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THE QB INDEX

Cousins - Hurts - Shough - Williams, ranked every week, rest of season
"Welcome to the party, pal."
Week 7 board - refreshed Mon Oct 19, 6:40am PT: Caleb jumps to #2 after the 305-yard return - updates Thu / Sun / Mon mornings through the season
Monday 6:40am: Week 6 final - CHI 31-23 at ATL, LV 30-33 vs BUF, NO 34-27 at NYG, CAR 25-14 at PHI. New order: 1 Cousins, 2 Caleb, 3 Shough, 4 Hurts (IR). Caleb (30/36, 305, 111.2 rating, 0 INT) passes Shough (16/30, 144) for #2. Week 7: CHI hosts NE Thursday night; NO plays PIT in Paris at 6:30am PT Sunday; LV hosts the Rams; McKee leads PHI vs DAL on Monday night.

This Week's Order - Week 7

#1 Kirk Cousins ★LV 3-3 vs LAR - Sun Oct 25, 1:25pm PT - LAR -5.5 - O/U 46.5 - implied 20.5 pts Still first on the season pattern: 313 yards and 2 TD in a 33-30 loss to Buffalo where the comeback fell three points short. Caleb beat his week, but one game back from a month out does not erase the steadiest line of the four (14 TD, 5 INT).⚠ Clean again: not on the report⚠ Jeanty played; Thornton (hamstring) out
Last game (W5): 19/28, 243 yds, 1 TD/0 INT, 3 sacks - 106.7 passer rating, 67.9 QBR - L 17-45 at NE. Mendoza made his debut in garbage time (6/8, 48 yds)
Through W5: 112/172, 1,269 yds, 12 TD/4 INT, 8 sacks; LV 3-2
  • Sunday: 23/41, 313 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 86.7 rating in the 33-30 loss to Buffalo. The pick and a 41-attempt day are the first real dents, but the season line is still the cleanest of the four.
  • No designation again and no injury news out of the Bills game. Jeanty played; Thornton (hamstring) remains out. The Wednesday report is the next check.
  • The Rams are 5.5-point favorites in Vegas, 46.5 total, implying about 20.5 for LV - the market expects another chase game. (Opponent FPI was unavailable Monday morning; using the market line as the check.)
  • The risk is volume masking: 313 yards on 41 attempts with a pick is fine in a shootout, but at 3-3 the defense keeps putting him in chase mode, and the Rams are a real defense.
  • Order impact: holds #1 on pattern. Caleb passes him with another clean, efficient win Thursday night against New England.
Next three: W6 vsBUF (-1.1) - W7 vsLAR (+2.7) - W8 @NYJ (-1.4), current FPI (Oct 12)
#2 Caleb Williams CHI 4-2 vs NE - Thu Oct 22, 5:15pm PT (TNF) - CHI -3 - O/U 49.5 - implied 26.3 pts Up to second. The return was real: 30/36, 305 yards, 111.2 rating, no turnovers in a road win at Atlanta, and he says the hamstring feels good. Now the short week: New England on Thursday night.⚠ Hamstring "feels good" after the win⚠ Short week: TNF vs New England
Last game played (W2): Sept 20 vs MIN, hamstring injury; has not played since
W5 (did not play): Keenum 11/19, 108 yds, 0 TD/1 INT; Bagent 12/21, 87 yds, 0 TD/2 INT; CHI lost 7-31 at GB and is 3-2
  • Sunday: 30/36 (83%), 305 yards, 8.5 Y/A, 1 TD, 0 INT, 111.2 rating in the 31-23 win at Atlanta. Four sacks taken, but the month-long layoff showed nowhere.
  • Bears Wire: the hamstring "feels good" after the win. The risk now is the calendar - Thursday night football on four days of rest after a Grade 2 hamstring and a month out.
  • Chicago is a 3-point home favorite vs New England, 49.5 total, implying about 26.3. (Opponent FPI was unavailable Monday morning; using the market line as the check.)
  • The spot is good: home field, a short-rest Patriots team traveling, and a line that moved toward Chicago with him confirmed back. The Bears are 4-2 and alone in first in the division race for now.
  • Order impact: another clean, efficient game Thursday and he takes #1 from Cousins. A hamstring setback on the short week is the one thing that sends him back down.
Next three: W6 @ATL (-0.8) - W7 vsNE (+1.1) - W8 @SEA (+2.7), current FPI (Oct 12)
#3 Tyler Shough NO 2-4 vs PIT (Paris) - Sun Oct 25, 6:30am PT - PIT -2.5 - O/U 43.5 - implied 20.5 pts Down to third, passed by Caleb. The win matters - 34-27 at the Giants ends the three-game skid, with 3 TD and no turnovers - but 144 yards on 4.8 per attempt is still the thinnest passing day of the four.⚠ 3 TD, 0 INT in the win - first since Week 2⚠ Paris game: 6:30am PT Sunday kickoff
Last game (W5): 16/25, 96 yds, 0 TD/2 INT, 1 sack - 38.1 passer rating, 41.1 QBR, 3.8 yards per attempt; blitzed on 16 of 25 dropbacks per PFF - L 13-23 vs MIN
Through W5: 9 pass TD, 5 INT; NO 1-4 and 142 total yards Sunday
  • Sunday: 16/30, 144 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 99.9 rating in the 34-27 win at the Giants. Short fields and the run game did the heavy lifting; the efficiency question (4.8 Y/A) is still open.
  • No designation; Kamara and Olave played. This week is about the Paris trip and the early body clock, not health.
  • Pittsburgh is a 2.5-point favorite in Paris, 43.5 total, implying about 20.5 for NO. Kickoff is 6:30am PT Sunday - the earliest start of the week. (Opponent FPI unavailable Monday; market line used.)
  • The Steelers bring a real pass rush to a neutral-site game with a weird body-clock spot. If the passing volume stays at 144 yards, the TD luck will not hold.
  • Order impact: holds #3. Retaking #2 needs a game where he actually moves the ball through the air, not just protects it.
Next three: W6 @NYG (-1.4) - W7 vs PIT in Paris (+0.1) - W8 BYE, current FPI (Oct 12)
#4 Jalen Hurts PHI 2-4 vs DAL - Mon Oct 26, 5:15pm PT (MNF) - Tanner McKee starts - DAL -4.5 - O/U 44.5 - implied 20 pts (PHI) Fourth: on injured reserve with a superficial blood clot in his calf, out at least four games (earliest return Week 10). Tanner McKee starts again, vs Dallas on Monday night.⚠ IR: calf blood clot - out at least 4 games⚠ McKee: 26/45, 215, 1 TD in the CAR loss; DAL -4.5 at PHI on MNF
Last game (W5): 21/40, 220 yds, 1 TD/0 INT, 1 sack, 11 rushes for 14 yds - 77.1 passer rating, 46.5 QBR - L 17-19 at JAX (London)
Through W5: 2-3; Elliott put PHI up 17-16 with 8 seconds left, then Little hit from 57
  • Confirmed by the Eagles: Hurts is on injured reserve with a superficial blood clot in his calf, out at least four games (earliest return Week 10). The clot was found by ultrasound on Oct 10 before London; he played Week 5, and a follow-up ultrasound Wednesday showed movement, so he went on IR Saturday.
  • McKee's first start: 26/45, 215 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 77.5 rating in a 25-14 loss to Carolina. Smith returned and played; Barkley remains out. Milton is the backup.
  • Dallas is a 4.5-point favorite at Philadelphia on Monday night, 44.5 total, implying about 20 for the Eagles. (Opponent FPI unavailable Monday; market line used.)
  • At 2-4 with McKee, the season is tilting. Smith and Goedert give McKee real targets; the Pierce/Steele backfield and a leaky line are the weak links.
  • Order impact: locked at #4 while on IR. McKee keeps the start for Week 7, Monday night vs Dallas.
Next three: W6 vsCAR (-0.4) - W7 vsDAL (-1.8) - W8 @WSH (-1.5), current FPI (Oct 12)

The Injury Wire

LV - 30-33 loss vs BUF; Rams next
Cousins: 313 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; comeback fell short. Jeanty played; Thornton out. LAR -5.5 on Sunday 1:25pm PT, 46.5.
PHI - Hurts on IR; McKee starts vs DAL
Hurts on injured reserve (superficial blood clot in calf), out at least four games, earliest return Week 10. McKee: 215 yards, 1 TD in the 25-14 loss to Carolina. DAL -4.5 at PHI Monday night, 44.5.
NO - skid over: 34-27 at NYG; Paris next
Shough: 3 TD, 0 INT but only 144 yards. Kamara and Olave played. PIT -2.5 in Paris, 43.5, 6:30am PT Sunday.
CHI - Caleb back: 305 yards in 31-23 at ATL
Caleb: 30/36, 305, 111.2 rating, says the hamstring feels good. CHI -3 vs NE on Thursday night, 49.5.

The Road Ahead - Opponent Defense by Week

soft
tough
QBW6W7W8W9W10W11W12W13W14W15W16W17W18
Cousins LVvsBUF-1.1vsLAR+2.7@NYJ-1.4@SF+0.2vsSEA+2.7@DEN+1.8@CLE-0.3BYEvsLAC+1.9vsDEN+1.8vsTEN-0.9@ARI-3.0@KC+1.3
Shough NO@NYG-1.2vsPIT+0.1BYEvsCLE-0.4vsCAR-0.4@CHI+1.3@CIN-0.5vsGB-1.6@CAR-0.4@TB+0.2vsARI-3.0@ATL-0.3vsTB+0.2
Hurts PHIvsCAR-0.4vsDAL-1.8@WSH-1.5vsNYG-1.2BYEvsPIT+0.1@DAL-1.8@ARI-3.0vsIND-0.4vsSEA+2.7vsHOU+1.6@SF+0.2@NYG-1.2
Williams CHI@ATL-0.3vsNE+1.1@SEA+2.7vsTB+0.2BYEvsNO-1.6@DET-2.2vsJAX+1.6@MIA-2.8@BUF-1.1vsGB-1.6vsDET-2.2@MIN+3.3
Opponent defensive FPI: positive = tougher. Values current as of Oct 8 (ESPN FPI). Cousins row replaced Mayfield on Oct 11 at Ethan's request; weeks W5 onward only.

How the Order Gets Built

Verified this refresh (Oct 19):
Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckerRankings for four quarterbacks only, by design. Not season-long projections - a weekly order for this week, rebuilt Thu / Sun / Mon mornings.