Through 3 weeks, Sam Darnold might be the best QB in the NFL per PFF

The QB leads every gunslinger in passing grade.

Sep 21, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is pressured by New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (90) during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The best QB so far, at least in PFF passing grade, is not Patrick Mahomes. It's not Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, or Justin Herbert, either. It's Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. Passing grade isn't the only thing to consider for QBs here, but it's maybe the biggest one, and it seems to imply that Darnold is playing better than everyone else.

Darnold has been good so far in 2025, although he endured a pretty rough Week 1 start against the San Francisco 49ers. Either it wasn't that bad, or PFF loves what he did in the subsequent weeks so much that it's enough to overcome that. Either way, Darnold is looking down at everyone in the NFL.

Sam Darnold has the NFL's highest PFF passing grade going into Week 4

Sep 21, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) prepares to throw the ball during the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Sam Darnold currently has a 91.4 passing grade, which is highest in the NFL by a fair margin. In second is Marcus Mariota, though he has literally 20 pass attempts on the season. Other notable QBs that Darnold is outdoing include:

• Matthew Stafford (89.9)
• Dak Prescott (88.7)
• Josh Allen (82.4)
• Daniel Jones (81.5)
• Joe Burrow (80.4)
• Jordan Love (80.1)
• Justin Herbert (79.4)
• Kyler Murray (78.8)
• Caleb Williams (70.6)
• Drake Maye (70.1)

Everyone else not named had worse passing grades, so Darnold is far outplaying them. In overall grade, Darnold is also way up there with a 91.9 score. That tops the rest, with only Dak Prescott even surpassing 90 in his grade.

Put simply, at least in PFF grade, there's been no one better than Darnold so far. Does this mean he's been the best QB in the league? Not exactly. Most would still take the performance of Allen, Herbert, Jackson, and others over Darnold.

What it does mean is that the Seahawks QB has been way better than people think. And the reports of his death (via leaving Minnesota and joining a worse offense) were greatly exaggerated. He's still really good.

Could this be influenced by back-to-back weeks against a pair of bad defenses? The Saints were horrible on Sunday, and the Steelers defense has not been its usual dominant self, either. Time will tell, but for now, Darnold has been unmatched.

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