Updated QB Power Rankings After NFL Week 13
One of the big narratives of this season has been one that seems to fly in the face of conventional thinking. It was often thought that a quarterback makes the receivers far more than the receivers make the quarterback. However, the struggles of quarterbacks throughout the season have shown us just how valuable it is to have impact receivers in this league.
With that said, we must appreciate the quarterbacks forced to do so much with so little. Cam Newton is a prime example of that.
As for the power ranking updates—we have some big-time shakeups in the top five and changes throughout.
For these rankings, every current starting quarterback in the NFL will be considered and valued through numerous categories, each weighted differently as the season progresses.
Each week, I factor in several key attributes for the quarterback position, such as intelligence, arm strength, accuracy, athleticism and leadership.
Wins will also give quarterbacks a slight boost in addition to their individual performances. The statistics used come exclusively from ESPN.com, NFL.com and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless stated otherwise. Personal observation and opinion will play a key role as well.
Note: Total QBR is a scoring system that assesses everything a quarterback does on the field. It can be explained further via ESPN by clicking the link above.
Starters from Previous Weeks Who Didn't Start in Week 13
1 of 33
Jason Campbell, Cleveland Browns
Why he didn't start: Head injury
Last ranked: 30th
Replacement: Brandon Weeden
Scott Tolzien, Green Bay Packers
Why he didn't start: Benched
Last ranked: 29th
Replacement: Matt Flynn
Seneca Wallace, Green Bay Packers
Why he didn't start: Groin injury
Last ranked: 28th
Replacement: Scott Tolzien
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
Why he didn't start: High-ankle sprain
Last ranked: 17th
Replacement: Josh McCown
Terrelle Pryor, Oakland Raiders
Why he didn't start: Knee injury
Last ranked: 26th
Replacement: Matt McGloin
Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans
Why he didn't start: Foot injury
Last ranked: 21st
Replacement: Ryan Fitzpatrick
Jeff Tuel, Buffalo Bills
Why he didn't start: Returned to backup role
Last ranked: 32nd
Replacement: EJ Manuel
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Why he didn't start: Fractured collarbone
Last ranked: 3rd
Replacement: Seneca Wallace
Thaddeus Lewis, Buffalo Bills
Why he didn't start: Returned to backup role
Last ranked: 28th
Replacement: EJ Manuel
Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles
Why he didn't start: Hamstring
Last ranked: 21st
Replacement: Nick Foles
Josh Freeman, Minnesota Vikings
Why he didn't start: Concussion and then benched
Last ranked: 32nd
Replacement: Christian Ponder
Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams
Why he didn't start: Injured knee (out for the season)
Last ranked: 20th
Replacement: Kellen Clemens
Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville Jaguars
Why he didn't start: Benched
Last rank: 32nd
Replacement: Chad Henne
32. Geno Smith, New York Jets
2 of 33
High: 26th
Low: 32nd
Last Week: 32nd
Despite another poor outing by rookie Geno Smith, he did receive some good news this week when head coach Rex Ryan declared him to be the starter for next week's game.
We can’t blame Smith completely for his struggles this season. The Jets offense is comprised mostly of retreads at the skill positions, and one thing this season has taught us is that quarterbacks need weapons in order to thrive. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just ask Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Colin Kaepernick and Andrew Luck.
Against the Buccaneers last Sunday, Smith was under constant duress, which only adds to the many challenges this young signal-caller faces.
31. Matt Flynn, Green Bay Packers
3 of 33
High: 30th
Low: 31st
Last Week: N/A
With Aaron Rodgers still recovering from a broken collarbone, Matt Flynn took over as the starting quarterback on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions and completed just 10 of 20 passes with no touchdowns and an interception.
Flynn has been on an interesting tour around the NFL this season, but he likely played his last game of the year last Thursday.
His arm strength and athleticism seem to put him behind the eight ball with regard to having success as an NFL quarterback.
Either way, we can only imagine how badly the fans would like to see Aaron Rodgers playing for the rest of the season.
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30. Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns
4 of 33
High: 29th
Low: 32nd
Last Week: N/A
Brandon Weeden returned to his role as the starter last week by default after Jason Campbell suffered a concussion the week before.
Apparently when you have Josh Gordon to throw the ball to, even Weeden can throw for 370 yards through the air. He also managed to throw for three touchdowns against the Jaguars on Sunday.
After the game, Weeden went to the team doctors to get checked out after feeling concussion-like symptoms. It is unknown which quarterback will start for Cleveland heading into next week’s game at this point. Both he and Campbell will need to be cleared medically before they can return to action.
29. Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars
5 of 33
High: 29th
Low: 32nd
Last Week: 31st
In Sunday’s game against the Browns, Henne attempted 40 passes yet only accumulated 195 yards through the air. Whenever you have such a high number of pass attempts and so few yards to show for it, something is not going right in your passing game. But then again, we’re talking about Chad Henne here. The Jaguars have to be thankful for being able to simply win games at this point.
Henne is near the bottom in every significant passing category on the season, yet somehow the Jaguars have won three of their last four games.
This is the highest Henne has been ranked all season long.
28. Kellen Clemens, St. Louis Rams
6 of 33
High: 28th
Low: 32nd
Last Week: 30th
With a passer rating of 77 and a Total QBR of 37.6, it’s a wonder how this career-long backup was able to steal two wins over that span of time.
Last Sunday against the 49ers, Clemens played decently under the circumstances. The 49ers defense has been dominant all year, so for him to thrive in that environment may have been asking too much.
On the day, he had 218 yards passing to go with a touchdown and an interception.
27. EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills
7 of 33
High: 22nd
Low: 29th
Last Week: 25th
The first quarterback taken in the 2013 draft continued his maturation process last Sunday, as he certainly did enough to beat the Falcons despite coming up short due to a pair of critical fumbles by his receivers.
Manuel was far from flawless, as he completed 18 of 32 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown while avoiding turnovers all day. But this much could not have been said about his teammates, who fumbled twice in critical moments to force the overtime loss to the Falcons.
Manuel has shown a lot of promise so far, as he has thrown nine touchdowns to just four interceptions.
26. Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings
8 of 33
High: 25th
Low: 30th
Last Week: 27th
Christian Ponder had an early exit in last Sunday’s game after suffering a concussion. He would not return for the rest of the contest.
His best stat this season would have to be his four rushing touchdowns.
Ponder is not likely to start in Week 14, but he could be cleared in time.
His career in Minnesota could be over soon considering he is not viewed as a guy worth building around at this point.
25. Case Keenum, Houston Texans
9 of 33
High: 20th
Low: 27th
Last Week: 24th
Despite having a solid early start to his NFL career, Case Keenum has yet to come up with a victory for the Houston Texans. The team has now fallen to 2-10 on the season and Keenum has taken a few steps in the wrong direction after looking so promising in his first two NFL starts.
Keenum has shown real accuracy while on the run, which has aided him against the blitz as of late—something he did struggle with early on.
His 86 passer rating on the season is solid, but he’s only completing 54 percent of passes thus far. It should be interesting to watch how this second-year quarterback handles the rest of this disappointing season. This could be his audition for a future role in this organization.
24. Matt McGloin, Oakland Raiders
10 of 33
Low: 28th
Last Week: 26th
If you had told me that Matt McGloin would throw for more yards than Tony Romo in their head-to-head matchup on Thanksgiving, I would've said you were crazy.
One thing about McGloin is becoming increasingly clear—this kid has been coached up well by Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien. This undrafted rookie gets the ball out quickly. He processes information rapidly and makes quick reads, and when he hits his back foot, the ball is out immediately.
For guy to whom nobody gave much consideration, his poise, velocity and timing are certainly worthy of the NFL.
23. Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11 of 33
High: 21st
Low: 31st
Last Week: 21st
Mike Glennon’s walk in the clouds came back down to earth after he faced the talented defense of the Carolina Panthers.
Glennon’s 90.3 passer rating and 13 touchdowns on the season have been impressive. But it’s been his avoidance of turnovers that has really added to this rookie’s value. So far this season, he has only thrown five picks.
Tampa Bay had won three in a row before falling to Carolina on Sunday.
It appears Greg Schiano has fully committed to Glennon as the quarterback of the future. The question now becomes whether or not Schiano will be around to see him develop.
22. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tennessee Titans
12 of 33
High: 19th
Low: 30th
Last Week: 19th
After moving all the way up to his season high of 19th on the list, Ryan Fitzpatrick slid a few spots down after a poor performance against the Colts.
One of the biggest surprises about his game so far has been his mobility. Fitzpatrick is averaging 28 yards rushing per game and has already scored three touchdowns with his feet alone.
In addition to his underrated legs, the backup quarterback is completing 62 percent of his passes with a passer rating of 82—which happens to be the same rating as Andrew Luck.
Perhaps there was a reason for his big contract in Buffalo after all?
21. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
13 of 33
High: 13th
Low: 23rd
Last Week: 22nd
Like Eli Manning, Joe Flacco’s stock is on a slow and steady rise after it hit rock bottom just a few weeks ago.
His struggles this year have been the result of multiple factors, but at the end of the day, he is the guy with the big contract and needs to take on the added responsibility when things don’t go right. So far, Flacco has at least done that much.
He is completing less than 60 percent of his passes and has barely thrown one more touchdown than interception. Flacco has a history of struggling during the regular season, but his performance in 2013 is taking things to a new low.
20. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
14 of 33
High: 11th
Low: 25th
Last Week: 20th
For the second week in a row, Andy Dalton will remain at the 20th spot in the rankings. Dalton needs to get at least back to the middle of the pack if the Bengals are going to have any shot of winning the Super Bowl.
Many speculate that Dalton is the weak link on that roster, but in reality, you never know which Dalton will show up.
According to PFF, Dalton is ranked 33rd out of all quarterbacks who have played at least 25 percent of the snaps this season. His grade on the year is minus-9.9—which is nothing to be proud of.
19. Eli Manning, New York Giants
15 of 33
High: 10th
Low: 28th
Last Week: 23rd
Eli Manning had his best day last Sunday since the opening game of the season. However, he was going up against the hapless Redskins defense, which isn’t saying much.
Manning has somewhat revived himself in the second half, as the Giants are coincidentally finally winning some games.
With all that said, Eli has still thrown more interceptions than anyone in the league, aside from Geno Smith.
18. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals
16 of 33
High: 17th
Low: 26th
Last Week: 17th
Carson Palmer took a step backward last week after playing pretty well in the weeks prior. One of the bright spots of his day was throwing for three touchdowns. On the downside of that, he did resort back to habits which have haunted him throughout his career, adding another multiple-interception game to his checkered resume.
Palmer is 27th in the league in Total QBR among qualified quarterbacks. This is certainly not what the Cardinals had in mind when they decided to bring Palmer aboard.
17. Robert Griffin III, Washington
17 of 33
High: 9th
Low: 20th
Last Week: 18th
With all of the criticism going around about Robert Griffin III, he isn’t playing half as badly as people are making things out to be. Though his game against the 49ers two weeks ago was not a step in the right direction, he did manage to make some good things happen in Washington's game against the Giants.
One of the biggest things he did was avoid throwing an interception. He also ran for 88 yards on the ground. Griffin is averaging league-high 38 yards rushing per game for a quarterback, which is a good sign for those wondering about the health of his knee.
He’s completing 60 percent of his passes on the season but has a low Total QBR of just 42.
16. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
18 of 33
High: 6th
Low: 17th
Last Week: 16th
One quarterback who is definitely on the rise and closing the gap on some quarterbacks who have also been playing well is none other than Colin Kaepernick. Though his passing yards have been modest, he does have 15 total touchdowns and just three interceptions in the last eight games.
He is one really great game away from moving up the rankings anywhere from one to four spots. And with Crabtree back, it’s not unreasonable to expect some big games through the air in the coming weeks. However, keep in mind the 49ers' next opponent is the Seahawks.
15. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
19 of 33
High: 14th
Low: 19th
Last Week: 15th
Considering the lack of protection, the unprecedented distractions and the underachieving free-agent additions, Ryan Tannehill has played incredibly well while keeping the Dolphins in the playoff hunt.
Tannehill has been fairly consistent in hanging around the middle of the pack. At some point, he’ll need to take his game to the next level.
Surprisingly, Tannehill is ranked seventh among all quarterbacks according to Pro Football Focus.
14. Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
20 of 33
High: 12th
Low: 18th
Last Week: 14th
Ever since the Chiefs lost to the Broncos the first time around, Alex Smith seems to have turned a corner regarding his ability to push the ball down the field.
In the last two losses, Smith was forced to press the ball downfield more. This is evident when you consider the only games in which he threw for 290 yards or more happened to be the two most recent losses. Oddly enough, this could end up being a valuable learning opportunity for a game manager who has been notoriously cautious when it comes to finding his wideouts beyond 10 yards.
13. Josh McCown, Chicago Bears
21 of 33
High: 13th
Low: 22nd
Last Week: 13th
Josh McCown continues to surprise and impress this season by outperforming several big-name quarterbacks.
Though the Bears ended up losing the game to Minnesota, McCown had a stellar day, hooking up with second-year wide receiver Alshon Jeffery on numerous occasions.
When the smoke cleared, McCown had thrown for 355 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. This type of output is more in line with how this backup’s season has been going.
Jay Cutler has been out with an ankle sprain, but even when he is ready to return, there has to be some reluctance to bench such a hot hand at quarterback. This guy is actually playing well enough to create a QB controversy in Chicago.
After all, he does have the second-highest Total QBR in the NFL along with a passer rating of 103. He’s also completing 65 percent of his passes.
With stats like this, it'll be hard to put him back on the bench.
12. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
22 of 33
High: 4th
Low: 12th
Last Week: 12th
It’s kind of astonishing that the Falcons could go from 13-3 and 10 yards from the Super Bowl to 3-9 in one season with the same franchise QB. But for those who haven’t been watching, the QB position is the last thing that needs fixing for this disappointing team.
Matty Ice is still in the top 10 in Total QBR. Ryan is also completing a high rate of his passes, at 66 percent—which is good enough for fourth in the NFL.
As much as we may be compelled to blame this disappointing season on the quarterback, that would just not be a very accurate direction to toss your contempt.
11. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
23 of 33
High: 5th
Low: 11th
Last Week: 8th
It’s tough to give the Andrew Luck slander too much weight. We have to consider the fact that he has had no protection from his offensive line and lost his No. 1 target and one of the leaders on this team in Reggie Wayne.
Similar effects have been felt in San Francisco, Atlanta and New England.
Regardless of the excuses, the fact remains that Luck’s numbers are declining significantly without his trustworthy veteran to throw the ball to.
Just consider this—without Luck, the Colts would be in far worse shape than they are now. He still had them winning games despite a significant drop-off in production.
Last week against the Titans, he failed to throw a single touchdown pass in their 22-14 win.
Luck has now fallen out of the top 10 for the first time all season.
10. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
24 of 33
High: 6th
Low: 18th
Last Week: 11th
Ben Roethlisberger has finally penetrated the top 10 once again after being outside of it most of the season. The Steelers did lose their game against the Ravens on Thanksgiving Day, but Big Ben looked sharp as he fired on all cylinders.
On the season, he has a passer rating of 92 and a has thrown 11 more touchdown than interceptions.
The Steelers are still in the hunt for the playoffs thanks in large part to Roethlisberger’s impressive leadership and ability.
9. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
25 of 33
High: 7th
Low: 19th
Last Week: 9th
One of the biggest lessons to be learned from the season is that few quarterbacks can have success without impact receivers.
Despite his lack of playmakers at receiver, Cam Newton has led the Panthers to a franchise-best eight straight wins.
One of the highlights on Sunday for Cam was when he connected on a beautifully timed deep ball for a 36-yard touchdown to Ted Ginn Jr., who badly beat Darrelle Revis in coverage.
On the season, Newton leads all quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns and has still managed to look impressive from the pocket in completing 61 percent of his passes.
8. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
26 of 33
High: 8th
Low: 23rd
Last Week: 10th
Nick Foles looked great against Arizona on Sunday despite often throwing under heavy duress. This kid has been making accurate throws throughout every level of the field with tons of big-play excitement.
This is nothing new, as he continues to play out of his mind, having thrown 19 touchdowns without a single interception and surrendering only one turnover in 2013. Believe it or not, he’s now one touchdown shy of tying Peyton Manning’s NFL record of the most touchdowns without an interception. Any way you slice it, that’s an incredibly impressive feat, especially for a quarterback who is only in his second year.
7. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
27 of 33
High: 3rd
Low: 16th
Last Week: 7th
Tom Brady’s 317 passing yards was a league best in Week 13. His elite level of play as of late is responsible for his meteoric ascension back into the NFL’s top 10, where he belongs.
This future Hall of Famer has bounced back nicely after working his way through a depleted roster and adversity all season long.
It’s difficult to believe that at one point in the season, Brady was ranked 16th overall.
6. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
28 of 33
High: 5th
Low: 12th
Last Week: 5th
Tony Romo is 6-1 all time on Thanksgiving and has quietly thrown for another 3,000-yard season. He also has the all-time record for most touchdown passes on Thanksgiving, per ESPN Stats.
One of the biggest assets to his game is that he’s a great anticipator and tempos the ball with brilliance.
Romo has defied his reputation as of late by showing up big in the clutch. This has been one area of his game that has gotten him in trouble over the years.
5. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
29 of 33
High: 5th
Low: 21st
Last Week: 6th
Matthew Stafford has had a solid year thus far, as he happens to have the second-best PFF grade among QBs. He’ll need to improve on his lack of accuracy, which seems to stem from a lack of fundamentals and proper technique.
For the season, he’s on pace to demolish the 4,000-yard passing mark, which he seems to do every year.
Stafford needs to continue on the winning path if he and the Lions hope to be relevant come postseason time.
Only Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have thrown for more touchdowns this season than Stafford’s 27.
4. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
30 of 33
High: 4th
Low: 26th
Last Week: 4th
Philip Rivers is the best quarterback with a losing record in the NFL. What he has been able to do with so little talent around him due to injuries is simply amazing. It doesn’t seem like Rivers is given enough credit for his success this season.
Aside from throwing 23 touchdown passes to only nine interceptions, Rivers has really improved on his ability to not turn the ball over. He has not lost a fumble to the other team all year long. The only other full-time starter who can say the same is Alex Smith.
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
31 of 33
High: 2nd
Low: 4th
Last Week: 2nd
After maintaining a firm grip on the No. 2 spot for several weeks, Drew Brees has finally been unseated from his coveted place just beneath Mr. Peyton Manning himself.
It’s time to put your coats on in hell because it just froze over. For the first time in 43 consecutive games, Brees was held to under 200 yards passing.
Give a ton of credit to the Seattle secondary for shutting down this Hall of Fame quarterback like few defenses ever have. The last time he was held to 147 passing yards or less (min. 10 completions) was on Christmas Eve of 2006.
In throws beyond 15 yards, Brees struggled mightily while completing zero of eight attempts.
2. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
32 of 33
High: 2rd
Low: 11th
Last Week: 3rd
After an immaculate Monday night performance in which he threw for over 300 yards to go with three touchdown passes and zero interceptions, Russell Wilson surpassed Drew Brees in the power rankings for the first time of the season. He now sits one spot away from knocking out the great Peyton Manning.
Wilson is asserting himself as hands-down one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Few guys of any age are capable of understanding situation football like he does.
For his NFL career, Wilson is now 14-0 at home. Think about that for a minute.
On Sunday, he was 5-of-8 on throws beyond 15 yards. He also racked up an additional 47 yards on the ground.
The only players with 20 or more passing touchdowns in their first two NFL seasons are Russell Wilson, Dan Marino, Peyton Manning and Andy Dalton, via ESPN stats.
1. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
33 of 33
High: 1st
Low: 2nd
Last Week: 1st
According to ESPN Stats: “This is second time in his career that Peyton Manning has thrown 40 touchdown passes 12 games into season (also: 2004). Rest of NFL has done it one time (Brady, 2007).”
Peyton’s 41 touchdown passes on the season is by far the best total in the league. In fact, the next guy behind him doesn’t even have 30.
His 68 percent completion rate and 8.6 yards per pass are each third in the league, while his 115 passer rating is second.
Manning added yet another impressive game to his resume, as he dominated the Chiefs' attempt to play man coverage all game long. Replacing this guy at the No. 1 spot won’t be easy. After all, he is on a record-smashing campaign in 2013. Expect the unexpected.
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