NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Rating The Starting Quarterbacks
As we move deeper and deeper into the season, quarterbacks are starting to show their true colors. There's something about the hunt for the playoffs that makes some passers and breaks others.
The question you're asking yourself right now, the one you probably ask yourself constantly, is: where does my quarterback lie?
Whether for fantasy football purposes or simply just for pride, here I am to once again answer that question with precise rankings.
So, without further delay, here are the Week 10 quarterback power rankings.
32. Tony Pike
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Poor Carolina Panthers.
Matt Moore is now on Injured Reserve, Jimmy Clausen is all but ineffective, and so they are forced to turn to 6th round pick Tony Pike.
The question is, how long until the Carolina Panthers turn to Armanti Edwards?
Only time will tell (my bet is on two weeks).
31. Drew Stanton
2 of 32
It is a sad day in Detroit.
After losing both Matt Stafford and Shaun Hill, the Lions have to turn to fourth year veteran Drew Stanton.
Stanton played admirably in his last outing against the New York Giants, but history is against him on this one. Stanton is going to have to work his way up from the bottom.
30. Charlie Whitehurst
3 of 32
The debut of the former Charger was less than spectacular.
I know he was facing the New York Giants, but still, you have to wonder whether he was worth everything that the Seahawks gave up for him.
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29. David Garrard
4 of 32
Don't let his last game fool you, David Garrard deserves this spot.
When he isn't facing some of the worst defenses and offenses in the League, Garrard makes a lot of mistakes. It takes wide open receivers and complete lack of pass rush for him to succeed, the kind of conditions he had against Dallas.
28. Derek Anderson
5 of 32
I wonder just how badly the Arizona Cardinals miss Kurt Warner.
The Cardinals gave up on Derek Anderson for undrafted rookie Max Hall a few weeks ago because he was that bad. Now they're letting him take over the lineup again?
Larry Fitzgerald must be crying himself to sleep these days.
27. Jon Kitna
6 of 32
Remember two weeks ago when I posted that article talking about how Jon Kitna could salvage the Dallas Cowboys' season?
Well, so much for that.
When you have that much offensive talent, there really is no excuse for playing as badly as Kitna is playing.
26. Vince Young
7 of 32
Without Kenny Britt, Vince Young seems to be completely ineffective, which is sad, because having Chris Johnson running the ball should allow Young to set up play action that could fool any defense.
He won't lose games for the Titans, but he doesn't seem to be making much strides in the way of winning them for the Titans either.
25. Chad Henne
8 of 32
When Brandon Marshall was traded to the Miami Dolphins, the consensus seemed to be that Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall would emerge as one of the best quarterback - wide receiver combos in the League.
The problem with that, though, is that Marshall cannot hold up that relationship. Henne has to do some of the work, and he seems to be doing the opposite right now.
It's unfortunate. One could almost say that the talent of Marshall, as well as Devone Bess, is going to waste.
24. Ryan Fitzpatrick
9 of 32
There's a part of me that wants to put Ryan Fitzpatrick higher on this list, but he just seems to keep making mistakes at the end of games. Most of them come in last ditch attempts to give the Bills a chance at a win, but they are mistakes nonetheless.
That having been said, he may give the Bills a decent future, should they decide to actually put some talent around him.
23. Troy Smith
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Troy Smith looked pretty good in his debut. He may have been playing the Denver Broncos, but he still went 12 for 19 for 196 yards and one touchdown, which is a pretty respectable game.
If he continues to play that way, the 49ers could finish their season with some respect, and Troy Smith could put himself in the top half of this list.
22. Matt Cassel
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As it was put so well on ESPN.com this week, the only one that holds the key to the destruction of the Kansas City Chiefs right now is Matt Cassel.
Anyone can tell that the Chiefs have won their games based on their running game and their defense. Matt Cassel is the only thing holding the Chiefs back from being considered a legitimate Top 10 team.
I'm also going to preemptively strike any arguments that involve his numbers. When you have a running game like that, a 3 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio is perfectly reasonable. Besides that, he should have a lot more yardage. 6.6 yards per completion isn't going to do it.
21. Donovan McNabb
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Don't think for a second that Rex Grossman will start for the Redskins.
If Donovan McNabb is still walking, he is still better, and will still start.
That having been said, McNabb has been fairly unimpressive for most of this season, which means Philadelphia is probably feeling better and better about their decision every week.
20. Eli Manning
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I can just hear to chorus of boos right now.
Quiet down New Yorkers.
The fact of the matter is, Eli Manning is benefiting in the same way Mark Sanchez is. He is surrounded by a great team.
The Giants are No. 3 in the League in rushing, and they have moved into the No. 1 total defense spot.
The problem is, though, Manning is still terribly inconsistent. He plays very well against bad defenses, but challenges seem to cause him to fall apart. Explain that one to me.
19. Jason Campbell
14 of 32
Jason Campbell is playing very well in relief of Bruce Gradkowski, but I'm not sure he is the whole reason for why the Oakland Raiders are playing well lately.
If Campbell can keep up his performance, he should shoot up these rankings.
18. Matt Schaub
15 of 32
I've never really bought into the Texans, and their recent games aren't helping to change my mind.
Schaub depends heavily on his running back to win games, but, like other quarterbacks in similar situations, he fails to capitalize on the opportunities that that affords him.
The Texans may be 12th in passing yards, but don't let that deceive you. Matt Schaub has his best games against bottom half teams, and has a tendency to make big mistakes at the worst times.
17. Colt McCoy
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It may be a little early to tell, but the Browns could be on to something here.
If Colt McCoy continues to perform like he did against New England, the Browns could well be on their way to a respectable season, and a potential playoff berth in the next year or two.
16. Jay Cutler
17 of 32
Cutler is dropping fast, but he seems to be righting the ship (sort of).
It's hard to blame him, though. When your offensive line is about as good at blocking as a revolving door, the fact that Cutler is still alive is something of a mystery to me.
15. Brett Favre
18 of 32
Favre may have conjured up some late game magic to grab the win this week, but he is still making fundamental mistakes that are almost painful to watch.
As I said the last time I put these rankings together, Brett Favre consistently violates the fundamental rule of quarterback play: Never throw across your body to the middle of the field. When he stops making that mistake, I may consider placing him higher, but the longer he continues to blow games with those decisions, the longer he will remain a middle of the pack quarterback.
14. Carson Palmer
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Despite his best efforts, the Bengals just keep losing games, a fact which is completely beyond me.
How Carson Palmer isn't destroying opponents with all of the weapons at his disposal is strange, and is what earns him the No. 15 spot on this list.
13. Josh Freeman
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I'll address the Bucs fans right off the bat: The sooner you can prove to me that Freeman can win when the pressure isn't on, the sooner I'll put him in the Top 10.
Freeman is good, and he really is coming into his own as a quarterback, but he only seems to find success when the Buccaneers are running the fast paced, come from behind offense.
12. Joe Flacco
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Flacco has improved a lot since the beginning of the season, but he is still making some costly errors.
If he continues to play like he is currently playing, he will push into the Top 10, but, for me, he is still earning respect after playing pretty bad football in the beginning of the season.
11. Mark Sanchez
22 of 32
I can't wait to hear what this one brings out.
In my last rankings, Sanchez was sitting at No. 5, so how did he get here?
Simple answer? He is losing games for the Jets.
New York may only have two losses, but has thrown five picks to two touchdowns in his last three games. The Jets are winning in spite of him, not because of him.
10. Ben Roethlisberger
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Despite a few bumps, Big Ben has played fairly well since his return from suspension. He has made some mistakes, but generally plays well when he is supposed to. His play against Cincinnati is the only real blemish on his record (New Orleans could be included in this as well I suppose).
9. Sam Bradford
24 of 32
Sam Bradford continues to astonish me every week. It looks like he gets better and better, and he is playing like a veteran of four or five years.
If he continues at the pace he is on right now, Rookie of the Year is in his future.
8. Michael Vick
25 of 32
Michael Vick played very well Sunday night, especially considering the fact that he was coming off a rib injury.
Whether you like him or not for what he has done in the past, it is hard to deny the fact that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the game right now, and may be one of the most exciting players on the field right now.
7. Aaron Rodgers
26 of 32
At this point in the rankings, the separation between quarterbacks becomes thin, so I have to fall back on some past precedent to determine where the quarterbacks lie right now.
I have to say, right off the bat, that I am impressed with Aaron Rodgers, something a Stanford student never wants to admit about a Cal graduate. However, his game against the New York Jets two weeks ago was bad, and it's hard to consider the win over Dallas a big enough deal to rejuvenate his image.
That having been said, don't expect him to stay this low for long, he's poised for a comeback.
6. Drew Brees
27 of 32
Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the game, don't get me wrong, and I do believe that he will get back into the Top 5, but, for now, Brees has to rest here.
He is putting up staggering numbers in the yardage column every game, but he continues to throw picks every game, some of which are very costly (see the three picks he threw against Cleveland).
Brees will pick up his act, I can guarantee that, but it seems like he just isn't getting it done at a superstar level right now.
5. Matt Ryan
28 of 32
It is almost funny to think now that, in the beginning of the season, people were wondering whether or not Matt Ryan would really be the face of the Falcons franchise for the next decade.
His numbers are high, but they don't immediately stick out. What does stick out is his presence on the field.
Ryan seems to always be calm and composed. He makes accurate reads, plays towards match up advantages very well, and is generally the kind of field marshall a head coach would want out there leading his team.
If you don't agree, think of this: How else would the Falcons be leading the NFC South, considering they share the division with the New Orleans Saints?
4. Kyle Orton
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For the Denver Broncos, Kyle Orton is the rose among the thorns. In their last game, against the San Francisco 49ers, Orton threw for 370 yards and a touchdown, with only one interception (surprising considering he was sacked four times).
They can't run the ball. They can't play defense. They don't really have a star receiver. Yet somehow, out of all this mess, comes Kyle Orton. He deserves the respect.
3. Tom Brady
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I could go on and on and on about why Tom Brady is the man. Watching him throw a football is so much fun, because they always seem to be the perfect tight spiral right to where he was intending to throw it.
That has been his trend the entire season up until the Patriots last game against Cleveland.
Tom Brady just looked a little out of sync from the very beginning, and thus the Patriots suffered their worst defeat of the season.
Brady still came out alright, which is why he remains in the Top 3, but he needs to pick up where he left off before the Cleveland game, or the Patriots might be in a bit of trouble.
2. Philip Rivers
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The greatest marker, for me, of a great quarterback is that they make their receivers better, and no passer exemplified that better this past weekend then Philip Rivers.
Rivers threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns last week against the Houston Texans without Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, Legedu Naanee, Buster Davis, and Antonio Gates.
For those of you keeping track at home, that's more or less the entire first string receiving group.
The only thing keeping me from placing Rivers in the No. 1 spot is the interceptions. He throws one almost every game, which isn't usually a problem, except for the fact that his seem to come at the worst times.
1. Peyton Manning.
32 of 32
Who can argue with this one?
Peyton Manning is the best in the game right now, and one of the best of all time.
The question still remains: When will Indianapolis rename themselves the Indianapolis Peyton Mannings?
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