NFL QB Hot Sheet: Is Lamar Jackson ready to take over for Ravens?

Lorenzo Reyes | USA TODAY

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Every Wednesday during the NFL season, USA TODAY Sports will assess everyone's favorite topic: quarterbacks. Who's hot? Who's not? Who has the most exciting matchups?

Here's this week's QB Hot Sheet:

Five to watch this week

1. Colt McCoy, Redskins: Starting for the rest of the season after Alex Smith broke his fibula and tibia, McCoy is Washington’s lone hope to stay in first in the NFC East. Given his knowledge of the system and mobility, the coaching staff has confidence in him. In a battle for first place against the Cowboys, will he prove them right?

2. Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins: Making his first start after missing five games with a shoulder injury, all Tannehill has to do is keep pace with the Colts and the red-hot Andrew luck. He played well in spurts before he got hurt but was far too inconsistent. In his best games this year, Tannehill wasn’t afraid to run. Look for him to use his legs to settle in against Indy.

3. Josh Allen, Bills: He missed four games with an elbow issue and is set to reclaim the starting job against the Jaguars. This won’t be an easy re-introduction into his rookie year, as the Jags are fresh off a game in which they intercepted Ben Roethlisberger three times. Protecting the ball will be key.

4. Jameis Winston, Buccaneers: He’s clearly the more talented of the two QBs on Tampa’s roster and – again – coach Dirk Koetter made a switch, naming Winston the starter against the 49ers. He played well against the Giants in relief of Ryan Fitzpatrick last week, but as always, the question is whether Winston will take care of the ball.

5. Lamar Jackson, Ravens: After Jackson’s first career start – a victory against the Bengals – coach John Harbaugh said “it will be tough” for Joe Flacco (hip) to return against the Raiders. That means Jackson should get another shot to flash his athleticism. Jackson rushed 27 times last week, but it's unclear if Baltimore will keep up that pace while he looks to become more comfortable as a passer.

Three trending up

1. Drew Brees, Saints: He still has thrown just one interception against 25 touchdowns. If the season ended today, he’d break Aaron Rodgers’ record of top QB rating in a season (122.5) with his mark of 126.9.

2. Eli Manning, Giants: He misfired on just one incompletion against the Bucs and had 231 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, over his last two games – both victories – Manning has thrown for 419 and five TDs with no picks.

3. Jared Goff, Rams: Though his production wasn’t as gaudy as that of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in their epic showdown, Goff was efficient, protected the football and still racked up 413 yards and four TDs.

Three trending down

1. Carson Wentz, Eagles: Much of Philly’s problems aren’t his fault, but Wentz looks like a quarterback who feels like he needs to force throws to make plays happen. The Saints grabbed three interceptions, which tied a career high for him.

2. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: It’s tough to put him here since he scored the game-winning touchdown against the Jaguars in the closing seconds, but the Steelers found themselves down most of the game in large part due to Roethlisberger’s carelessness with the ball. Three interceptions (two of which came near the red zone) put Pittsburgh in an early hole.

3. Alex Smith, Redskins: You have to feel for Smith. A broken fibula and tibia and emergency surgery means faces a lengthy rehab.

Season rankings

1. Brees (last week: 1): He’s the leader in the clubhouse for the league MVP and is playing at historic levels of efficiency.

2. Mahomes (2): His 37 passing touchdowns are eight more than the next closest player. Still, he needs to improve some of his gunslinging ways, as evidenced by the five turnovers against the Rams.

3. Andrew Luck, Colts (4): He hasn’t been sacked in five games and has three or more TD throws in his last seven games. Borderline MVP candidate.

4. Philip Rivers, Chargers (3): Three interceptions in his last two games drops him one spot, but Rivers is still on pace for career highs in completion rate (67 percent) and QB rating (112.1).

5. Goff (5): He may be somewhat of a product of a great supporting cast and excellent system, but Goff is efficiently managing the game and hitting open targets in stride.

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.