Updated QB Power Rankings After NFL Week 14

Week 14 of the NFL season featured plenty of impressive performances from quarterbacks and plenty of movement in our quarterback rankings.

The range in quality of performance from quarterbacks was vast. While Cam Newton was putting up over 400 total yards of offense, John Skelton was throwing four interceptions. Obviously, these two quarterbacks are moving in different directions in our power rankings.

We've updated our rankings after Week 14 of the NFL season, and we'll break them down on the following slides.

You can see Week 13's quarterback rankings here.

32. John Skelton & Ryan Lindley, Arizona Cardinals

Last Week's Ranking: N/A

Week 14 Statistics: 19-of-39, 133 yards, zero touchdowns, four interceptions, two fumbles lost

Both John Skelton and Ryan Lindley make our power rankings this week for their truly horrendous play.

Having six combined turnovers, 133 passing yards and a completion percentage less than 50 percent is just embarrassing. It doesn't matter who the Arizona Cardinals put on the field for the remainder of the season, they have the last spot in our rankings on absolute lockdown. 

31. Brady Quinn, Kansas City Chiefs

Last Week's Ranking: 30

Week 14 Statistics: 10-of-21, 159 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception

Had John Skelton and Ryan Lindley not played like four-year-old children on Sunday, Brady Quinn would have been our last-ranked quarterback this week.

He struggled all game long against the Cleveland Browns in Week 14. Quinn has a ton of weapons around him, yet he still can't get anything going on offense.

Simply put, Quinn has proved that he doesn't belong as a starting quarterback in this league.

30. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets

Last Week's Ranking: 31

Week 14 Statistics: 12-of-19, 111 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions, one fumble lost

Even though the New York Jets won this week, it certainly wasn't because of the play of Mark Sanchez. In fact, had Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell not combined for 155 yards and two touchdowns, the Jets might have lost this game.

Sanchez continues to prove that he can't lead a team to victory by himself, which is probably why New York is getting the ball out of his hands. Until he can be the catalyst of an offense that puts points on the board, he'll continue to be ranked as one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.

29. Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars

Last Week's Ranking: 26

Week 14 Statistics: 21-of-43, 185 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions

After starting strong, Chad Henne has taken a major step back in recent weeks. In his past two weeks, Henne has failed to complete 50 percent of his passes while throwing three interceptions.

This week against the New York Jets, Henne just couldn't keep the chains moving. His inability to convert on third down was a huge reason why the Jacksonville Jaguars lost in Week 14.

He still looks like a better option than Blaine Gabbert at this point, but the Jaguars simply can't feel good about their quarterback situation moving forward. Look for them to bring in a rookie during the 2013 NFL draft to compete for the starting job right away.

28. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles

Last Week's Ranking: 28

Week 14 Statistics: 32-of-51, 381 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, one rushing touchdown

This was easily the best game we've seen from Nick Foles as a starter. He finally led the Philadelphia Eagles to a victory, ending an eight-game losing streak.

With the Eagles down by 11 points midway through the fourth quarter, Foles stayed patient and focused. He led two scoring drives in the final minutes of the game, including a game-winning touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin as time expired.

If Foles can continue to play this well for the final three weeks of the season, he could be a real threat to take Michael Vick's job in 2013.

27. Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans

Last Week's Ranking: 27

Week 14 Statistics: 22-of-35, 262 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions

Jake Locker's afternoon started out well against the Indianapolis Colts, but quickly went downhill as the game progressed.

He threw a touchdown pass within the first five minutes of the game on a strike to Jared Cook. Unfortunately, he was unable to find the end zone for the rest of the game and threw a costly interception in the third quarter.

Consistency is always going to be the key for Locker, and this week it simply wasn't there.

26. Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings

Last Week's Ranking: 23

Week 14 Statistics: 11-of-17, 91 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception

With another poor performance on Sunday, Christian Ponder continues to fall down our rankings. The Minnesota Vikings did win on Sunday, but Ponder's 91 passing yards had no impact whatsoever.

The fact that Ponder can't throw for as many yards as Adrian Peterson runs for shows just how little of an impact he has in games. However, the Vikings can still win games as long as Ponder doesn't make a number of mistakes.

That is what he did on Sunday and Minnesota remained in the playoff hunt in the NFC.

25. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

Last Week's Ranking: 25

Week 14 Statistics: 17-of-33, 150 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions

Sunday was just another mediocre performance from Ryan Tannehill and the Miami Dolphins.

He gets a little credit for playing decent against the San Francisco 49ers defense, but he missed a number of opportunities in Week 14. His struggles to stretch the field in recent weeks have been a big factor in the Dolphins losing five of their last six games.

There is still plenty of reason to be excited about Tannehill, but he has definitely been struggling as of late.

24. Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns

Last Week's Ranking: 24

Week 14 Statistics: 17-of-30, 217 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions

It wasn't a beautiful game from Brandon Weeden, but he got enough help to get the Cleveland Browns their third win in a row. Of course, it came against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it was still a quality game from Weeden.

His biggest contribution to the win was the lack of turnovers on his part. Weeden was able to keep the ball moving all game long and keep Kansas City off the field.

The Browns have to feel good about their future, especially with the way Weeden and Josh Gordon continue to grow together.

23. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills

Last Week's Ranking: 22

Week 14 Statistics: 25-of-33, 247 yards, one touchdown, one interception

With a loss to the St. Louis Rams in Week 14, Ryan Fitzpatrick drops one spot in our rankings this week.

Fitzpatrick struggled all game long with stretching the field and converting on third downs. The Buffalo Bills only completed 25 percent of their third-down attempts and Fitzpatrick only had one completion over 25 yards.

While Fitzpatrick's statistics look nice at first glance, they did little to help his team come away with a win on Sunday.

22. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams

Last Week's Ranking: 21

Week 14 Statistics: 19-of-39, 209 yards, one touchdown, one interception

Much like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sam Bradford wasn't overly impressive in Week 14 and also drops a spot in our power rankings.

Bradford actually played worse than Fitzpatrick for most of the game but stepped up big when the St. Louis Rams needed it most. His touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson with less than a minute remaining gave the Rams the win.

If there is one thing that Bradford has shown this year, it is his knack for making big plays when his team needs them. He did it again on Sunday to keep St. Louis in the thick of the playoff race in the NFC.

21. Carson Palmer, Oakland Raiders

Last Week's Ranking: 19

Week 14 Statistics: 19-of-30, 273 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, one fumble lost

It's unfortunate that Carson Palmer has had absolutely no help from the rest of his offense this year. He's been fantastic all year long, but a quarterback eventually needs to get some wins, and Palmer hasn't got one since Week 8.

While he threw two touchdown passes on Thursday against the Denver Broncos, his performance wasn't nearly good enough to get the upset. The Raiders now have a 3-10 record and are in line to finish the season with one of the worst records in the league.

That isn't Palmer's fault at all, but a poor overall record drops Palmer down a few spots in our rankings this week.

20. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

Last Week's Ranking: 20

Week 14 Statistics: 21-of-41, 200 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions

This was one of the best performances of the year for Philip Rivers as the San Diego Chargers got a huge win on Sunday.

For only the fourth time this season, Rivers didn't throw an interception. He now has 21 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions on the season.

Of course, it helps to have a receiver like Danario Alexander, who is quickly becoming an elite receiver. As long as those two can continue to develop together the Chargers will be a threat to finish the season strong.

19. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

Last Week's Ranking: 17

Week 14 Statistics: 27-of-45, 264 yards, one touchdown, one interception, one rushing touchdown, one fumble lost

Considering that Matthew Stafford was playing in a blizzard, he actually had a pretty decent game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 14.

Unfortunately, his fumble that was returned for a touchdown completely changed the momentum of the game. Before that play the Detroit Lions were in complete control of the game, but that play gave the Packers just the push to come away with a huge win on Sunday night.

Stafford continues to struggle to play a full 60 minutes of solid football and the Lions' 4-9 record shows just how true that is.

18. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

Last Week's Ranking: 15

Week 14 Statistics: 16-of-21, 182 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, one fumble lost

When an offensive coordinator gets fired 14 weeks into the season, the quarterback needs to take some blame. That's what happened to offensive coordinator Cam Cameron of the Baltimore Ravens, and Joe Flacco's erratic play had to factor into the decision.

His three touchdowns were certainly huge for Baltimore, but it wasn't enough to beat the Washington Redskins. With the Ravens defense continuing to struggle to be as dominant as it's been in the past, Flacco is going to need to lead this team in the playoffs.

From what we've seen so far this season, I don't believe Flacco is capable of doing that.

17. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers

Last Week's Ranking: 14

Week 14 Statistics: 18-of-23, 185 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions, one rushing touchdown

While Colin Kaepernick played a solid game on Sunday, he drops a few spots in our rankings this week.

There are two main reasons for this. The first is that I originally had Kaepernick ranked a little too high after his impressive game against the Chicago Bears.

Secondly, the quarterbacks that jumped Kaepernick played exceptionally well this week. Both Cam Newton and Russell Wilson have been extremely impressive in recent weeks.

The San Francisco 49ers are still a dangerous team because of what Kaepernick brings to the field and look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

16. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Last Week's Ranking: 18

Week 14 Statistics: 23-of-35, 287 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, 116 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

Cam Newton is beginning to look like the player we expected him to be in his second year in the league. In fact, Newton has looked absolutely phenomenal over the past three weeks.

In those games, Newton has seven passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, zero turnovers and a 2-1 record. His passer rating has been at least 110.1 in each of those starts.

When Newton plays like he did on Sunday, he is nearly unstoppable. The Atlanta Falcons found that out the hard way.

15. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last Week's Ranking: 12

Week 14 Statistics: 14-of-34, 189 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions

The main reason that Josh Freeman drops so far this week in our rankings is because he failed to play well against one of the worst defenses in the league.

The Philadelphia Eagles haven't been able to slow down anyone in the passing game in recent weeks, but Freeman could never find his rhythm on Sunday. He completed only 41.2 percent of his passes and had a 5.6 yards-per-attempt average.

After looking like a threat to make a run at the playoffs, Freeman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now two games back of a postseason spot.

14. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

Last Week's Ranking: 9

Week 14 Statistics: 22-of-44, 260 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions

I've kept Jay Cutler in the top 10 for the majority of the season, but his Week 14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings officially pushes him down the list.

Cutler is having trouble finding any receiver on his team not named Brandon Marshall. On Sunday, Marshall had 10 of Cutler's 22 completions and 160 of his 260 passing yards.

If Cutler can't figure out how to get the ball to his other receivers, the Chicago Bears will continue to struggle and lose games.

13. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Last Week's Ranking: 11

Week 14 Statistics: 20-of-33, 206 yards, one touchdown, one interception

The Cincinnati Bengals had a heartbreaking loss on Sunday, and Andy Dalton takes a slight dip in our rankings because of that.

When Dalton can't get the ball into the hands of A.J. Green, he tends to struggle. The Dallas Cowboys honed in on Green on Sunday, holding him to only three receptions and 44 yards.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens losing this week, the Bengals still have a chance at the playoffs. However, Dalton will need to play better than he did on Sunday for that to happen.

12. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

Last Week's Ranking: 13

Week 14 Statistics: 25-of-43, 268 yards, one touchdown, one interception

For all the talk of Tony Romo not being clutch, he sure didn't look that way on Sunday.

He led the Dallas Cowboys to 10 points in the fourth quarter. This included getting Dan Bailey into field-goal range with time running out. 

Sunday's win kept the Cowboys only a game behind the New York Giants in the NFC East. They've won four games in a row and Romo appears to be getting hot at just he right time.

11. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Last Week's Ranking: 16

Week 14 Statistics: 7-of-13, 148 yards, one touchdown, one interception

Russell Wilson makes the biggest jump up our rankings this week, and to be honest, it has probably taken a little too long for him to jump this high.

While Wilson didn't play exceptionally well in Week 14, he didn't really need to for the Seattle Seahawks to win. They jumped out to a 38-point lead in the first half thanks to Marshawn Lynch, allowing Wilson to rest on the bench for most of the second half.

Wilson has the Seahawks hitting on all cylinders at the right moment, and this team looks like a real threat in the NFC.

10. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

Last Week's Ranking: 10

Week 14 Statistics: 16-of-34, 196 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions

The thing with Andrew Luck is that he wins football games. It isn't always pretty, and on Sunday it wasn't pretty at all, but he wins football games.

The Indianapolis Colts are now 9-4 on the season, which is absolutely unbelievable. Heck, if the Colts had been 4-9 at this point in the season I think the majority of people would have been pleasantly surprised.

However, Luck has battled through adversity and erratic play to have his team in the thick of the playoff race. The fact that the Colts are in the driver's seat for a wild-card spot is reason enough to have Luck ranked as the 10th best quarterback in the league.

9. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Last Week's Ranking: N/A

Week 14 Statistics: 22-of-45, 285 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, one fumble lost

In his first game back after missing the past three weeks, Ben Roethlisberger didn't look as rusty as I expected him to. Sure, it took him a while to get things going, but once he did, he started to look like the Big Ben of old.

Roethlisberger is obviously a huge upgrade over Charlie Batch (ranked 29th last week). and the Steelers need to be grateful beyond belief that he is back in the lineup. However, if Roethlisberger can't get back to full strength, the Steelers could wind up missing the playoffs.

8. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

Last Week's Ranking: 8

Week 14 Statistics: 15-of-26, 246 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions

When Robert Griffin III left the game with a knee injury, every Washington Redskins fan in the country was holding his or her breath. While it is still unknown whether Griffin will be able to play next week, the team is still hopeful he will play.

Before Griffin was injured, he was playing an efficient game against one of the better defenses in the league. The Baltimore Ravens struggled all game long to contain Griffin, and even though his stats don't jump off the page, he still impacted the game in a number of ways.

Hopefully Griffin can play on Sunday because he is the most exciting player in the NFL to watch right now, and he has the Redskins fighting for a playoff spot.

7. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

Last Week's Ranking: 6

Week 14 Statistics: 19-of-32, 232 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception

There have only been three games in which Matt Schaub hasn't played like a top quarterback, and the Houston Texans are 1-2 in those games.

On Monday night, Schaub simply couldn't get anything going against the New England Patriots. He threw an early interception, which really seemed to throw his rhythm off for the remainder of the game.

The Texans are still one of the best teams in the NFL, but they look very beatable when Schaub is struggling.

6. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Last Week's Ranking: 5

Week 14 Statistics: 26-of-43, 354 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions

It was a really difficult game for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in Week 14. Anytime they'd get something going on offense, the New York Giants would make a few plays to keep the game out of reach.

The biggest issue with Brees this week, and really this season, has been his struggles with turnovers. His two interceptions on Sunday gave him 18 on the season, which is tied for the most in the NFL.

The Saints have struggled to get back on the right track in recent weeks, as they've lost three games in a row. In those games, Brees has nine interceptions and only four touchdown passes.

Until he can cut down on his turnovers, he'll continue to slide little by little in our rankings.

5. Eli Manning, New York Giants

Last Week's Ranking: 7

Week 14 Statistics: 22-of-35, 259 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions

Eli Manning's Week 14 performance started off really poorly, but he finished extremely strong. Manning threw an interception that turned into six points in the first quarter, and it looked like it might be another long game for the New York Giants.

However, Manning went on to throw four touchdown passes and kept the Giants driving when they needed it most. Whenever the New Orleans Saints would get close, Manning would make a big throw.

He's playing like an elite quarterback again and looks poised for another deep run in the playoffs this year.

4. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Last Week's Ranking: 4

Week 14 Statistics: 34-of-49, 342 yards, two touchdowns, one interception

While the Atlanta Falcons lost on Sunday, it wasn't solely due to the play of Matt Ryan. He struggled to get anything going in the first half, but really got things going in the second half against the Carolina Panthers.

However, with his team already down 23-0, there was little that Ryan could really do to dig out of such a huge hole. This was a troubling performance for the Falcons, but Ryan showed a lot of heart by playing until the final seconds.

As long as he can play with that type of desire, the Falcons should be just fine.

3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Last Week's Ranking: 3

Week 14 Statistics: 14-of-24, 173 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions, one rushing touchdown, one fumble lost

Playing in freezing temperatures and blizzard-like conditions will affect any quarterback's statistics. It happened to Aaron Rodgers on Sunday night, but Rodgers still had an overall impressive game.

He brought the Green Bay Packers back from an early 14-point deficit and made big plays when Green Bay needed them. His 27-yard touchdown scamper in the second half gave the Packers their first lead of the game, and they didn't look back from there.

Despite playing with a number of key injuries on the offensive side of the football, Rodgers and the Packers continue to play impressive football.

2. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

Last Week's Ranking: 2

Week 14 Statistics: 26-of-36, 310 yards, one touchdown, one interception

By jumping out to an early 13-point lead against the Oakland Raiders, the Denver Broncos were able to have more of a balanced offensive game plan.

Knowshon Moreno finished the game with 32 carries and allowed Peyton Manning to be more of a game manager. Manning looked good in this role by controlling the clock, converting on third down and getting the ball into his receivers' hands.

Manning continues to play at an MVP level, and another strong performance this week keeps him at No. 2 in our quarterback rankings.

1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Last Week's Ranking: 1

Week 14 Statistics: 21-of-35, 296 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions

While Peyton Manning played well against an awful team like the Oakland Raiders, Tom Brady played exceptional against the Houston Texans, one of the best teams in the league.

Brady could simply do no wrong on Monday night as he made the Texans defense look completely lost all game long. He did face a good amount of pressure in this game, but didn't lose his focus and delivered strike after strike to his receivers.

With Brady's performance in Week 14, he remains atop our quarterback rankings and has the New England Patriots looking like the Super Bowl favorites in the AFC.