Ranking all 32 NFL starting quarterbacks by Week 1 QBR: Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield jump out in front; Deshaun Watson plummets

Admin September 10, 2024

All 32 NFL starting quarterbacks got a chance to show off their stuff for the first time in 2024 during Week 1, but not all performances were created equal.

Several top quarterbacks returned to their dominant ways once again as the season began. A few rookies made their regular season debuts under center as well, showing off how well their talent translates at the next level.

Some starters who have struggled in the past actually surprised fans with how well they played to begin 2024. On the flip side, there were several signal-callers who entered the season with low expectations and didn’t do anything to prove doubters wrong.

USA TODAY has ranked all 32 starters from Week 1 by ESPN’s QBR metric.

NFL POWER RANKINGS: Settled Cowboys soar while battered Packers don’t feel the (Jordan) Love

ESPN’s QBR explained

Every week, ESPN gives each quarterback a QBR (quarterback rating) for their latest performance. According to ESPN, the rating is intended to “incorporate all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties.”

QBR measures each play’s degree of success and how much credit the quarterback deserves for the play. The statistic also takes into account the strength of opposing defenses faced. The final result is an efficiency rating as a number on a 0-to-100 point scale. The cumulative rating is averaged out on a per-play basis across the course of the season.

WEEK 1 WINNERS, LOSERS: Lions get gritty in crunch time vs. Rams