It’s still early in the 2026 NFL season, which means we’re still in the “information gathering” phase of evaluating quarterbacks around the league.
And the QBs are taking us on a rollercoaster ride this season.
That’s what makes these weekly NFL QB Rankings fun. There’s a clear element of, “What have you done for me lately?” combined with the established reputations of each player make this a fun exercise.
After everything that we saw in Week 4, we have a lot to fire, so let’s not waste any more time. Here are the latest NFL QB Power Rankings heading into Week 5.
NFL QB Power Rankings, Week 5: Bryce Young soars, Jalen Hurts falls
32. Jalon Daniels, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last week: Unranked (Baker Mayfield played)
Making his debut in our QB Power Rankings this season is Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup Jalon Daniels, the first rookie quarterback to start in the NFL this season.
And the Green Bay Packers treated him the same way.
To Daniels’ credit, he showed some courage, even down to the last play. On a 4th-and-gotta-have-it, Daniels was blitzed for the third straight play, and wound up on his legs. He gets his foot down to try to throw, but it’s incomplete.
All things considered, Jalon Daniels’ debut wasn’t too bad at all. He had 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, was blitzed and pressured a lot, but the Bucs kept it a close game until the end. We’ll see if he can move up this list the chance he gets, but you’ve got to start somewhere.
31. Athan Kaliakmanis, Washington Commanders (Injury replacement for Marcus Mariota)
Last week: 24th (Marcus Mariota)
The injury bug has been an unavoidable nuisance for the Washington Commanders early this season. Little did fans in London know that they would see the NFL debut of rookie Athan Kaliakmanis as an injury replacement for Marcus Mariota, who threw just four passes in the game.
And Kaliakmanis put up some good numbers, but this one got away from the Commanders pretty quickly. His deep touchdown pass to Treylon Burks kept Washington in the game, but the Commanders’ defense couldn’t handle Jonathan Taylor and the Colts’ offense in the 4th quarter.
It was interesting to see how Kaliakmanis, the Minnesota rookie, was able to step in and answer when his number was called. The Commanders just let him in and cut it off.
As for Mariota’s status, he will miss some time after aggravating a knee injury. But the Commanders are set to welcome back Jayden Daniels next week as he plays through his latest elbow injury.
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