
NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Michael Vick Streaks His Way into the QB Top 10
Besides the center, the quarterback is the only player who touches the ball on virtually every play. So it is safe to say that the quarterbacks of the NFL are quite important to their respective teams.
In Week 1 of the NFL season, we saw a lot of different signal callers take the field.
Some performed well, some did not. Some lived up to expectations, some, once again, did not.
Join me on a journey through the Week 2 power rankings of the quarterbacks in this wonderful sport.
(Note: only starting quarterbacks will be ranked here. However, if there is a quarterback controversy brewing like the one between Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb in Philadelphia, they will both be included.)
32: Shaun Hill
1 of 32
Last Week:
19-14 loss to the Chicago Bears
9 of 19, 88 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception
3 carries, -4 yards
The Reaction:
Poor Shaun Hill, he just couldn't do anything right in this game. He probably wasn't expecting to play anytime this season, but now that franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford is out four to six weeks, he's been thrust into the starting role.
And when I said poor Shaun Hill, I also meant poor Detroit Lions.
Stafford had left the Lions with a lead, but under the direction of Hill, the offense completely stalled and allowed the Bears to take over the game.
Truthfully, the loss should have been by more. Lance Briggs sacked Hill and forced a fumble at one point, recovering the ball on the 1-yard line. The Lions defense somehow mustered up a defensive stand and stonewalled the Bears on the ensuing possession.
The real story from the game though was Calvin Johnson's catch/non-catch. For a great view on the ruling, take a look at an article by Detroit Lions' featured columnist Michael Schottey.
No matter what, the Lions game went down as a loss, and that will be a common theme with Hill at quarterback.
31. Trent Edwards
2 of 32
Last Week:
15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins
18 of 34, 139 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions
2 carries, 12 yards
The Reaction:
Trent Edwards did not provide a good example of how to play quarterback in the NFL in his first game of the season. The Stanford graduate may be smart, but his arm isn't doing wonders for his chances of sticking around in the NFL.
Here are a couple of stats concerning the Bills' lack of offensive prowess:
The first touchdown of the day came on a 31-yard pass with just 5:13 remaining in the game.
The Bills' first nine possessions resulted in nine first downs, six three-and-outs, and 72 yards of offense.
The first three drives of the second half were three-and-outs.
The Bills' only amassed 166 yards of offense the entire game.
Yikes.
30. Alex Smith
3 of 32
Last Week:
31-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks
26 of 45, 225 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
The Reaction:
This would have been a good game for the 49ers if they were playing golf and trying to get the lowest score possible.
But they weren't.
Alex Smith sure didn't impress anyone by failing to lead his team to a single offense touchdown, especially with three potent weapons on his team: Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, and Frank Gore.
Head coach Mike Singletary was questioned about the former No. 1 overall pick's future status as the starting quarterback almost immediately after the game. That more than anything is a great indicator of Smith's poor performance.
As Smith said after the game, "It doesn't taste good. It doesn't feel good. I think you've got to try and make it a positive, but it hurts."
Interestingly enough, that's probably exactly how 49ers fans feel about having Smith as their starting quarterback.
29. Matt Moore
4 of 32
Last Week:
31-18 loss to the New York Giants
14 of 33, 182 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions
2 carries, 15 yards
The Reaction:
I'll put it nicely: Matt Moore was not very good in the first week of the NFL season.
The bad day ended for Moore when he was knocked out of the game on a sack by Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
But the worst thing of all was that Moore could have turned around the game and his performance so easily. Two of his three interceptions came in the end zone, the one area on the field where quarterbacks most hate to turn the ball over in.
It's only a matter of time before the reins are handed over to Jimmy Clausen, the rookie quarterback out of Notre Dame.
28. Matt Cassel
5 of 32
Last Week:
21-14 win over the San Diego Chargers
10 of 22, 68 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions
2 carries, 4 yards
The Reaction:
It doesn't make sense based on Cassel's game, but the Chiefs somehow got a big win over the San Diego Chargers.
If it wasn't for Jamaal Charles, Dexter McCluster, and Javier Arenas, the result would have been very different.
A starting quarterback simply cannot complete less than half of his passes, throw for just 68 yards, and only lead his team to one touchdown. In fact, the 68 yards for which Cassel threw gave him the lowest yardage total of any starting quarterback in the entire NFL.
Ouch. . .
27. Jason Campbell
6 of 32
Last Week:
38-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans
22 of 37, 180 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
7 carries, 35 yards
The Reaction:
The Jason Campbell era in Oakland got off to a rocky start. The ex-Washington Redskin can't be blamed for the 38 points put up by the Titans, but he definitely can be for the lack of offensive production by his team.
Campbell might get better as he develops better chemistry with his center. Rookie Jareed Veldheer was making his NFL debut and struggled to get the ball to Campbell both when the quarterback was in the shotgun and when he was under center.
But even when Campbell did successfully corral the pigskin, he still had trouble moving the team forward.
Because of the sacks he took, the Raiders only reached a positive total yardage when they drove 63 yards at the end of the first half to set up Sebastian Janikowski's second field goal.
Campbell's best drive came late in the game when he led the Raiders on an 80-yard drive that finished in a touchdown.
But that was garbage time and Campbell would like to playing with a lead and not a massive deficit.
26. Sam Bradford
7 of 32
Last Week:
17-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals
32 of 55, 253 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions
The Reaction:
It's probably not a good idea to have a rookie quarterback coming off of surgery on his throwing shoulder throw 55 passes in the first game of the year. Yet that's exactly what the Rams asked Sam Bradford to do.
He wasn't terrible for a rookie quarterback making his NFL debut; he kept the Rams in the game and they even had a lead until Larry Fitzgerald's touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
The problem though was the three interceptions. He'll cut back on the rookie mistakes as he gets more experience.
But like any other rookie, he is bound to struggle this year. Give him some time, Rams fans.
25. Mark Sanchez
8 of 32
Last Week:
10-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens
10 of 21, 74 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
2 carries, 5 yards
The Reaction:
Baltimore has a great defense, but still, Mark Sanchez looked awful in this game. He just couldn't get his team to move down the field at all.
If this Jets team is going to be as good as everyone thinks, "Sanchize" is going to have to pick up his production significantly.
Completing less than half of his passes and throwing for just 74 yards isn't going to cut it.
On the bright side, he didn't throw any interceptions!
24. Dennis Dixon
9 of 32
Last Week:
15-9 win over the Atlanta Falcons
18 of 26, 236 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception
2 carries, 4 yards
The Reaction:
Dixon did exactly what he needed to do in the Steelers' opening game. He got the W and made the road to the playoffs slightly easier for Ben Roethlisberger when he returns from his four-game suspension.
The young quarterback wasn't spectacular, and he wasn't really even that good. But with the Steelers defense playing like the Steel Curtain of the past, he didn't need to do anything but not be bad enough to single-handedly lose the game.
Dixon did have one interception, but he also had several other potential interceptions dropped by the Falcons defenders.
23. Jake Delhomme
10 of 32
Last Week:
17-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20 of 37, 227 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
1 carry, 1 yard
The Reaction:
Jake Delhomme started his 2010 campaign off on the right foot with a 41-yard strike to Mohamed Massaquoi for the game's first touchdown, but quickly regressed from there.
The NFL veteran helped the Browns offense look significantly better than last year, but that wasn't very hard to do.
We could see him improve as he gets more accustomed to throwing to his new teammates in real games, but the fact remains that he was unproductive in a loss to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After that first touchdown, Delhomme's production quickly tailed off. The Browns built up a 14-3, but that quickly changed because of a bad decision by their new quarterback.
Off balance, Delhomme tried to force a throw before halftime and Ronde Barber very nearly returned it for a touchdown after making the interception. Barber ended up making it to the 3-yard line and set up Josh Freeman's first touchdown pass of the day.
From that point on Tampa Bay had all the momentum and the Jake Delhomme train fell off the tracks.
22. Kyle Orton
11 of 32
Last Week:
24-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars
21 of 33, 295 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
2 carries, 12 yards
The Reaction:
The best thing that happened in Week 1 for Kyle Orton was Tim Tebow's lack of production. The much-talked about rookie from Florida only carried the ball two times for two yards.
Also, Orton did fairly well for himself in the first week. He put up some big numbers, but that may have been more about the Jaguars' porous secondary than about his throwing abilities.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, Orton failed to win the game.
He was given multiple opportunities to do so, but couldn't come up big in the waning minutes of the first game.
21. Derek Anderson
12 of 32
Last Week:
17-13 win over the St. Louis Rams
22 of 41, 297 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions
1 carry, 9 yards
The Reaction:
The dropoff from Kurt Warner to Derek Anderson was bound to be tough on the Arizona Cardinals, but fortunately for them, they had the benefit of playing the lowly St. Louis Rams in the first week and minimizing the damage.
Anderson was surprisingly productive and somehow led them to a win when he hit Larry Fitzgerald for the game-winning 21-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
He showed guts by staying in the pocket despite taking a beating from the Rams pass rush and delivered the ball quite successfully to both Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston.
Anderson has teased his fans before. He was good in Cleveland before his production tailed off significantly. Will that be the case here, too? It's too soon to tell, but we should know by the end of the year.
20. Josh Freeman
13 of 32
Last Week:
17-14 win over the Cleveland Browns
17 of 28, 182 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
2 carries, 34 yards
The Reaction:
The second year quarterback is moving his way up the quarterback ranks.
Freeman threw for an efficient 182 yards and even had a 33-yard run of his own. But most importantly, he guided this Bucs team to a big W.
The quarterback had sat out for the last three weeks because of a broken thumb. Yet he came back with a vengeance.
He showed off his skills late in the game when he didn't let the pressure get to him and hit Michael Spurlock for a 33-yard touchdown with just under seven minutes to go in the game. Only then did the Buccaneers acquire their first lead.
The first half didn't go quite as well for the young signal caller as the Bucs had significant trouble moving the ball down the field, but that changed in the second half of the game.
As his thumb heals even more and his game evolves and progresses, Freeman could develop into a dangerous NFL quarterback.
19. Carson Palmer
14 of 32
Last Week:
38-24 loss to the New England Patriots
34 of 50, 345 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
4 carries, 9 yards
The Reaction:
Because of the giant deficit he faced, Carson Palmer was forced to put the football in the air early and often against the Patriots defense. He produced, but those numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt because of the situation.
There is no denying that Palmer has quite a few toys to play with in the passing game. He has the dynamic duo of Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco at his disposal, as well as rookies Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham.
The passing game of this Bengals squad could be quite potent indeed, and they won't always be playing from behind.
18. Matt Ryan
15 of 32
Last Week:
15-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
27 of 44, 252 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception
2 carries, 4 yards
The Reaction:
This was not exactly the type of debut that Ryan hoped to have in his supposed breakout campaign.
He failed to throw a touchdown pass in the game and even failed to lead the Falcons to a single touchdown. Their points were produced solely by the leg of Matt Bryant and his three field goals.
Ryan, who did show good chemistry with Roddy White (13 receptions for 111 yards), almost managed to lose the game for his team in the fourth quarter. WIth 1:45 remaining, Troy Polamalu jumped in front of a sideline route and picked Ryan off, setting up a game-winning field goal attempt that Jeff Reed just barely missed.
Then the game was lost in overtime by the Falcons defense.
Ryan is still a great young quarterback, and he was facing one of the league's most intimidating defenses. But still, this is not the kind of production that head coach Mike Smith is looking for.
17. Donovan McNabb
16 of 32
Last Week:
13-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys
15 of 32, 171 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
1 carry, 17 yards
The Reaction:
Eventually, McNabb will have to face someone other than the Cowboys. His last three games have been against the team from Dallas. The regular season finale and the opening round of the playoffs last season were both losses against the same team, but those were both as a Philadelphia Eagle.
It was a different story for McNabb in a Redskins uniform. He didn't manage to lead them to a single offensive touchdown, but they still got the victory.
As he adjusts to his new targets, he should improve. But this could be the year that old age finally catches up to McNabb.
16. Chad Henne
17 of 32
Last Week:
15-10 win over the Buffalo Bills
21 of 34, 182 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
2 carries, -1 yard
The Reaction:
Life has got to be good right now for Chad Henne.
He gets to play for a good Dolphins team that loves to run the football and when he does need to pass he gets to throw the ball to standout receiver Brandon Marshall.
And true to form, Marshall caught eight of Henne's passes in the first game of the season. The duo will be even better as they continue to develop a stronger rapport.
Henne was not spectacular, but that's not really what the Dolphins are asking him to do. He's managing the game exactly right and leading them to wins. If he keeps playing like this, Miami will have a very legitimate shot at a wild card in the AFC.
15. Jay Cutler
18 of 32
Last Week:
19-14 win over the Detroit Lions
23 of 35, 372 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
5 carries, 22 yards
The Reaction:
Jay Cutler is an extremely frustrating quarterback. He puts up great stats and plays well for the vast majority of the game, but then he makes one boneheaded decision and throws a pick. It happens every single game.
Last Sunday's game against the Lions was no different. Cutler put up his numbers, both the good and the bad.
As the quarterback said after the game though, "It's the first game. A win is a win—we're going to take it any way we can get it."
14. Matt Hasselbeck
19 of 32
Last Week:
31-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers
18 of 23, 170 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
2 carries, 4 yards, 1 touchdown
The Reaction:
Matt Hasselbeck sure made new head coach Pete Carroll proud in his first game this season.
The veteran quarterback accounted for 21 of the Seahawks' 31 points in this blowout win over the 49ers, throwing two touchdown passes and running the ball in himself for another.
After the first play, though, the new era didn't look so good as Hasselbeck threw a pick. Halfway through the second quarter, the Seahawks had only run seven plays and had only gained 11 yards.
But then Hasselbeck turned it on and completed 10 of his next 11 throws. There was no looking back after that.
Hasselbeck has some weapons around him this year, even if they aren't well known to the rest of the country. Justin Forsett, Mike Williams, John Carlson, and Deion Branch could all have excellent years with the longtime Seahawk throwing to them.
13. Brett Favre
20 of 32
Last Week:
14-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints
15 of 27, 171 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
The Reaction:
I guess that's why they have preseason and training camp. It's hard for a 40-year-old quarterback to come back into the NFL with a bad ankle and play the defending Super Bowl champions.
Favre really didn't look all that accurate and was quite inconsistent throughout the game. To be fair, he is missing his top target, Sidney Rice, but that is a problem that will continue to plague him throughout the season.
The ageless wonder still has that gunslinging mentality and still has the ability to produce, but Week 1 wasn't so great for him as the Saints handed Favre his second straight loss, many months after the devastating playoff defeat in the Superdome.
Favre's best drive was the only one in which he threw a touchdown pass. As the first half wound down, he completed two long passes to his tight end, Visanthe Shiancoe. The first went for 33 yards and the second for a 20-yard touchdown strike.
12. David Garrard
21 of 32
Last Week:
24-17 win over the Denver Broncos
16 of 21, 170 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
7 carries, 10 yards
The Reaction:
David Garrard was the model of efficiency in the Jaguars win to open the season on the right foot.
His quarterback rating of 138.9 showed that this may have been the best game of his entire career. The Jaguars only hope that he can keep it up for the rest of the season.
The drive that produced the winning touchdown said it all for Garrard in this game.
Jacksonville moved down the field methodically, thanks in part to two 15-yard penalties by Broncos defensive end Ryan McBean. The seven play, 83-yard drive culminated in a 24-yard touchdown pass from Garrard to Kassim Osgood.
On a night when Champ Bailey held the Jaguars' top receiver, Mike Sims-Walker, without a catch, Garrard still managed to come up big and lead his team to a win. And that's the most encouraging sign of all.
11. Matt Schaub
22 of 32
Last Week:
34-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts
9 of 17, 107 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
3 carries, -3 yards
The Reaction:
Matt Schaub may not have put up the numbers that we're used to seeing from him, but he did put up one surprising one.
The Texans finally got the monkey off their back and beat the Colts, putting a one in the win column and keeping the loss column unblemished.
It seems as though everyone but the Falcons management knew that the Texans quarterback would be a stud, and he sure is.
Expect the wins, touchdown passes, and stats to keep piling up this season.
10. Michael Vick
23 of 32
Last Week:
27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers
16 of 24, 175 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions
11 carries, 103 yards
The Reaction:
How many people would have guessed that Michael Vick would play well enough against a Super Bowl contender to almost bring them back from an overwhelming deficit and generate a quarterback controversy with the player deemed to be the next franchise quarterback?
I'll give you a hint: the answer is not very many.
Yet Vick still somehow reminded the notoriously fickle Philly fans of his time in Atlanta when he almost won the game for the Eagles.
His wheels still worked and he still threw tight and accurate spirals.
Could we be seeing the Michael Vick of old once more?
9. Joe Flacco
24 of 32
Last Week:
10-9 win over the New York Jets
20 of 38, 248 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception
4 carries, 2 yards
The Reaction:
We all knew this clash between two of the league's top defensive units would be low scoring. But Flacco still managed to put up some numbers.
In leading his team to the win, Flacco demonstrated an already solid connection with new wideout Anquan Boldin. Boldin's seven catches and 110 yards led the team in both categories.
As solid as the Delaware product looked, he'll only get better once he develops a rapport with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who only recently joined the team.
And Flacco won't have the disservice of facing the Jets in every one of his games this year.
8. Eli Manning
25 of 32
Last Week:
31-18 win over the Carolina Panthers
20 of 30, 263 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
4 carries, -2 yards
The Reaction:
There were times when the younger Manning was brilliant, and there were times when he was unbelievably sloppy.
But the most important takeaway from game one is that Eli Manning has a new best friend. His name is Hakeem Nicks.
Nicks only caught four passes for 75 yards, but three of the four receptions were for touchdowns.
Manning can't throw three interceptions every game and expect to keep winning, but fortunately for both he and the Giants, he won't keep doing that.
7. Vince Young
26 of 32
Last Week:
38-13 win over the Oakland Raiders
13 of 17, 154 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
7 carries, 30 yards
The Reaction:
The Tennessee Titans are now 8-1 in games when Vince Young throws for two or more touchdowns. It seems as though the Texas product just finds ways to win.
In this game he was remarkably efficient. He only threw four incompletions the entire game and made some great plays with his arm.
After calling for a play action fake and seeing the safety bite, Young found a wide open Nate Washington for a 56-yard touchdown. In the third quarter, Young found tight end Bo Scaife for a 1-yard score after his defense intercepted Jason Campbell.
He may not play like a traditional quarterback, but he wins games, and that's what counts.
6. Tony Romo
27 of 32
Last Week:
13-7 loss to the Washington Redskins
31 of 47, 282 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions
The Reaction:
Even though he played well, Romo still only led the Cowboys to one offensive touchdown the entire game.
Against the rival Redskins, that's just not going to cut it.
However, the Cowboys did think they had won the game at one point. They were already celebrating the victory after Romo threw what he thought was his second touchdown pass of the game. But then they looked down and saw the yellow flag that signified offensive holding, a nullified touchdown, and the end of the game.
Romo has a boatload of options to throw to: Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice, Jason Witten, Roy Williams, Miles Austin, and Dez Bryant are all viable targets.
He and the Cowboys will only improve from here.
5. Philip Rivers
28 of 32
Last Week:
21-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs
22 of 39, 298 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
3 carries, 5 yards
The Reaction:
Phillip Rivers was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dim game for the San Diego Chargers.
He was playing in a very hostile environment and trying to throw a rain-soaked ball, but he still managed to produce.
With the exception of a drive that stalled at the goal line in the closing minutes, Rivers played quite well the entire game.
Had his defense or special teams played any better than they did, Rivers' Chargers would have won the game.
Expect him to have big statistical weeks like this almost every week, but for the wins to start piling up.
4. Aaron Rodgers
29 of 32
Last Week:
27-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles
19 of 31, 188 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
5 carries, 9 yards
The Reaction:
A lot of people expect big things from Favre's successor in Green Bay this season, and a Super Bowl isn't even out of the question.
Rodgers got the Packers rolling against Philadelphia and had the game in hand until Michael Vick led a late comeback charge.
He may not have put up the big stats that you would expect from an elite quarterback throwing to Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley, but he still got a tough win against a good team while playing on the road.
After the game, the Pro Bowl quarterback said, "I played terrible. It was as bad as I can play. I've got to be better. I missed a lot of throws. The defense played good. We made enough plays to win. I personally made too many dumb mistakes."
He was probably a little too critical of himself because he did make some nice throws to go along with the bad ones, but the point is that he is ready and willing to improve on those mistakes.
3. Peyton Manning
30 of 32
Last Week:
34-24 Loss to the Houston Texans
40 of 57, 433 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
The Reaction:
If only Peyton Manning could have played defense and somehow stopped the Arian Foster attack, the Colts may have had a shot at winning the game.
The lack of defense, though, was no fault of Peyton Manning, who as always put up great numbers and helped the offense produce in a big way.
It wasn't enough for a win, but Manning still completed 40 passes, threw for over 400 yards, and threw three touchdown passes with no interceptions.
He's one of the elite quarterbacks in the game still, and he played like one. His team will start winning sooner rather than later.
2. Tom Brady
31 of 32
Last Week:
38-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals
25 of 35, 258 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
The Reaction:
Tom Terrific (even if his haircut isn't terrific) guided the New England Patriots to a win in his first game of the 2010 season. Despite the 14-point margin of victory that will go down in the archives, the game wasn't really even that close.
Brady was masterful throughout as he shook off the distractions of his car accident and his new contract to produce just like he always does.
Most importantly, he got Wes Welker involved in the offense in his first game back from a knee injury. Welker caught two touchdown passes in the game.
As always, Tom Brady and the Patriots are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC.
1. Drew Brees
32 of 32
Last Week:
14-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings
27 of 36, 237 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions
4 carries, -6 yards
The Reaction:
Drew Brees and the Saints just keep on winning. As he said after the game, "We're not used to 14-9 victories, but we're used to winning. So we like the W."
And as long as the reigning Super Bowl MVP and his team keep on rolling and the Purdue graduate keeps putting up good numbers, it's going to be awfully tough to dethrone him from his perch atop the quarterback rankings.
Brees may not have put up the spectacular, mind-boggling stats that we're used to seeing from him, but he still got the most important one: a win.
The Minnesota Vikings are still a tough opponent, and Brees will surely put up the fantasy-league-winning numbers he so consistently produces sooner rather than later.
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