Hour 3: "Justin Herbert Is a Loser!" & NFL Quarterback Power Rankings artwork

Hour 3: "Justin Herbert Is a Loser!" & NFL Quarterback Power Rankings

The Carton Show with Craig Carton & Chris McMonigle

August 26, 2026

They dive into a spirited ranking of NFL quarterbacks, leading to a fiery debate over whether Justin Herbert is a top-tier player or a "loser.
Speakers: Craig Carton, Chris McMonigle

Topics: Sports

**Craig Carton** (0:00)
Seems like you got a theme going this week, Petey.
Going to no classic rock from you, just going all 90s hip hop, huh?
That's the mood you're in right now? That's the mood. All right. Moody's in. All right, some moody's in. He even had a little late 80s in there earlier today. I'm feeling it. Feeling it, okay.

**Chris McMonigle** (0:17)
Come back from vacation, just on a good show.

**Craig Carton** (0:19)
Die Hard Giants fan, heard his starting quarterback talking about Johnny Hardball, how tough camp has been, and how much he loves his wide receivers, and got to see the Knicks win a championship, and was looking at a film. That's a true story.
Paul Verzi told me that story, a comedian, that he was on that jet going down to San Antonio, and everyone else was partying, and Jackson was going over game film. That's the kind of story that makes you happy.

**Chris McMonigle** (0:46)
That you want is your starting quarterback.

**Craig Carton** (0:49)
That's right.

**Chris McMonigle** (0:50)
Listen, I'm bullish on him. Have been since I saw him play his first game against the Chargers. He won that game. I've been bullish on him since. I think he's going to be a top ten quarterback in this league.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:00)
When do you think that's going to happen?

**Chris McMonigle** (1:02)
Some point this season.

**Craig Carton** (1:03)
So let's just go over this real quick. It's actually an interesting exercise, believe it or not. I think all of us have the same guys in different orders in our top five.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:15)
Okay.

**Craig Carton** (1:15)
Okay.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:16)
Okay.

**Craig Carton** (1:16)
So if you'll grab me this, we're all going to have, again, in any particular order, we're going to have Josh Allen. Sure. We're going to have Mahomes.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:26)
Yes.

**Craig Carton** (1:26)
Obviously. We're going to have LeMarr Jackson.
We're going to have Matthew Stafford. Okay. That's one, two, three, four. And most guys are going to have Joe Burrow.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:35)
Yes.

**Craig Carton** (1:36)
Those guys, I think, are in everybody's top five. Now, you may rank them differently, and that's all well and good, because who cares how you rank them. But do you agree with me on those five?

**Chris McMonigle** (1:45)
I do.

**Craig Carton** (1:46)
All right. So if we agree that those are the top five quarterbacks in any particular order, six to ten becomes very interesting.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:55)
Yep.

**Craig Carton** (1:56)
So let me just do this so I have what I want to have in front of me for a second.
All right. Great. So I think most people would agree that Dak Prescott is somewhere between six and ten.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:10)
Yes.

**Craig Carton** (2:10)
Will you give me that?

**Chris McMonigle** (2:11)
I will.

**Craig Carton** (2:11)
All right. So you give me Dak Prescott. All right. I think most people, believe it or not, are going to have Justin Herbert in the bottom part of that ten.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:23)
I think they are.

**Craig Carton** (2:23)
Is that fair for me to say as well?

**Chris McMonigle** (2:26)
Just talent-wise, someone will go, never wins a damn thing. But yes, I think talent-wise, Herbert's in the top ten.

**Craig Carton** (2:32)
All right. I think most people, not all though, are going to agree that Jalen Hurts is a top ten quarterback.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:39)
Yes.

**Craig Carton** (2:40)
Is that fair for me to say there?

**SPEAKER_5** (2:42)
You'll give me that?

**Craig Carton** (2:43)
Yes. All right. So now, five, that's eight. Now, it gets interesting, okay? Now, it gets, I think, more debatable.
I think a lot of people, not all, are going to agree that Jared Goff is a top ten quarterback. Is that fair to say, Detroit Lions?

**Chris McMonigle** (3:09)
I mean, I guess right now-

**Craig Carton** (3:10)
I'm not saying six, seven, or eight. I'm saying like nine and ten.

**Chris McMonigle** (3:13)
I mean, yeah, I guess.

**Craig Carton** (3:15)
Okay. All right. So, Jared Goff is in there.

**Chris McMonigle** (3:17)
Yeah.

**Craig Carton** (3:17)
Do you think Trevor Lawrence is in there?
No. You do not. All right. So, let's go to the NLC then, because the division that becomes very interesting is-

**Chris McMonigle** (3:26)
I think there's two more names.

**Craig Carton** (3:27)
Do you put Jordan Love in there?

**Chris McMonigle** (3:29)
I wouldn't, no.

**Craig Carton** (3:30)
Okay. Do you put Caleb Williams in there?

**Chris McMonigle** (3:33)
He's right there.

**Craig Carton** (3:34)
I don't put him in there yet either.

**Chris McMonigle** (3:36)
I think there's two names ahead of him.

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