SB Nation’s latest quarterback rankings for the 2026 season put two Cardinals passers in the mix, but neither landed near the top of the board.
Using an analytics-driven formula instead of the usual poll of players, coaches, scouts and executives, the site built its list around six categories: offensive impact, accuracy, explosive plays, scoring, lack of turnovers and clutch. A small “tilt” adjustment was also built in to smooth out unusual seasons, with the outlet noting that without it, Patrick Mahomes would have been a middling QB in 2025 while Malik Willis would have been the No. 1 QB in the NFL.
At the top of the rankings, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots were tied with 53 points. Both earned a 10 in offensive impact, a category where Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, Mahomes and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals also received perfect marks.
For Arizona, Jacoby Brissett came in at No. 25 with 33 overall points. His breakdown included a 6 in offensive impact, 6 in accuracy, 5 in explosive plays, 5 in scoring, 8 in lack of turnovers and 3 in clutch.
Kyler Murray was just behind him at No. 27 with 32 points. Murray posted a 7 in offensive impact, 7 in accuracy, 2 in explosive plays, 3 in scoring, 7 in lack of turnovers and 5 in clutch.
The rest of the NFC West also showed up across the list. Stafford checked in at No. 3 with 52 points. Sam Darnold of the Seahawks landed at No. 11 with 43 points, while Brock Purdy of the 49ers was No. 13 with 41.
There is one issue with this ranking system. It is designed to include all 17 games in a season.
If a guy, such as Brissett, comes into the season with a partial amount of game starts, the tilt is being evaluated based on the career body of work. This means players who only played part of the year just might be ranked higher.
It also only looks at the 2025 regular season, and none of the playoffs. That makes the clutch category more relevant, at least in theory. And, of course, Kyler Murray was included as a member of the Cardinals.
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