NFL Power Rankings: Which QBs Had The Best Performances
Week 1 is officially in the books and before we turn our focus to the second week of the regular season it's time to reflect on what transpired over the weekend.
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Jay Cutler all put up big numbers; what other quarterbacks had big games?
Don't fret any longer here are the 10 best performances at the quarterback position in Week 1.
No. 10, Matt Hasselback
1 of 10
Hasselback's numbers won't jump out at you but he turned in an efficient performance completing 18 of 23 passes for 170 yards. He led Seattle to a 31-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers by throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another.
Overall, it was a great start to the season for a guy looking to bounce back from a couple of rough years.
No. 9, Carson Palmer
2 of 10
Palmer's performance was absolutely horrendous in the first half. He failed to get anything going as the New England Patriots built up a 24-3 halftime lead. Things got better in the second half as he picked apart the Patriots' defense that was sitting back enjoying a comfortable lead.
It turned out to be a big day statistically speaking as he threw for 345 yards through the air but it took 50 pass attempts. The Cincinnati Bengals are going to need a better performance throughout the whole game next week from their quarterback.
No. 8, Derek Anderson
3 of 10
Derek Anderson overcame accuracy issues throughout the game to guide the Arizona Cardinals to a win over the St. Louis Rams. He finished 21 of 42 for 297 yards with one TD and no interceptions. It wasn't a tremendous performance and it's likely that he's going to have to play better for Arizona to continue to win but it got the job done.
With Matt Leinart gone it's on Anderson to find his name on this list weekly.
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No. 7, Eli Manning
4 of 10
Manning and the New York Giants received the privilege of opening New Meadowlands Stadium this past weekend. They won the game over the Carolina Panthers 31-18, which in large part was due to their QB. Manning struggled early on throwing some balls too high that went off his receivers' hands and were picked off.
But he bounced back and sliced the Panthers' secondary for three TD's and 267 yards through the air. The three INT's kept Manning from being much higher on this list.
No. 6, David Garrard
5 of 10
Like Hasselback, Garrard's numbers aren't going to jump out at you. But he turned in a terrific game throwing three TD passes en route to a 24-17 victory over the Denver Broncos. Jacksonville leaned heavily on Maurice Jones-Drew all throughout the game not giving Garrard an opportunity to throw as much.
He took advantage of the opportunities he did have though completing 16 of his 21 passes for 170 yards.
No. 5, Philip Rivers
6 of 10
Rivers had four chances within the 10-yard to tie the game up against the Kansas City Chiefs Monday night. If he had brought San Diego back and led them to a victory there's no doubt he would be No. 1 for the week.
Instead he'll have to settle for No. 5 and an 0-1 record heading into next week. Rivers was two yards short of 300 and tossed two TD's but it wasn't enough.
No. 4, Jay Cutler
7 of 10
The Chicago Bears won their season opener in controversial fashion but that doesn't take away from Cutler's performance. He tossed for 372 yards on 35 attempts and threw two TD's. There were some negatives from Cutler most notably a fumble and an interception.
Chicago knows Cutler is going to turn the football over but he cannot have another season like a year ago.
No. 3, Peyton Manning
8 of 10
It's hard to imagine ranking a guy No. 3 overall who is coming off a game where he threw for 433 yards and three TD's. But Manning's monster numbers must be taken into perspective. The Indianapolis QB threw 57 passes as the Colts were trying to catch the Houston Texans.
Texan running back Arian Foster was too much for the Colts' defense and not even Peyton Manning, who is known for his comebacks against Houston, could lead them back. It was a great week for fantasy owners of Manning but in reality it was disappointing to be a Colts fan.
No. 2, Michael Vick
9 of 10
Could it be that the once jailed three-time Pro Bowl QB could be starting an NFL game again?
Yes.
Vick was tremendous against the Green Bay Packers rushing for over 100 yards and completing 16 of his 24 attempts for 175 yards. He looked like the Michael Vick of a few years ago and almost led the Eagles back from the dead to a victory.
Although the rally came up short, Philadelphia fans can be excited about the prospect of Vick taking the majority of the snaps this upcoming weekend.
No. 1, Tom Brady
10 of 10
Brady is looking to return to his '07 form and after leading the Patriots to a 38-24 victory Sunday it appears he could be close. After getting into a car crash earlier in the week you couldn't see any effects on the field against the Bengals.
He threw for 258 yards and three TD passes but more importantly looked a lot sharper than he ever did a year ago. The Patriot QB is now two years removed from ACL surgery, which could mean an MVP-type season isn't out of the question. With Wes Welker back and a motivated Randy Moss looking for a new contract the New England offense is looking potent.
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