Jalen Hurts vs. Dak Prescott should be quite the showdown come Week 9 given how well both quarterbacks performed in Week 8. And Joe Burrow is looking more like Joe Cool again.

It’s hard to ignore Brock Purdy’s three-week slide, though. Plus, Jimmy Garoppolo tumbles down the charts.

Here’s my weekly look at how quarterbacks stand using traditional statistics like passer rating, along with advanced metrics like Expected Points Added per dropback, via TruMedia, to provide a number-based outlook of the state of the position.

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I’ll also give a sneak peek at the upcoming matchups using EPA per dropback for the quarterbacks and the defenses they will face in Week 9. A warning that there are plenty of unexpected names and question marks throughout that chart.

Nos. 1-8

We’ve come to expect high-level play from Tua Tagovailoa and he played like the MVP candidate that he is in the Miami Dolphins’ win over the New England Patriots. His Week 8 EPA rate essentially matched his overall season rate.

We can’t say the same thing for Purdy right now. His Week 8 numbers wouldn’t necessarily point to a poor game in the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. But neither interception looked great by the San Francisco 49ers passer and his passer ratings in the previous two weeks amid a three-game losing streak were 55.3 in the loss at the Cleveland Browns and 81.5 in the Week 7 loss at the Minnesota Vikings.

Josh Allen produced his best passer rating in the Buffalo Bills’ Week 8 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since his perfect 158.3 rate in Week 4 against the Dolphins. Allen leads the NFL in completion percentage at 71.7 percent, which is markedly better than his consecutive 63.3 percent rates in 2021 and 2022.

Patrick Mahomes wasn’t himself in Week 8 as he dealt with an illness leading up to — and during — the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Denver Broncos. Mahomes yielded the second-worst EPA rate and third-worst passer rating of his career in the Week 8 loss. He had only produced one negative EPA rate over the past two seasons (2023 Week 1 vs. Detroit Lions).

Justin Herbert halted a three-game slide during which he had amassed a 0.03 EPA rate and 75.9 passer rating. The Week 8 rates for the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback were both his second highest of the season (highest in Week 3 vs. Minnesota Vikings).

Prescott compiled a passer rating of at least 108.5 in three of the Dallas Cowboys’ last four games including his stellar play in the team’s Week 8 win against the Los Angeles Rams. In Dallas’ five wins this season, Prescott produced a 0.22 EPA rate and 111.8 passer rating. In the team’s two losses, he carried a -0.19 EPA rate and 63.4 passer rating.

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Hurts played one of the best games of his career in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 8 win over the Washington Commanders. He amassed the highest EPA rate and second-highest passer rating of his career as a starter. It might have been just about perfect overall had Hurts and the Eagles not botched a goal-line tush push (no effect on EPA per dropback as a designed run).

Injured right thumb or not, Matthew Stafford’s passer rating in the Rams’ Week 8 loss to the Cowboys ended up right around his season total, which isn’t great. It was his second-lowest EPA rate of the season, but only his fourth-lowest single-game passer rating.

Nos. 9-16

A pick-six put a damper on Jared Goff’s EPA rate even though the Detroit Lions cruised to a win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night. Goff’s numbers were certainly better than what he put up in last week’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens in which he posted a -0.23 EPA rate and 68.4 passer rating.

The Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud has been on a downslide in the last month. His EPA rates in each of the last four games: 0.45, 0.05, 0.03, -0.15. His passer ratings in each of the last five games: 118.8, 111.3, 88.9, 82.2, 81.9. Stroud did match his best completion percentage in the Week 8 loss to the Carolina Panthers at 66.7 percent.

This is just brutal for Kirk Cousins. He compiled his best EPA rate and second-best passer rating of the season in the team’s Week 8 win over the Green Bay Packers. The Minnesota Vikings have won three in a row and four of their last five games, but Cousins’ career with the team might be over after suffering an Achilles tendon injury Sunday as he’s playing in the final year of his contract. Rookie fifth-rounder Jaren Hall replaced Cousins and is in line to start this week even though the Vikings traded for the Arizona Cardinals’ Josh Dobbs on Tuesday.

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We all know a win is a win. And Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks have won five of their last six games. And Smith has produced lower EPA rates and passer ratings in his starting career in Seattle. But his 78.0 passer rating in Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns was his lowest in a win since posting a 65.7 passer rating in Week 18 last year. Plus, the Seahawks secured a lopsided Week 4 win over the New York Giants this season with Smith yielding a -0.49 EPA rate. But again, a win is a win.

Lamar Jackson’s Week 8 EPA rate (26th in Week 8) was disappointing despite the Ravens grinding out a win over the Arizona Cardinals. His rate was sunk in part by his 22.2 percent third-down conversion rate on passing attempts. Still, Jackson’s overall numbers remain better across the board than in recent memory, especially his career-best 70.5 completion percentage.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers seemingly go as far as Baker Mayfield can take them. The Bucs have lost four of their last five games. Mayfield has a combined -0.11 EPA rate and 76.4 passer rating in those four losses. In the team’s three wins this season, he’s tallied a 0.21 EPA rate and 108.6 passer rating.

Sunday marked another one of those odd-disparity games for the Broncos’ Russell Wilson with a big passer rating and not-so-big EPA rate in the team’s Week 8 win over the Chiefs. Six sacks and a 25 percent third-down passing conversion rate hindered Wilson’s EPA mark.

Nos. 17-24

Gardner Minshew has a combined -0.05 EPA rate and 78.0 passer rating in the last three games for the Indianapolis Colts. That won’t win many games. But it would be hard for any QB to help win games when a defense like the Colts has allowed 38 points per game in the last three weeks.

At this point, the Green Bay Packers may be pondering their future options at quarterback. In Jordan Love’s last five games, he’s compiled a -0.14 EPA rate and 66.6 passer rating. The Packers scored 20 points or more once in that span. Good thing Green Bay didn’t panic and give Love a long-term deal this offseason.

Jimmy Garoppolo endured one of the steepest one-week falls I’ve seen in a minute. The Raiders quarterback entered Week 8 ranked ninth in EPA rate. Falling 10 spots near the midpoint of the season shows just how awful his Monday night was against the Lions. In his return from a back injury, Garoppolo yielded the worst EPA of his starting career in Week 8. It was also his third-worst passer rating as a starter. It didn’t help that he faced pressure on 60.7 percent of his dropbacks.

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The New Orleans Saints offense finally seems to be getting its act together with Derek Carr at quarterback. He produced his highest passer rating in Week 8 since Week 6 of the 2021 season. It was also his best EPA rate since Week 7 of last season. He completed 70 percent of his passes for only the second time this season in the win over the Colts.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are riding a five-game win streak and Trevor Lawrence has yielded a 100.0 passer rating or better in four of those five games. Lawrence has been pretty consistent within those games, posting a 0.04 EPA rate, 100.2 passer rating and 70.9 completion percentage during the streak.

There’s something there with the Washington Commanders’ Sam Howell. It hasn’t translated into many wins, though. In Weeks 4-6 and 8, Howell amassed a 0.11 EPA rate, 107.0 passer rating and 71.3 completion percentage. But the Commanders have lost five of their last six games.

The dwindling theme for Dobbs largely continued, even though his Week 8 rates were the best he’s seen in the last four games. Not super encouraging, I know. In Weeks 5-8, Dobbs yielded a -0.24 EPA rate, 65.5 passer rating and 55.9 completion percentage. And now he’ll try to find his way to becoming the Vikings’ starter. Meanwhile, rookie Clayton Tune is expected to start this week for the Cardinals.

It doesn’t seem like Justin Fields will be ready in Week 9 for the Chicago Bears with the right thumb injury. Tyson Bagent came back to earth against the Chargers after posting a surprising 0.19 EPA rate and 97.2 passer rating in Chicago’s win over the Raiders in Week 7.

Congrats, Joe Burrow. You climbed out of the bottom quadrant of the EPA rankings! The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback appeared to emerge after a Week 7 bye with his full mojo back. He compiled his best passer rating since Week 7 last season during the team’s win over the 49ers. Burrow also posted a single-game career-high 87.5 completion percentage in Week 8.

Nos. 25-32

Is one impressive game by 2023 second-rounder Will Levis enough to supplant the injured Ryan Tannehill as the Tennessee Titans’ starter? In his first career start, Levis ripped off a 130.5 passer rating (fifth in Week 8) and 0.13 EPA rate (10th) in the Titans’ win over the Atlanta Falcons.

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There may be no turning back for the Atlanta Falcons after they benched Desmond Ridder for Taylor Heinicke in the team’s Week 8 loss to the Titans. Heinicke produced a 0.30 EPA rate (sixth in Week 8) and 100.3 passer rating in the second half after replacing Ridder.

Bryce Young helped nail down his first win as an NFL QB in the Panthers’ Week 8 win over the Texans. Young’s EPA rate wasn’t great, but he compiled the best passer rating of his young career in the victory.

The one-week positive blip for Mac Jones ended in Week 8 against the Dolphins after another sluggish outing. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Kenny Pickett left again with an injury amid another subpar performance in the loss to the Jaguars. Pickett said this week that he’ll be ready to play Thursday against the Titans, though.

The New York Jets’ Zach Wilson lives the never-ending story at the bottom of the EPA rankings, while the New York Giants QBs threw for 7 yards in Week 8. Seven.

And Deshaun Watson watched P.J. Walker produce his highest single-game passer rating of the season with a 59.6 rate in the Browns’ loss to the Seahawks.

Week 9 defense vs. QB EPA matchups

*Injury question marks surrounding these quarterbacks.

GO DEEPER

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(Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images))

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