NFL Week 14 Power Ranking of the 32 Starting Quarterbacks: Tom Brady for MVP
Many people talked about the "quarterback duel" between Tom Brady and Mark Sanchez on Monday Night Football. That duel was over after the first shot was fired.
There were 14 other quarterback duels on Sunday, and one last Thursday, that all bear mentioning. Each of those quarterbacks did a few things that either helped them or hurt them as they make a case for a starting job, a Pro Bowl vote, or even an MVP nod.
But who did what? And just how well? Read on to find out.
32. Derek Anderson
1 of 32
Not much more to say about Anderson then, "Ugh." Yes, it seems that even after last week's post-game tirade, it can get worse for Anderson. And it did.
Without even completing 50 percent of his passes or throwing for over 100 yards, I almost had to put him dead last. The interception, though, pushed me over the edge.
Last week: 31
31. Jimmy Clausen
2 of 32
It just is not getting any better for the Notre Dame quarterback. As if barely completing 50 percent of his passes wasn't enough, he also had yet another game without a touchdown and with an interception. You can't expect greatness from a rookie, but you want to at least see a flash of potential. None such to speak of from Clausen.
Last week: 32
30. Jake Delhomme
3 of 32
It was a solid performance for Delhomme, but it's easy for it to get lost in what's been a long list of poor performances from the 11-year vet.
He enjoyed his highest completion percentage and passer rating of the year, in the first start of the season in which he didn't throw two interceptions. Still, this job is clearly Colt McCoy's once he returns from injury.
Last week: 30
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29. Carson Palmer
4 of 32
The struggles of one become the misery of many, and though Carson Palmer deserves a fair share of the blame for the team's 2-10 record and their nine-game losing streak, it would be unfair to put the load on him for this loss.
Sure, it would have helped if he threw more than one touchdown pass, but what more can you expect than 23-for-33 for 249 yards against the league's seventh-ranked pass defense?
Last week: 29
28. Matt Hasselbeck
5 of 32
Make no mistake about it: A 31-14 rout had nothing to do with the play of Hasselbeck, who barely completed 50 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions.
On the off-chance the Seahawks elect to bring him back next year, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him ride the bench.
Last week: 27
27. Donovan McNabb
6 of 32
With every interception Donovan McNabb throws, the Eagles look smarter and smarter for trading him within the division. The Giants defense is solid, so it's hard to expect a quarterback to enjoy a good game against them. But 26-for-44, with one touchdown and two interceptions is just plain bad.
A team can't expect to win its games with inefficient play from their quarterback, especially when he's throwing that many times in a game.
Last week: 26
26. Kerry Collins
7 of 32
Randy Moss is nowhere near the missing piece for this offense. After completing less than 50 percent of his passes while throwing two interceptions and failing to throw a touchdown, I think it's safe to say that missing piece is a competent quarterback.
Last week: 21
25. Chad Henne
8 of 32
I said last week that we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves in crowing Henne a new man just yet, and he did everything in his power to prove me right against the Cleveland Browns. Yes, the Browns are a respectable defensive team, but in a ball-control oriented offense, patience must be wearing thin with Henne's propensity to turn the ball over. Three interceptions will get you just about every time.
Last week: 22
24. Jason Campbell
9 of 32
It seems like I'm putting a different name here every week. Up until now, it hasn't mattered, because both Campbell and Bruce Gradkowski weren't playing solid quarterback.
With a small sample size of just 10-for-16 for 117 yards and a touchdown, Campbell was able to efficiently move his team down the field on the road against a tough Chargers defense. He even added a nifty touchdown run on a superb play fake for good measure.
Last week: 28
23. Brett Favre
10 of 32
One throw, one pick, and one injury led to his departure from the game. It's hard to judge a quarterback based on that, but that's a summation of Favre's season to this point. He moves up because Chad Henne was gracious enough to lay a big enough egg to move down a few spots.
Last week: 25
22. Troy Smith
11 of 32
Moving Smith up isn't so much a statement to his playing well (he didn't) as it is to other quarterbacks playing worse than he did.
Ever since starting off hot in his first few starts, Smith hasn't done a whole lot to win over the spectators. He had just 10 completions on 25 attempts for 194 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Those numbers came against a stingy Packers defense, and he certainly didn't get much help from his running backs which averaged a piddly 3.6 yards per carry.
Last week: 23
21. Drew Stanton
12 of 32
It's hard not to admire Stanton for giving the Lions a chance to win at the end of the game. He completed 66 percent of his passes, didn't throw an interception, and had a touchdown run and a touchdown throw.
It will be interesting to see how much more we'll get from Stanton in the coming weeks as the Lions try to make something respectable out of their season.
Last week: N/A
20. Mark Sanchez
13 of 32
There's only one thing to say at a time like this: 45-3.
Sanchez went 17-for-33 for 164 yards and three interceptions against the worst pass defense in the league. He proved that he's not the type of quarterback who can put a team on his shoulder to win. He also proved that he can't do much when he's not playing with a lead, or at least from within scoring range. We have a word for those type of people: frontrunners.
Last week: 18
19. Kyle Orton
14 of 32
In what will be remembered as Josh McDaniels' last game as head coach of the Broncos, an eye-poppingly bad performance from Kyle Orton, who seemed on the inside track to be the passing leader, was the killer.
He completed just nine of his 28 passes for a lowly 117 yards and lost a fumble. With Tim Tebow waiting in the wings, one has to wonder if Orton is playing on borrowed time, even with a contract extension this season.
Last week: 16
18. Ryan Fitzpatrick
15 of 32
Fitzpatrick admittedly didn't play well, and contributed to three Buffalo turnovers with two lost fumbles and an interception.
He faced a pretty vicious pass rush all day long, and had a hard time getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers. It's hard not to admire what he's done this season with the Bills, despite their record, but this game didn't do much to help him in terms of job security going forward.
Last week: 17
17. Jay Cutler
16 of 32
Cutler was more efficient than he's been all season, completing 21-of-26 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown.
This is the second consecutive week in which Jay Cutler has avoided throwing an interception. After a string of three straight games with at least one pick, Bears fans have to be pleased with how he's taking care of the ball.
Last week: 20
16. Jon Kitna
17 of 32
In his long NFL career, Kitna's had just about every kind of performance you can imagine. From great, to terrible, and to ones like against the Colts where he was relegated to the role of a game manager.
For someone who's had the propensity to turn the ball over, Kitna did a great job of completing passes and taking what the defense gave him. His 167 yards and his one touchdown were a good compliment to a running game that had its way with the Colts all day long.
Last week: 19
15. Josh Freeman
18 of 32
Up against one of the tougher defenses in the league, it's hard to give Freeman to tough of a time over his performance. Still, after all he's done this season, I think many were expecting better than just 50-percent completions and a matching interception-touchdown ratio of just one.
The onus can't be on him entirely to beat teams that have a winning record, but it would help to get some top-end play out of him in big games.
Last week: 14
14. David Garrard
19 of 32
When the Jaguars rush attack is clicking like it did on Sunday against the Titans, David Garrard doesn't need to have a dominant performance. He can just manage the game and the Jags will be just fine.
He added to his 14-for-19 completions and 126 yards passing with 19 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Nothing flashy, just another day at the office for Garrard.
Last week: 15
13. Sam Bradford
20 of 32
It was an efficient performance for Bradford despite his interception, as he completed 18-for-29 for 187 yards. Coming off the best performance of his young career probably makes this game seem a bit worse, lest we forget he is but a rookie still. Let's not forget, though, that he was playing against one of the worst defenses in the league.
There will be plenty more games for Bradford to improve, this just wasn't one of them.
Last week: 12
12. Matt Cassel
21 of 32
Folks were probably expecting a bit more out of Matt Cassel against a lowly Broncos defense, but those folks were probably forgetting that this offense is predicated on its ability to control the clock and run the ball.
In that regard, Cassel had a great game even though he didn't complete a lot of passes, just 17 of his 31 attempts. He did have a touchdown pass, though, and didn't turn the ball over.
Last week: 13
11. Matt Schaub
22 of 32
After piling on the yards against the Eagles defense, Schaub finally began looking like the guy we saw last year. Unfortunately, he threw a very peculiar interception to Trevor Laws, who was standing almost right in front of him, that came at a critical point in the game.
Plays like that have defined the Texans this season.
Last week: 11
10. Joe Flacco
23 of 32
The Steelers defense is one of the toughest in football, even if their numbers aren't great against the pass. There was just no way they were going to let Joe Flacco have his way with them twice in one season.
They held him to just over 50 percent completions for 266 yards and a touchdown.
Last week: 9
9. Eli Manning
24 of 32
The Giants routed the Redskins, and Eli hardly had to lift a finger. He completed 15-of-25 passes for 161 yards, and didn't throw a single touchdown as the running back duo of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for four.
Still, it was Eli's efficient play that helped them get into position for those scores.
Last week: 10
8. Peyton Manning
25 of 32
I never thought I'd put Peyton this low on this chart, but with eight touchdowns and 11 interceptions over the past three games, it's becoming harder and harder to make excuses for him. Yes, there's no denying the injuries to his receiving corps and offensive line, but some of these throws are just totally uncharacteristic, right into the arms of waiting defenders. Even if he doesn't finish the season in the top 10 on this list, there's no doubt I'd put him near the top of my all-time list.
Last week: 6
7. Ben Roethlisberger
26 of 32
Sunday night's performance against the Ravens may not have been Roethlisberger's most impressive from a statistical standpoint, but it was definitely one of the toughest performances I've seen from a quarterback. Keeping his team in the game despite a broken nose is nothing short of gutsiness at its finest.
I'd love to see more games like this from him in the future.
Last week: 8
6. Drew Brees
27 of 32
A mediocre pass defense is usually easy pickings for Drew Brees and Co. Although it wasn't a banner performance for the Super Bowl XLIV MVP, his clutch play was enough to get the Saints the win.
He struggled to find the end zone, with just two touchdowns, but piled on the yards yet again with his third consecutive 300-plus yard performance, and his sixth of the season.
Last week: 7
5. Matt Ryan
28 of 32
The Bucs defense has been underrated all season. Matt Ryan learned that early on in the game. But Matt Ryan's ability to command a late-game drive to give his team a chance to win is also underrated. They don't call him "Matty Ice" for nothing.
Last week: 4
4. Aaron Rodgers
29 of 32
With a 298-yard, three-touchdown decimation of the 49ers pass defense, Rodgers keeps himself among the ranks of the elite. With big wins like this, it won't be long before he puts his name up there for good.
Perhaps those wins could come in the playoffs.
Last week: 5
3. Philip Rivers
30 of 32
With 23-for-39 completions, 280 yards, a touchdown and an interception, Rivers took a step back from the dominant quarterbacking he'd been doing all season.
In fact, it's safe to say that any Rivers for MVP talks are just about dead. That's, of course, barring some drastic turnaround after a two-game dip in production that equaled some of his single-game numbers from earlier in the season.
Last week: 2
2. Michael Vick
31 of 32
Michael Vick accounted for three of Philadelphia's touchdowns on Thursday night against the Texans. Even though he threw an interception, his 300-yard performance was convincing enough to move him up a spot on this chart.
Just think how close the MVP running would be if he had started every game...
Last week: 3
1. Tom Brady
32 of 32
I said it once, and I'll say it again: 45-3.
326 yards and four touchdowns was thought to be unprecedented against the Jets' third-ranked defense, but not for Brady, who is enjoying an MVP season that rivals his first one. Not in numbers, but in spectacular efficiency.
Last week: 1
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