NFL Power Rankings Week 1: 5 Quarterbacks Who Are Set to Air It out

Leading up to and during the NFL preseason, much of the talk in and around the league revolved around quarterbacks, as it always does.

When the regular season starts on Thursday, not much is going to change. Quarterbacks are once again going to be the main subject of conversation.

The question is: which ones?

Why, the ones who perform the best, of course. And in Week 1, I think there are five who are set to do better than all the rest. 

5. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

There's a lot of pressure on Joe Flacco to finally take the Ravens where they want to be this year. And he'd better. Or else.

Luckily, Flacco should start out strong at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers still have a great defense, and running the ball against them is asking for trouble, but they can be beaten through the air. They have serious issues at the cornerback position, and a good quarterback can exploit these.

People will argue the point, but Flacco is a good quarterback, and it's worth noting that he did have some success throwing the ball against the Steelers last year.

Look for that trend to continue. 

4. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

If Arian Foster plays in Houston's opener against the Indianapolis Colts, I expect Matt Schaub to have a relatively light workload.

However, indications are that Foster is not going to be able to go, and that means the pressure will be on Schaub to carry the offense.

Can he do it? You bet he can. We're talking about a guy who passed for well over 4,000 yards last season, and he has arguably the best receiver in football at his disposal in Andre Johnson.

If Schaub has to throw, he'll throw.

3. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons were kind enough to acquire a shiny new toy for Matt Ryan when they traded up in the draft to get Julio Jones. Along with Roddy White, Ryan now has arguably the best pair of receivers in the league to throw to.

And against the Bears, Ryan is probably going to use them early and often. Running the ball on the Bears proved to be a bad idea in 2010, so you can look for the Falcons to try their luck throwing it instead.

Because the Bears have some new faces in the secondary, Ryan will have the advantage.

2. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

If there is one thing the Chargers should be concerned about heading into 2011, it's their running game. It wasn't very good in 2010, and it's probably not going to be much better in 2011.

But that's okay. After all, they have Philip Rivers, who led the NFL with 4,710 passing yards last season.

Because the Chargers offense relies so heavily on Rivers, it really doesn't matter what the Minnesota Vikings do defensively. Rivers is going to throw the ball, and it will be up to them to stop him.

If I had to guess, they won't.

1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Why should you expect Tom Brady to be throwing the ball a lot in New England's Monday night opener against the Miami Dolphins?

Well, because he's Tom Brady, and they're the Patriots.

What more do you need to know?

2011 NFL Power Rankings
1. New England Patriots
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. New Orleans Saints
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
8. San Diego Chargers
9. New York Jets
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11. Kansas City Chiefs
12. Houston Texans
13. Detroit Lions
14. Indianapolis Colts
15. Chicago Bears
16. New York Giants
17. Dallas Cowboys
18. Arizona Cardinals
19. St. Louis Rams
20. Oakland Raiders
21. Jacksonville Jaguars
22. Tennessee Titans
23. Minnesota Vikings
24. Miami Dolphins
25. Washington Redskins
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Denver Broncos
28. Seattle Seahawks
29. San Francisco 49ers
30. Buffalo Bills
31. Cincinnati Bengals
32. Carolina Panthers