Sam Darnold’s Week 12 performance raises a burning question: is he wired to crumble under pressure when the spotlight hits?.QQ

It’s not every week that Jacoby Brissett leads the NFL in passing yards (just ahead of Bryce Young) — or that Brissett sets an NFL record for completions. But it’s Week 11 and things are starting to get weird. Let’s lean into the unusual performances — the ones where the stats belie what’s actually happening. Let’s dive beneath the surface-level box scores.

In these QB rankings, I’m focused on monitoring the fluctuations of a quarterback’s performance throughout the season. No one — not even Matthew Stafford — is safe at the top. No one — not even Justin Fields — is stuck at the bottom. There is room for quick ascent — and rapid decline. One question holds most important: What have you done for your team lately?

#1 Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams

#2 Drake Maye

New England Patriots

#3 Josh Allen

Previously ranked: 8

Buffalo Bills

#4 Jordan Love

Previously ranked: 7

Green Bay Packers

In his past three games, Love has averaged 207.7 passing yards, 0.6 touchdowns and 0.6 interceptions while completing 60.8% of his throws. Over that span, coach Matt LaFleur fielded a question about whether he feels he’s playing for his job. Over that span, the Packers are 1-2.

Over that span, I remain rooted in my belief that Love is among the NFL’s best quarterbacks.

He is a microcosm of counting stats versus advanced stats. Because as ugly as those numbers are above, he sits tied atop the NFL in EPA/play (alongside Drake Maye). I’m not saying the Packers are going to make the deep playoff run that many expected following the Micah Parsons trade. I’m just saying that Love is a major part of why they’re still winning games.

This isn’t the guy who was missing easy throws like he did last year. His incompletions are, on occasion, more impressive than most middling QB’s completions. Watch the game. Not the box score. You’ll have a great time watching Love.

#5 Dak Prescott

Previously ranked: 11

Dallas Cowboys

#6 Baker Mayfield

Previously ranked: 5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

#7 Lamar Jackson

Previously ranked: 3

Baltimore Ravens

#8 Jared Goff

Previously ranked: 4

Detroit Lions

He completed 37.8% of his passes for … 255 yards?

There are a lot of parts about this game that feel inexplicable — and hard to reconcile in terms of analyzing where the Lions go from here. But let’s start with a few truths from this game:

1. Goff looked hurried on the vast majority of his dropbacks and it had catastrophic results. Against pressure, the Lions QB was 1 of 14 for a 40-yard touchdown, per Next Gen Stats. He had a completion percentage over expected of -33.6% (against pressure).
2. Receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams each had at least one drop that ended drives.
3. Cornerback Cooper DeJean did a very, very nice job in coverage against St. Brown.
4. The Eagles’ defensive line batted five passes at the line of scrimmage.
5. The weather was cold and blustery, which are notoriously difficult conditions for Goff.

So … now what?

There are elements of this game that the Lions can address — and then turn into an outlier. The Eagles seemed to get unsustainably lucky (with all the tipped passes) and the Lions got unlucky (with drops).

There was one element they cannot chalk up as an outlier: Goff’s issue with pressure is a common theme this year. And frankly, every year.

It’s one thing for a quarterback to struggle under pressure. Patrick Mahomes does. Tom Brady did. Every QB does. It’s another thing for that pressure to single-handedly take down the offense. That’s what happened Sunday night for the Lions.

This year is worse than other years for Goff.

In 2025, Goff has completed 45.8% of his passes (44/96) against pressure. His completion percentage over expected is -5.1%, his EPA per dropback is -.48 and his success percentage is 31.1%. Those are all career lows against pressure. To make matters worse, the Lions are surrendering pressure on 35.5% of Goff’s dropbacks, the second-highest rate of his Detroit tenure. More or less, there’s more pressure than ever and he’s handling it worse than ever.

It will be on head coach Dan Campbell — who’s doubling as the offensive playcaller — to figure out how to 1) help his OL prevent pressure and then 2) help Goff handle that pressure more comfortably. 

Because it might just be the Lions offense’s single biggest problem.

#9 Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs

#10 Daniel Jones

Indianapolis Colts

#11 Caleb Williams

Previously ranked: 14

Chicago Bears

#12 Brock Purdy

San Francisco 49ers

What quarterback controversy?

Purdy did what Purdy is supposed to do — feed his playmakers. No turnovers. Three touchdowns. And a completion percentage over expected of +7%. 

Squeaky clean efficiency — so clean that there might not be any mention of Mac Jones until the offseason, when he’ll inevitably get entrenched in trade rumors.

For the first time in what feels like forever, Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle are healthy at the same time. So is wideout Ricky Pearsall. We’re just waiting for fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk — but don’t hold your breath (and it probably won’t matter that much). Purdy looked like the quick-thinking, quick-moving point guard that the 49ers have needed. That’s not even the best news. The best news is that, even without him for the bulk of the season, they’re 7-4 and have an 87% chance of making the postseason, per the New York Times simulator. 

The pressure is off Purdy. The team is healthy. (And both things are important because the pressure to carry the team proved too much for Purdy last year.) 

Things are actually looking up for San Francisco. At this time last year, I wondered if the 49ers’ championship window was closing. At this time last year, people wondered if coach Kyle Shanahan and/or GM John Lynch might end up somewhere else in 2027, whether by trade or otherwise. (And then Purdy would probably get displaced, too.)

Nope. Not happening.

This isn’t to say it’s going to be all roses and the 49ers are going to win the Super Bowl. But it’s refreshing to see the 49ers’ best players healthy and playing together. We’ll perhaps see what this 2025 club is really made of in the final three weeks of the season, when the Niners close out at Indianapolis, and then at home versus the Bears and the Seahawks. We’ll know then whether they can make a deep run in the NFC.