Ramalytics: Through two weeks, NFC West features three top 10 QB’s

Kyler Murray, Geno Smith, and Brock Purdy all rank within PFF’s top 7 QB’s

It’s still early in the 2024 NFL season, but already there are some trends that have turned the league upside down. Through two weeks the New Orleans Saints look unstoppable with a brick wall offensive line and Derek Carr under center. The Carolina Panthers have already benched former number one overall pick Bryce Young.

Another early takeaway that should surprise many: the NFC West features three top 10 quarterbacks and the one left out is the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals is the top graded quarterback in all the NFL at 93.2. Seattle Seahawks signal caller Geno Smith ranks third (83.9) after Murray and Carr. At seventh overall is the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy at a 77.2 offensive grade.

The lone man out at this point is Stafford, who ranks 28th of 33 passers with at least 19 drop backs so far this season. With the Rams at 0-2 and set to square off against their rival 49ers this weekend, the balance of the NFC West appears to be shifting. If LA doesn’t come away with a win this weekend they could find themselves looking forward to next year before 2024 ever got into full swing.

Let’s take a look at what each of the NFC West signal callers are doing to standout this year:

Kyler Murray, Cardinals – 1st

Murray leads the NFL in big-time throws with seven. The next closest is Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins with five, and there are a slew of QB’s with four though two games. The resurgent quarterback only has a single turnover-worthy play and has yet to throw an interception. Murray has PFF’s third-highest run grade for quarterbacks behind Josh Allen and Tagovailoa.

When Murray is playing at his best, he’s one of the league’s top playmakers. It’s just been a few years since we’ve seen him perform at this level.

Stat line:

38/52 (73.1% completion) for 428 yards, four TD’s, zero INT’s, 122.9 passer rating

116 rushing yards, five sacks, one fumble

Geno Smith, Seahawks – 3rd

Smith ranks just behind Murray at fourth in terms of PFF run grade. He’s also yet to fumble and has posted a fumble grade of 84.8. While Smith has thrown an interception, PFF has not credited him with a turnover-worthy play—which suggests his lone turnover was more bad luck than his own fault. He has two big-time throws.

Seattle receivers have dropped five passes from Smith, which is the third-highest figure behind Deshaun Watson with the Cleveland Browns and Daniel Jones of the New York Giants. Smith’s adjusted completion percentage ranks third at 84.8% behind Carr and Malik Willis (average depth of target of 5.6).

Stat line:

51/69 (73.9% completion) for 498 yards, three TD’s, one INT, 97.4 passer rating

38 rushing yards, five sacks, zero fumbles

Brock Purdy, 49ers – 7th

Purdy leads the NFL in passing yards through two weeks with 231 coming in Week 1 versus the New York Jets and another 319 in his last game against the Minnesota Vikings. Brian Flores’ Minnesota defense sacked Purdy six times en route to a 17-23 surprise win over San Francisco.

Like Smith, Purdy has been credited with two big-time throws. However, Purdy has put the ball in harm’s way with three turnover-worthy plays. His stats have been assisted by only a single drop by his receivers.

Stat line:

47/65 (72.3% completion) for 550 yards, one TD, one INT, 96.3 passer rating

23 rushing yards, eight sacks, one fumble

Matthew Stafford, Rams – 28th

Stafford is playing behind LA’s makeshift line as the unit has been derailed by injuries. While the veteran QB isn’t the sole reason why the Rams have disappointed so far to start the year, he certainly doesn’t seem to be helping matters right now.

Stafford’s four turnover-worthy plays ranks behind only Jalen Hurts (six), Anthony Richardson, and Caleb Williams (both have five). This suggests Stafford has actually had some turnover luck as PFF is effectively saying he should have two more than he currently has.

Some cause for concern is the fact that Stafford has the fifth-lowest average depth of target (ADOT) at 6.4 yards but ranks just 15th in adjusted completion percentage at 77.0%. Usually quarterbacks with a shorter depth of target will be accurate at a higher rate of their passes.

For example, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs has the shortest ADOT currently and has an adjusted completion rate of 82.0%. Gardner Minshew and Malik Willis are at 5.6 ADOT with 83.6% and 85.7% adjusted completion, respectively. Stafford compares more closely with Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, who has an adjusted completion of 78.4% on an ADOT of 5.2 yards. It’s not great to be in the same company as a rookie who’s more known for his running ability at this point.

Stafford’s lack of running skills is probably hurting the Los Angeles offense while the offensive line is struggling in pass protection. The veteran has not posted a single rushing yard through two games, and was pushed out of bounds for a loss in an attempt to run for a first down in Arizona.

Stat line:

53/76 (69.7% completion) for 533 yards, one TD, one INT, 88.3 pass rating

Zero rushing yards, seven sacks, one fumble