Bleacher Report grading each and every effort.

Score: 27-23 loss vs. Green Bay Packers

Stat Line: 25 of 36 for 279 yards, two touchdowns and a fumble lost

The Arizona Cardinals have lost five straight games. Jacoby Brissett started the last two, while Kyler Murray dealt with a foot injury, and had his team within striking distance of two of the league's better squads in the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers. Yet Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon isn't considering a change at quarterback.

"Yeah," Gannon told reporters. "Nothing's changed."

By Gannon's own admission, Brissett has played well and kept Arizona in games.

"He gave us a chance to win," the coach added. "I'm proud of him."

The actual proof in who should start for the Cardinals may lie elsewhere. With Brissett as the starter, production from the squad's top target, tight end Trey McBride, has ticked upward. McBride's three touchdowns in the last two weeks are more than he had during the entire 2024 campaign.

Grade: B

Score: 20-10 loss vs. San Francisco 49ers

Stat Line: 21 of 38 for 241 yards, a touchdown and a fumble lost

Pressure got to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. during Sunday Night Football against the 49ers, and it greatly affected his performance.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats (h/t Tori McElhaney of the Falcons official site), Penix didn't complete a single pass when pressured. Overall, the Niners pressured Penix on 11 dropbacks, which resulted in two sacks.

The sophomore signal-caller was far more efficient when he had solid pocket to step into and deliver. But that's problematic because today's NFL is about winning from a muddied pocket and what a quarterback can do beyond what's asked of him. Penix isn't doing well in that area, specifically when asked to drive the ball down the field with any touch.

"They did do good against the run game, but we have to find a way," Penix said. "We have too many good players on this team to not find a way."

It falls on the quarterback to find a way.

Grade: C-

Score: 13-6 win vs. New York Jets

Stat Line: (Young) 15 of 25 for 138 yards and a touchdown; (Dalton) four of seven for 60 yards

The biggest Carolina Panthers takeaway from Sunday's contest is Bryce Young's inability to finish the game due to an ankle injury.

According to The Athletic's Joseph Person, X-rays came back negative, though Young is expected to receive a follow-up MRI.

Prior to leaving the contest, Young simply managed the offense. The Panthers coaching staff understands the team's strength lies with its running backs, especially now that Chuba Hubbard is back in the lineup. Hubbard and Rico Dowdle combined for 34 total touches. Carolina ran the ball more times than the Panthers threw it.

Young does provide play-making ability outside of structure, which is something Dalton doesn't. The hope is the former will bounce back quickly and not be affected.

Grade: C (total quarterback play considering Carolina's emphasis on run game)

Score: 26-14 win vs. New Orleans Saints

Stat Line: 15 of 26 for 172 yards and an interception

Caleb Williams benefited greatly from the Chicago Bears' burgeoning running game.

D'Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai combined to carry the ball 32 times for 205 yards and two scores against the Saints. They were the heart of the offense. The Bears may have to lean on their emerging duo, because Williams hasn't progressed as the season continues.

"I didn't play well today," Williams said after Sunday's contest.

Head coach Ben Johnson added, "We weren't efficient enough in the passing game."

Chicago can lean on it newfound ground-and-pound approach to help Williams as he tries to get into a rhythm. Right now, the quarterback simply isn't seeing the field well enough or executing. The Bears are fortunate to be on a four-game winning streak despite Williams completing less than 60 percent of his passes during the last three.

Grade: D

Score: 33-31 win vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Stat Line: 31 of 47 for 342 yards and three touchdowns

Considering the circumstances, Joe Flacco provided the best performance among quarterbacks during Week 7 action.

Eight days after the 40-year-old veteran arrived in Cincinnati after being traded by the Cleveland Browns, he helped snap the Bengals' four-game losing streak. While trailing by one point, with 2:21 left to play, Flacco completed all three of his passes to place the Bengals in what turned out to be game-winning field goal position.

"We had a short week playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that we needed to have," head coach Zac Taylor told reporters. "It's easy for him ... because he's putting in the work. He's just so experienced in this situation. You gain a lot of confidence from that, because he goes out there and it's not too big (for him)."

Another loss would have effectively ended the Bengals season. Instead, they're now only a 1.5 behind the Steelers in the AFC North, with renewed confidence thanks to Flacco.

Grade: A+

Score: 31-6 win vs. Miami Dolphins

Stat Line: 13 of 18 for 116 yards

Dillon Gabriel didn't need to do much of anything during Sunday's contest. Of note, the Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback didn't make a major mistakes to cost his team, unlike his Dolphins' counterpart.

In a game with terrible weather, the Browns' defense took care of business, while the offense leaned more heavily on running back Quinshon Judkins. Gabriel threw only 18 passes. Judkins ran for three scores.

The effort is a major positive in Gabriel's development, because A) he got to enjoy a victory as the starting quarterback and B) the Dolphins' defense didn't bring nearly the amount of pressure the rookie faced a week prior against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"We always talk about complementary football, but seeing us all come together is important and good to see," Gabriel told reporters after the contest.

Grade: C+

Score: 44-22 win vs. Washington Commanders

Stat Line: 21 of 30 for 264 yards and three touchdowns

From week to week, the Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott has been the NFL's most consistent quarterback during the 2025 campaign. Despite the Cowboys' issues on defense, Prescott kept chugging along and helped his squad reach the .500 mark with Sunday's victory over the rival Commanders.

During his latest outing, Prescott became the sixth quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least three touchdowns without an interception in four straight games.

Prescott is conducting an elite offense as the NFL's maestro. As scary as it sounds, the group is only getting better after the returns of wide receivers Ceedee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin, as well as right guard Tyler Booker, to the lineup.

"This is the best (offense) I've been on," Lamb told reporters, "and I've been on some great ones. It's just the way we can move around these pieces and these players and everybody knows where to go. It's tough."

Grade: A

Score: 33-32 win vs. New York Giants

Stat Line: 27 of 50 for 279 yards and two touchdowns; five carries for 48 yards and two scores

It's difficult to grade a performance based solely on one quarter of play. However, the outcome to Sunday's meeting between the Denver Broncos and Giants was so historic that it can't be overlooked.

The Broncos became the first team in NFL history to score 33 points in the fourth quarter after being held scoreless through the first three frames.

During that stretch, Bo Nix produced a 76.2 adjusted completion percentage, 218 (of his 279) passing yards and four total touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus. In doing so, he also became the first player ever with two passing and two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter of any game.

The Broncos trailed by 19 at halftime, yet somehow found a way to emerge victorious, with Nix leading the way.

"It's super important to start strong, but it's more important to finish strong," defensive end John Franklin-Myers told reporters. "That's what we did."

Grade: A

Score: 24-9 win vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Stat Line: 20 of 29 for 241 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a fumble lost

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs went to work Monday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jared Goff didn't need to do much other than get Gibbs the ball.

Gibbs touched the ball 20 times and produced 218 yards from scrimmage. He clearly led the Lions offense while playing on a national stage.

Goff does not need to be perfect every week; Detroit's roster features numerous offensive weapons capable of stepping up. Since his trade from the Rams, he has been an effective distributor.

Despite frequent exotic pressure from the Buccaneers, he got the ball out quickly and let his teammates work, leading to a 5-2 record for the Lions.

Grade: C-

Score: 27-23 win vs. Arizona Cardinals

Stat Line: 19 of 29 for 179 yards and a touchdown

Jordan Love came up big when the Green Bay Packers needed him the most.

While trailing 23-20 with under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Love orchestrated a 10-play, 48-yard drive for the game-winning touchdown.

Crucially, Love connected with tight end Tucker Kraft twice in key moments. On 3rd-and-7 from Arizona's 45-yard line, Kraft converted with an eight-yard reception. Four plays later, Love found Kraft along the sideline for 15 yards during a 4th-and-2 scenario.

Green Bay overcame travel issues and an early deficient to emerge with another win.

"From the moment we got on the trip, nothing seemed to go right," Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters. "Then in-game, there were a lot of things that didn't go right. But the guys kept battling and that's what it takes in this league."

Grade: B+

Score: 27-19 loss vs. Seattle Seahawks

Stat Line: 23 of 49 for 229 yards, a touchdown and an interception

The Houston Texans' handling of C.J. Stroud will serve as a case study of what not to do when trying to build around a promising young quarterback.

As a rookie, Stroud looked well on his way to superstardom as one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. He regressed in Year 2. This season has bordered on a disaster, because the Texans front office failed to improve the offense around the game's most important position. It shows every weekend.

Seattle sacked Stroud three times, added seven more quarterback hits and generated consistent pressure. The Texans' signal-caller was never able to get comfortable in the pocket, because his offensive line is subpar (to put it nicely). The running game is basically non-existent. Without Stroud's two carries for 25 yards, the Texans averaged 2.1 yards per carry. Houston's wide receivers A) aren't experienced or B) lack consistency.

Stroud has been set up to fail. It's a shame because the Texans are wasting an excellent defense.

Grade: F

Score: 38-24 win vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Stat Line: 23 of 34 for 288 yards and two touchdowns

Daniel Jones is no longer an early-season fascination. The one-time first-round bust isn't an aberration, either. He's not just a byproduct of his current situation. Jones is operating at a high level, to the point where he's currently one of the NFL's best quarterbacks.

Jones' preparation has allowed him to execute Shane Steichen's system to near-perfection. He's standing in the pocket and delivering the ball on time and in rhythm. Even when plays aren't perfectly executed, Jones often delivers from muddy pocket or improvises. Sunday's contest turned into the fifth without a turnover from the quarterback.

"It's the stuff you don't see behind the scenes. The work that's put in every day," Steichen told reporters. "Daniel's as good as it gets when it comes to the preparation. You know he's gonna be prepared, so I just have no doubt that he's gonna go out and play well every time we step on the field."

Through seven games, the Indianapolis Colts are the NFL's best team and they field the league's highest scoring offense.

Grade: A

Score: 35-7 loss vs. Los Angeles Rams

Stat Line: 23 of 48 for 296 yards and a touchdown

The Jacksonville Jaguars offense currently suffers from a debilitating combination of poor quarterback play and even worse pass protection.

The Rams sacked Lawrence seven times during Sunday's meeting in London. At the same time, the quarterback understands that he's outright missing opportunities and not making the best decisions.

"There are some plays that I got to make early to get us going, and it's routine stuff," he told reporters after Jacksonville suffered its second straight loss. "I had Travis [Hunter] in the first play of the game open and just got to put it on him and move on and keep us in good situations instead of behind the chains."

At this point in Lawrence's career, it's obvious he can't carry the Jaguars offense. To make matters worse, those around the quarterback aren't helping.

Grade: D

Score: 31-0 win vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Stat Line: 26 of 35 for 286 and three touchdowns

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are heating up, which is bad news for everyone else around the NFL. Mahomes posted back-to-back outings with three touchdown passes and no interceptions.

"We've got to keep building... We want to be better than we are right now," Mahomes said after Sunday's outstanding effort.

The quarterback's uptick coincides with the Chiefs finally getting their full complement of offensive targets. Rashee Rice returned Sunday after serving a six-game suspension, caught a team-leading seven passes (on 10 targets) and scored a pair of touchdowns.

Unlike earlier in the season, Mahomes didn't have to rely on his legs as much, either. Instead, Isaiah Pacheco ground out some tough yards.

Kansas City averaged 31.5 points over its last four games. Mahomes is dealing, and he's only going to become tougher to stop as this group finds its footing.

Grade: A

Score: 31-0 loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Stat Line: 10 of 16 for 67 yards

Geno Smith was supposed to provide a calming and steady presence in the Las Vegas Raiders' offense. He has failed in that venture.

To be fair, the Raiders were missing their top two targets during Sunday's contest, because tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers are dealing with injuries. Still, the Raiders couldn't muster anything offensively against the Chiefs.

Las Vegas finished with 95 yards of total offense. It's only the sixth time in the Raiders' franchise history that they managed fewer than 100 yards in a game.

"There's a lot of soul searching that needs to be done," Smith said.

As for Smith, he didn't even finish the game, because the Chiefs dominated so thoroughly. The Raiders quarterback has now thrown for fewer than 175 yards in three of the team's last four games.

Grade: F

Score: 38-24 loss vs. Indianapolis Colts

Stat Line: 37 of 55 for 420 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions; six carries for 31 yards

All Justin Herbert needed was a cape to truly look like Superman during Sunday's contest. Well, the Los Angeles Chargers' all-yellow alternate uniforms more closely resemble the Sentry (for those who have seen Marvel's Thunderbolts*.) Whatever the case may be, Herbert needed a superhuman effort just to keep the Chargers in the game.

With the Colts offense rolling, as per usual, Herbert didn't back down and led the Chargers to three second-half touchdowns despite playing behind an offensive line decimated by injuries and missing their first-round running back.

Herbert was able to take full advantage of a Colts' defense beset by injuries at cornerback and kept his team competitive. He did throw a pair of interceptions, though one came off a tipped pass.

Even with Herbert in the lineup, the Chargers are still struggling to overcome their deficiencies, having lost three of their last four games.

Grade: B+

Score: 35-7 win vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Stat Line: 21 of 33 for 182 yards and five touchdowns

Attack Matthew Stafford at your own peril. The Jacksonville Jaguars chose to be aggressive when facing the Rams. Stafford shredded Los Angeles' opponent and set an NFL International Series record with five touchdown passes.

As NFL Next Gen Stats noted, Jacksonville's defense blitzed on 55.9 percent of their snaps. Stafford threw all five scores when facing those looks.

Remarkably, Stafford did that amount of damage without Puka Nacua in the lineup. The wide receiver is currently nursing an ankle injury. Instead, Los Angeles' veteran signal-caller completed passes to 10 different targets, including finding rookies Konata Mumpfield and Terrance Ferguson for their first career touchdowns.

Nacua's absence also allowed Stafford to build his rapport with Davante Adams.

"We saw a few opportune moments to go and take advantage of some one-on-ones," Adams said after the two connected for three scores.

Grade: A

Score: 31-6 loss vs. Cleveland Browns

Stat Line: 12 of 23 for 100 yards and three interceptions

Tua Tagovailoa tried to be a leader for the Miami Dolphins. His comments backfired spectacularly.

"Yeah, well, I think it starts with the leadership in helping articulate that for the guys, and then what we're expecting out of the guys," Tagovailoa said in frustration after Miami's Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. "We're expecting this. Are we getting that? Are we not getting that? We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late. Guys not showing up to player-only meetings. There is a lot that goes into that. Do we have to make that mandatory? Do we not have to make that mandatory? So it's a lot of things of that nature that we got to get cleaned up. It starts with the little things like that."

Actually, those issues start with the quarterback. He must set the example both on and off the field. Tagovailoa's on-field follow-up to those comments proved to be as bad, if not worse.

The 27-year-old played horribly with multiple poor decisions, which placed his team in terrible situations after turnovers. As a result, the Dolphins coaching staff benched Tagovailoa.

"Definitely not happy, not proud of where I'm at with my play, with how I've gone about things this year," Tagovailoa told reporters. "I know I've gotta be a lot better—and I've been better for the Miami Dolphins in years past. But this isn't years past, this is this year. Just trying to maneuver everything and build a collection of guys to come along with me. I've gotta be able to multitask if that makes sense, and while doing that and get in that flow."

Grade: F

Score: 28-22 loss vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Stat Line: 26 of 42 for 313 yards and two interceptions

Carson Wentz knew he made two critical errors with the interceptions he threw against the Eagles.

The first came while staring down the barrel of an oncoming rusher, then the quarterback threw the pass directly to an underneath defender, who raced into the end zone for a pick-six.

"Don't throw it right to his chest. That would be great," Wentz told reporters. "But I think they had a good call. I've got to be better and just progress or quite frankly take the sack there."

The second occurred when the Vikings quarterback tried to make a play out of his own end zone while rolling to his right. He chucked it up with two Eagles in deep coverage.

"The second one, I was just dumb, trying to make a play," Wentz said. "Threw it off my back foot. Not a wise decision there."

Better judgment should be expected from a veteran backup with as much experience as Wentz has. He simply didn't see the field well during Sunday's action and his team paid for the mistakes.

Grade: D

Score: 31-13 win vs. Tennessee Titans

Stat Line: 21 of 23 for 222 yards and two touchdowns; eight carries for 62 yards

It's official. Drake Maye is better than Tom Brady. Well, the New England Patriots' sophomore signal-caller is better in one very specific category thanks to Sunday's performance.

Maye set a single-game franchise record by completing 91.3 percent of his passes (with over 20 attempts), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Even more impressively, he provided plus-24.4 completion percentage over expected.

The Patriots quarterback isn't just relying on a dink-and-dunk approach, either. He's the only quarterback in the NFL this season with multiple touchdowns passes that traveled 50 or more air yards.

Maye is quickly becoming bona fide as a true franchise quarterback, and the Patriots continue to reap the rewards. At 5-2 with the early tiebreaker against the Buffalo Bills, New England leads the AFC East. Maye's development is a very large reason why.

Grade: A+

Score: 26-14 loss vs. Chicago Bears

Stat Line: 20 of 32 for 233 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions and a fumble lost

Once again, Caleb Williams got the best of Spencer Rattler.

Four years ago, Rattler was benched by the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff for Williams. The former transferred and went on to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks before being selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, Williams went No. 1 overall in the same class.

Despite those bumps in the road, Rattler had been playing relatively well during his first full season as an NFL starter. He then ran into the Bears, turned the ball over four times and made too many mental mistakes in yet another Saints loss.

"Spence had some really, really good plays in there,' head coach Kellen Moore told reporters. "There just wasn't enough and there were too many turnovers. We had four turnovers, we've got to protect the football at a much higher level. It's something we have done in the past, we just didn't get it done today."

Grade: D

Score: 33-32 loss vs. Denver Broncos

Stat Line: 15 of 33 for 283 yards, three touchdowns, an interception and a rushing score

The idea of overlooking the New York Giants' historic fourth-quarter collapse against the Broncos must be impossible for the fanbase. Crushing defeats aren't easy to shake off.

Even so, the Giants should still be encouraged by the performance of their rookie quarterback, Jaxson Dart.

He completed less than 50 percent of his passes and his fourth-quarter interception after not seeing an underneath linebacker in coverage gave the Broncos all the momentum they needed.

Even with those issues taken into account, this first-round signal-caller proved to be outstanding when blitzed and fared relatively well against an elite defense. Four total touchdowns against a top-four D is nothing to sneeze at.

The Giants can't let their latest outcome haunt them, because Dart already has the look of a franchise quarterback.

Grade: C

Score: 13-6 loss vs. Carolina Panthers

Stat Line: (Fields) six of 12 for 46 yards; (Taylor) 10 of 22 for 126 yards and two interceptions

The New York Jets coaching staff finally had enough and benched quarterback Justin Fields.

"I understand the nature of the quarterback change and, listen, we needed a spark," head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters after Sunday's contest. "At that time, I felt it was the right time to do it. It was my call."

Whether Fields or Tyrod Taylor starts next weekend will be decided throughout the upcoming practice week. Whoever emerges as the starter will get the nod on a full-time basis.

"We'll make the right decision," Glenn said. "Whatever the decision is, I'm going to go with it and we're going to move forward."

Fields posted an average yards per attempt under four during the second straight contest. Tyrod Taylor may not be the long-term answer, but he can't be any worse.

Grade: F (for entire situation)

Score: 28-22 win vs. Minnesota Vikings

Stat Line: 19 of 23 for 326 yards and three touchdowns

The Philadelphia Eagles needed to stretch the passing game vertically to get their offense back where it needed to be.

Jalen Hurts attempted 12 passes over 10 yards Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. He completed nine of those for 285 yards, three touchdowns and five big-time throws, according to Pro Football Focus.

"It's fun, man. It's fun," wide receiver DeVonta Smith said after a career-high 183-yard outing. "You can tell when (Hurts) really sees it and he gets this look. It's like, 'Oh yeah, this is the one right here."

Hurts also flourished in the playaction passing game by completing all four of his attempts for 121 yards, per The Score's Brenden Deeg.

Ultimately, Hurts finished Sunday's contest with a perfect passer rating. More importantly, the Eagles offense finally got back on track after two weeks of disappointing play and non-stop discussion.

Grade: A+

Score: 33-31 loss vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Stat Line: 23 of 34 for 249 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions

Aaron Rodgers thought he had led the Pittsburgh Steelers on a game-winning drive with just over two minutes remaining in Thursday's contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Instead, Joe Flacco and Co. responded, leaving Rodgers and the Steelers in a position for a last-second heave that fell harmlessly to the ground.

Rodgers did throw a pair of interceptions. Though only one was a poor decision on a deep shot, while Bengals defensive back DJ Turner II stripped the ball out of DK Metcalf's hands for the other.

Interestingly, Rodgers is on a record-setting pace for the Steelers, specifically with passing touchdowns. He's turned the clock back and played well for most of this season. Though this Steelers team has major concerns, particularly on defense.

Rodgers can continue to play well, but his performance may not be enough. It wasn't against the Bengals.

Grade: B

Score: 20-10 win vs. Atlanta Falcons

Stat Line: 17 of 26 for 152 yards and an interception

A quarterback doesn't need to do much when Christian McCaffrey is on top of his game. The San Francisco 49ers running back carried the ball 24 times for 129 yards and two scores against the Falcons, while also catching the ball a team-leading seven times for 72 yards.

"Rushing the ball more than 30 times means you're owning the time of possession and not letting (Bijan Robinson) get a ton of touches," Niners tight end George Kittle said. "It gives you that mindset that you're going to hit people in the face as hard as we possibly can and give Christian and Brian Robinson as many carries as we can."

Jones does deserve some credit for how he's continued to keep the offense and team on track. San Francisco managed four wins in his five starts.

"Inside the building, Jones has earned respect for how quickly he's picked up Kyle Shanahan's offense—and for keeping things afloat despite all the injuries around him," Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported.

Grade: C+

Score: 27-19 win vs. Houston Texans

Stat Line: 17 of 31 for 213 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a fumble lost

At this point, Sam Darnold understands exactly what the Seattle Seahawks offense needs: Feed star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Smith-Njigba caught eight of Darnold's 17 completions against the Texans. In fact, the quarterback targeted his WR1 on 14 different occasions. No other receiver garnered more than five.

However, Darnold made two major mistakes during Monday's contest.

First, he held the ball too long in the end zone, tried to escape out of the back door and ran right into Will Anderson Jr, only to fumble and gift Houston a defensive touchdown. Second, Darnold tried to push the ball down the seam to his tight end, AJ Barner, but the Texans' top cornerback, Derek Stingley Jr., easily undercut the pass for an interception.

The Seahawks were fortunate that Houston couldn't muster any offense, because Seattle's offense made plenty of mistakes that would have cost the team against other opponents.

Grade: C

Score: 24-9 loss vs. Detroit Lions

Stat Line: 28 of 50 for 228 yards, a touchdown and an interception

Every quarterback experiences at least one off-day during a long NFL season. The fact Baker Mayfield went from an MVP candidate through the first six weeks of play to struggling while facing the Lions' depleted secondary definitely surprised.

Built-in excuses existed with the Bucs' issues at right tackle and Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson taking full advantage of backup Charlie Heck being thrust into the lineup. Also, Tampa Bay's top target, Mike Evans, left the contest with the combination of a concussion and a broken clavicle.

Still, Mayfield found ways to overcome previously. The Bucs have been down multiple receivers for most of the campaign. This effort fell purely on the quarterback's shoulders.

Mayfield's accuracy failed him all evening. He outright missed throws that he made during previous contests. He didn't look comfortable in the pocket, either, playing with the type of frenetic energy that plagued the early portions of his career.

Grade: F

Score: 31-13 loss vs. New England Patriots

Stat Line: 25 of 34 for 255 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a fumble lost

Cam Ward admitted last week that the NFL is overwhelming.

"I think that's the biggest adjustment from college: There's more on my plate," he said, per The Athletic's Michael Silver. "A lot of stuff is reaction to the post-snap. … You can continue to learn it, but you're still gonna mess it up. That's the frustrating part for all of the rookies. It's all new to us. That's where it just messes with your mind."

After Brian Callahan's firing last week, Tennessee's remaining staff wanted to "simplify their offense" for Ward, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Initial returns weren't all that promising. Ward did complete a career-high 73.5 percent of his passes Sunday. At the same time, he still made critical mistakes, including a fumble that slipped out of his hand and turned into six points for the Patriots. His interception was the result of a poorly placed pass behind a wide receiver.

Callahan's firing came as a direct result of the Titans believing in their quarterback's potential. He still flashes some impressive traits in every game, but Ward must reach the point where the mistakes are minimized.

Grade: D

Score: 44-22 loss vs. Dallas Cowboys

Stat Line: (Daniels) 12 of 22 for 156 yards, a touchdown and a fumble lost, with eight carries for 35 yards and a score; (Mariota) four of 10 for 63 yards and an interception, with two carries for 34 yards

During Sunday's third quarter against the Cowboys, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels crumbled to the ground in clear pain after being sacked and fumbling the football.

The second-year signal-caller left the game with a hamstring injury and didn't return to the contest.

"He definitely wanted to go back in," head coach Dan Quinn told reporters.

Daniels is expected to undergo an MRI on Monday to ascertain the severity of the injury. The quarterback already missed time earlier this season because of a sprained knee. Washington split those two games.

With the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions next on the docket, the Commanders need their franchise quarterback in the lineup or the season could take a negative turn.

Grade: C (Game was already out of hand by the time Mariota entered the lineup.)