Hurts Still A Top 10 NFL QB

by Marc Narducci | Aug 21, 2026

Before last season, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was coming off an MVP performance in a 40-22 Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Based on his track record as a winner, he was ranked as the No. 3 quarterback in our list of Top 10 NFL quarterbacks. Last year both Hurts and the Eagles slipped, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers.

As we do our QB rankings prior to the 2026 season, Hurts drops, but remains in the Top 10. Here are our Top 10 QBs entering the 2026 season. As you’ll see, we put a lot of emphasis on how the player has performed in the postseason.

1.Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City. Mahomes is coming off his worst season, plus he is recovering from a torn ACL, but he still gets the benefit of the doubt at No. 1. He hasn’t had the best receiving corps the past few years. Still, Mahomes is 17-4 in the playoffs with three Super Bowl championships. He must improve greatly from last year to remain at the top.

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo. Nobody has more natural talent than Allen, a major dual threat, but is somebody who hasn’t always come through in the postseason. He has an 8-7 playoff record. Allen has won at least one playoff game in six consecutive years, but he is also prone to turning the ball over.

3. Matthew Stafford, LA Rams. Last year’s NFL MVP, Stafford threw 46 touchdown passes and eight interceptions in the regular season. He had six TD passes and one interception in three playoff games last year. A sore back in the preseason threatened his season last year, but Stafford didn’t miss a game. At 38, he remains at the top of his game, and the only question is whether he can stay healthy.

4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati. One of the most dynamic passers, the main question is one of durability for Burrow. He missed nine games last year and seven in 2023. Like Mahomes, Burrow has to return to the prior form to remain highly ranked. He has been to the postseason twice in his first six seasons and has a 5-2 record.

5. Sam Darnold, Seattle. Darnold has performed at a high level in each of the last two years, with Minnesota and last year leading Seattle to a Super Bowl championship. His teams were 28-6 in the past two regular seasons and Darnold has compiled a 100.9 passer rating with 60 TDs and 26 interceptions. He still has too many turnovers, but has shown with a strong supporting cast, that he can be a winner.

6. Jalen Hurts, Eagles. Granted, Hurts must run more to be more effective and keep defenses more honest, but even in a so-called off-season last year he threw 25 TDs and six interceptions. In his five years as a full-time starter, he had his lowest number of rushing attempts last year(105) and averaged 4.0 yards while rushing for eight touchdowns. The Eagles have reached the playoffs in each of his five seasons as a starter. Hurts has a 6-4 postseason record with 11 TD passes and three interceptions. He has 10 rushing postseason TDs, five in each season the Eagles reached the Super Bowl. Hurts will need to improve over last season, but that can be said of many of the QBs in this Top 10.

7. Dak Prescott, Dallas. Prescott had a great year last season with 30 TD passes and 10 interceptions. He must improve his postseason performance. Prescott hasn’t competed in the playoffs since 2023 and has just a 2-5 postseason record.

8. Justin Herbert, San Diego. Granted, he played behind a banged up offensive line and took his lumps last year, but Herbert has to start producing in the postseason. He is 0-3 in the playoffs with just a 64.3 passer rating, two touchdowns and four interceptions. At 28, he is the same age as Hurts.

9. Drake Maye, New England. Second to Stafford in the MVP voting, Maye had a terrible postseason. There was speculation that Maye was hurt in the postseason, but he never made any excuses. Yes, New England made it to the Super Bowl, but the defense carried the team. Maye had six TD passes and four interceptions in the four playoff games with an 82.2 passer rating. Now it will be interesting the impact former Eagles receiver AJ Brown will have on Maye and the passing game.

10. Caleb Williams, Chicago. He still misses too many easy throws, but Williams might have been the NFL’s most improved quarterback after a rough rookie season. Having Ben Johnson as head coach made a world of difference. Williams threw 29 TD passes and 12 interceptions while playing all 17 games. He rushed for 388 yards (5.0 avg.) and three scores and like Hurts, could be even a bigger threat in the run game.

Courtesy of Philadelphia Eagles

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Author: Marc Narducci

Hurts Still A Top 10 NFL QB

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