QB Stock Market Week 13: Drake Maye is Taking All the Right Risks and Jalen Hurts Isn't

Here comes the playoff push. It’s go-time for the quarterbacks, whose shoulders will bear the weight and pressure that come with the final stretch before the postseason. Let’s take a look around the league at how these guys are performing.

In these quarterback 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 J.J. McCarthy — 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?

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I’ll just deliver some statistics that contextualize how rough it’s been for McCarthy. To make matters worse, he suffered a concussion last week and will miss time. If backup QB Max Brosmer is at all competent, he might just end up taking over — maybe for the rest of the season.

But again, to the stats:

There’s a way for McCarthy to recover from all this. But it would be against all odds. He has processing problems and throwing motion problems that could take multiple offseasons to fix.

With Michael Penix out for the season and Kirk Cousins a cut candidate this offseason, will the Falcons prioritize taking another QB in the 2026 draft? (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

With Bryce Young enduring another uneven season, should the Panthers exercise his fifth-year option this offseason? (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

There was a lot to celebrate from this game. Despite his circumstances, Ward is taking steps forward as a passer and operator of his offense. It’s a miracle that Ward hasn’t taken a step back as a player. (Just look at what happened to