NFL Quarterback Rankings: Gardner Minshew rockets into top 20 and Deshaun Watson among the elite after week six

Let's rank quarterbacks! The last time we were here was after week one, when Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson were coming off perfect openers and Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Cam Newton were still alive.

The QB injury gods have been cruel this season, and it means we're left with quite a strange list here. I've included only each team's current starting quarterback - so Teddy Bridgewater for the Saints, for example, and Kyle Allen for the Panthers. The result is several QBs whose performances probably deserve a fall in the rankings actually rise. Jameis Winston should be counting his lucky stars.

So let's get to it. Here is the state of the collective NFL quarterback room after six weeks...

32. Josh Rosen (Miami Dolphins) - NR

I feel sorry for Josh Rosen. His short NFL career has essentially consisted of being flung headfirst into the mouths of dragons and then being lambasted for getting burnt. Is he actually any good? It's still impossible to say, and we may never get to find out - Ryan Fitzpatrick is set to start against the Bills on Sunday.

31. Chase Daniel (Chicago Bears) - NR

Statistically Chase Daniel has not been that bad this season, but when you watch him he's bad enough that he makes you will Mitchell Trubisky back to pull fitness. The Bears should have beaten the Raiders in London but Daniel threw a horrible interception which killed the game, and left his team with a long, miserable flight back to Chicago.

30. Mason Rudolph (Pittsburgh Steelers) - NR

Rudolph has cleared concussion protocol after that scary hit that left him out cold on the field against the Ravens, which means the Steelers should be able to open up their offense a little more than they could with Devlin Hodges, who came into the season as their fourth-stringer and started in the defense-led win over the Chargers.

29. Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) - down 1

Allen's picks (seven) currently outweigh his touchdown passes (five), but that may be a symptom of Allen's entire career - he's always going to be a bit cavalier with the ball, it's how he plays. Slightly concerning is how he's not rushed for more than 50 yards in a game yet this season - his athletic ability was what made him stand out in his rookie year.

28. Case Keenum (Washington Redskins) - down 1

Dropped by Jay Gruden, brought back in by stopgap Bill Callahan... it doesn't exactly instill a huge amount of confidence, does it? This is Keenum's destiny now, to be shipped across the NFL year after year to play a few games while a rookie develops, before being benched and the process starting all over again.

27. Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans) - NR

Tannehill was certainly an upgrade over Marcus Mariota during the second half against the Broncos, but I don't see him as an upgrade long-term, and definitely not as the Titans' answer at the position. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Hawaiian back in before season's end, nor would I be surprised if Tennessee went searching for their new No 1 in the 2020 draft.

26. Kyle Allen (Carolina Panthers) - NR

Allen is the only quarterback to ever win his first five NFL starts without throwing an interception. The Carolina offense is largely being carried by McCaffrey but Allen is doing exactly what is required of him with Cam Newton still sidelined indefinitely with a foot injury, though does have a big problem with fumbles. The fact questions are being asked about whether he might keep the job when Newton is back is testament to how he's played.

25. Daniel Jones (New York Giants) - NR

Last Thursday night was a bit of a reality check for Jones. To be fair, no rookie quarterback has ever beaten Bill Belichick's Patriots in Foxborough, and without his top two running backs and a receiver corps that basically consisted of Golden Tate and nothing more it would have been a miracle if Jones had smashed apart that stat. Still, he's had a very encouraging start - and is showing why you shouldn't judge a draft pick before he's even played an NFL snap.

24. Joe Flacco (Denver Broncos) - down 3

Flacco has not been the reason the Broncos have stunk this season - that, surprisingly most of that has been on the defense - but he doesn't make them better either. I'm not sure his starting role will last much longer than a season, if that, with second-rounder Drew Lock waiting in the wings.

23. Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) - up 7

Murray's 126 completions were the most ever by a quarterback in their first five NFL games, and he's starting to show a bit of that dual-threat ability, rushing for 93 yards and a score in the win over the Bengals. It's early days, but it looks like the Cardinals made the right decision in dipping back into the QB market to make Murray their guy.

22. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - up 3

Let's be clear, there is no way Winston deserves this leap. I mean, he just threw five - yes, five - interceptions against the Panthers in London, including a hilariously tone-setting pick on the very first play of the game. Winston was actually on a nice three-game stretch before that horror show, but this is too often the case with him. You can't have a franchise quarterback who loses you games on his own, and that's part of the Jameis Winston Experience.

21. Teddy Bridgewater (New Orleans Saints) - NR

It was great to see Bridgewater have the best game of his Saints career against the Buccaneers in week five, and it was great to see the New Orleans fans respond accordingly. He was throwing deep far more often than we're used to - with accuracy too - and it resulted in a monster day for Michael Thomas and a comfortable victory. He followed it up with another solid performance against the Jags in week six. Is he anything more than a great backup at this stage? Maybe not, but the Saints have won four on the bounce with him at QB, and that's all you can ask of a deputy.

20. Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts) - up 9

Brissett jumps massively through nothing more than being Solid with a capital S. I think he's earned himself at least another season in the job. At 3-2 he's helped ensure the Colts are in a position where winning the AFC South is entirely possible - probably the best they could have ever hoped for when Andrew Luck retired - and his 10-3 TD-INT ratio will make Frank Reich feel warm and fuzzy inside.

19. Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) - up 3

Infamously crowned the prime meridian of NFL quarterbacks by the Around the NFL podcast many years ago, nothing has ever really changed since for Dalton. You know what you're getting from him, and what you're getting is invariably pretty meh.

18. Sam Darnold (New York Jets) - up 6

Luke Falk was been nothing short of horrible. To be fair, it's hard to blame him - he's a third-string quarterback who should not really been in this situation. Still, he's failed to throw a touchdown pass in three appearances for a Jets offense which had fewer yards from scrimmage than Christian McCaffrey by himself through five weeks. Thankfully Darnold returned from his teenage kissing illness at the weekend and did it with fireworks, downing the Cowboys to give New York their first win of the season. Franchise saviour? He just might be.

17. Gardner Minshew (Jacksonville Jaguars) - up 15

Minshew has been something of a revelation, to the point where the Jaguars now have a genuine dilemma over what to do when Nick Foles is back fit. If Minshew keeps rolling like he is I think you have to stick with him. The rookie sixth-rounder is playing like a top 10 QB by almost all metrics, has swagger and is clearly a guy the team find it easy to rally around. He looks poised in the pocket, is great with his legs and has shown he can make all the throws. The real deal.

16. Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers) - up 4

The Niners are absolutely soaring at 5-0, which is why it's surprising Garoppolo has been nothing more than decent so far this season. He's largely been accurate, with a completion percentage just shy of 70 - but not that explosive. Most of that has come from the running game and a defense which is playing like lighting.

15. Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) - up 4

Carr has been exactly what you expect through the Raiders' first five games. His 73.3 per cent completion rate is first in the league, but he's averaging just 6.9 yards per attempt, which puts him comfortably in the bottom third. Likely to be overtaken by the likes of Minshew and Darnold if they continue progressing.

14. Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns) -

Mayfield was shocking against the 49ers on Monday Night Football, completing eight of 22 for just 100 yards, a measly average of 4.5 yards per attempt, no touchdowns and two interceptions (one of those was entirely the fault of Antonio Calloway, it should be noted). The 13.4 passer rating though? That's on Baker. He clearly has talent, but this hasn't been a good season so far, and his 18 interceptions since he entered the league last season are the most of any QB.

13. Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings) - up 5

Cousins has been much maligned again this season, but his 108.4 passer rating is third in the league behind just Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes. That doesn't tell the whole story - the Vikings have essentially been a run-first offense this year, and Cousins wasn't able to pull anything out the bag when called upon to try and win the game against the Bears - but the last two weeks have been better. He's rekindled his relationship with both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs to dice up the Giants and Eagles. A different prospect at home and on the road, just like the Vikings as a whole.

12. Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams) - up 4

My own personal Jury is still out on Goff as a high-end NFL quarterback. He's only had one genuinely good game this season, the 27-9 win over the Saints in week two, and has failed three times in the last three weeks to pull the Rams out of tough situations in games where they've fallen behind. The result? 3-3, and a fairly distant third place in the NFC West.

11. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) - up 4

Jackson started the season like the very early second coming of Patrick Mahomes, before settling down a little, and then blowing up in the run game against the Bengals last weekend. Jackson rushed for a devastating 152 yards and a touchdown from 19 attempts, and Cincinnati simply had no answer for him. That's the threat Jackson will always carry - he's the most dangerous dual-threat QB in the league, and it's not even very close.

10. Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) - down 1

Wentz has been pretty clean, with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions from six games, but he's also not pushing the ball downfield as much as you might like. That's probably in-part down to his depleted receiver corps, and his prime deep threat DeSean Jackson being sidelined with an abdominal injury since week two. Indeed, Wentz averaged eight yards per attempt in week one, when Jackson went for 154 yards and two scores, and is on just 6.5 since.

9. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) - up 1

Prescott - like the Cowboys as a whole - has cooled off a little over the last three weeks. It looked as though he was steamrolling towards that monster new contract he's been asking for. After that shocking loss to the Jets a return to form against the Eagles this weekend is almost a must.

8. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) - up 5

Stafford is currently having the best year of his career and you never know, it may just be enough to drag the Lions out of the most crowded division in football. The biggest change is that he's pushing the ball downfield more often - and with more success - and it's turned Detroit into a dynamic offense which has become one of the most fun to watch in the NFL. Most impressively, Stafford outshone Patrick Mahomes in the narrow week four loss to the Chiefs. There may not be higher praise.

7. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) - up 5

This big jump is mostly down to injuries to other quarterbacks, but Ryan has been good in a season where the Falcons really have not. He is not the reason this team are floundering at 1-5, and still looks every bit a top class franchise quarterback whenever he steps on the field.

6. Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers) - up 1

Rivers had a stinker against the Broncos - one of his worst games in years - and was careless with the ball against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football, but has married those poor performances with three good ones, in what has been a very topsy turvy and, to be honest, very Chargery season.

5. Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - up 1

Deshaun Watson is elite. If you didn't believe that before it's hard not to after the way he straight up terrorised the Falcons in week five. Watson ripped off 426 and five touchdowns at an average of 12.9 yards per attempt, rushed for a further 47 yards and finished with a perfect passer rating. Not only that, but he broke down how he did it in exquisite detail in his post-match press conference. What a dude. How'd he follow that up? Only by besting Patrick Fricking Mahomes in week six. Respect.

4. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) -

I think the brilliance of Mahomes has stopped people from talking a little bit about how outstanding Rodgers is. The Packers offense hasn't been all that exciting under Matt The Flower yet this season, but A-Rod is still A-Rod, even if he's not grabbing as many headlines as he's used to. One surprising fact: Aaron Jones the same amount of touchdowns as Rodgers through six weeks. I don't think that will take too long to change.

3. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) - up 2

Wilson's season so far has been nothing short of exceptional, and he fully deserves his spot in the top three at the very least. His 124.7 passer rating is the best in the league, his 72.5 completion percentage is second only to Carr and on track to be a career best, he's averaging nine yards per attempt - third in the NFL and also a career best, and he's thrown for 1,704 yards over six games with 14 touchdowns and no picks. The way he led the Seahawks to that huge victory over the Rams shows what a character Wilson is - a man you can rely on in high pressure situations. Based on this season alone he would pip Patrick Mahomes to the No 1 spot.

2. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) -

There are a few murmerings of concern about the Patriots' offense, but I think they are mostly unfounded. Brady sliced apart what is still a good Steelers defense in week one, and has made light work of admittedly sub-par competition ever since. His only real struggle came against the Bills, where he looked about as bad as it's possible for Tom Brady to look against a formidable unit, and his connection with Josh Gordon requires work, but Brady is still right at the very top at age 42.

1. Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) -

Mahomes hasn't been quite at his usual stratospheric level over the few two weeks, but he was still able to make ridiculous throws like this without breaking a sweat. His 2,104 passing yards are, unsurprisingly, first in the NFL, and he has just one interception from 230 pass attempts. It's hard to see anything but injury knocking him off his perch.