The AFC quarterback picture is already getting messy, and Week 3 doesn’t clean it up much. The conference’s best teams are still dealing with obvious issues, and while the quarterback play has been mostly solid to start the year, one name is sliding in the wrong direction fast.
This list is built strictly on what the quarterbacks have done so far in 2026, not on anything they’ve done in previous seasons. And with Week 3 arriving, the final stretch of September is here, the games are getting scarcer, and the pressure starts climbing.
At the bottom of the AFC rankings, Cam Ward checks in at No. 16.
The Tennessee Titans are 0-2 to open the season, and Ward has thrown for 323 yards while completing 61.5 percent of his passes. He has only one touchdown so far, and he’s operating in a new offense after Brian Daboll was hired as the offensive coordinator this offseason.
There’s still belief that Ward can take a step forward this year, but the first two games haven’t shown it.
Just ahead of him is Malik Willis at No. 15, and the situation in Miami is bleak enough that the quarterback doesn’t have much room to grow. The Dolphins simply don’t have much talent on either side of the ball, which makes this a tough environment for Willis to show his best.
He’s completed 58 percent of his passes and has 417 yards through two games, but he’s only attempted 50 passes, which is last among AFC starting quarterbacks. Unless something changes soon, he’s not likely to move up much.
That leaves Willis stuck in a spot where he may not get a real chance to change the conversation, and Ward still waiting for the early-season leap many around the league expected.
In Other News...
Dolphins Fans Have Another Reason To Be Furious With Chiefs Officiating
A controversial no-call in the Chiefs-Dolphins game is adding more fuel to a grievance Miami fans already know well. On a recent tackle, a Kansas City defender was seen pulling on Malik Willis helmet, yet officials let the play stand without a flag, turning a routine snap into another flashpoint in a rivalry that seems to bring out every officiating complaint imaginable.
For Dolphins supporters, the frustration was immediate because the contact looked obvious enough to invite a penalty and the silence from the officials only deepened the suspicion. Plays like that tend to linger long after the game ends, especially when they feed the larger belief around the league that Kansas City gets the benefit of the doubt more often than most teams. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Suddenly Have A Good Problem Up Front
Through three weeks, Miami has managed to keep its run defense sturdy even without Kenneth Grant, who is on injured reserve and could be back after Week 4. The Dolphins have patched the interior with Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers and Keith Cooper Jr., while rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and veteran Jordyn Brooks have helped keep the front seven organized and active against the run.
Grants return would give the Dolphins another option up front, but it also raises a real personnel question for a defense that has found a workable rhythm without him. His rookie season was uneven, and the bigger issue now is figuring out where he fits if the current group keeps holding its own once he is cleared to rejoin the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Had Every Reason To Hate This Chiefs Break
When the Dolphins were trying to claw their way back into the game against Kansas City in Week 3, a roughing-the-passer call on Chop Robinson changed the feel of the moment in an instant. The hit on Patrick Mahomes extended the Chiefs drive, and Miami watched the sequence end with three points instead of a stop that could have helped shift momentum.
It was the sort of break that left Dolphins fans grinding their teeth, especially in a game Kansas City controlled from there. The Chiefs won 24-10, with Mahomes completing 20 of 24 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, and Miami was left to wonder how different things might have felt without one costly flag in a key spot. [Read more 🡒]