NFL Week 8: Who's Hot, Who's Not at QB

The NFL is closing in on the halfway point of the season and quarterbacks are setting record paces in terms of yardage and touchdowns.

This year was supposedly the "year of the pitcher" for Major League Baseball.

Well, the past few seasons, including this one, have been years of the quarterback in the National Football League. 

A few of the elite signal-callers continue to roll, separating themselves from the rest of the pack. Others are making surprising midseason runs as quarterbacks to watch in the second half of the season.

Then, there are the underperformers who need a good week soon to turn things around.

As the fall weather takes hold of the NFL cities, let's take a look at who is cozy for the stretch run and who is left out in the cold. 

Hot: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Week 7 Stat Line: 31/35, 325 Yards, 5 Touchdowns, 0 Interceptions

Wait, did the Saints just score again on the Colts defense?

It must seem that way for fans of the Indianapolis Colts. Quarterback Drew Brees picked apart the Indy secondary at will on Sunday night, leading his Saints to a 62-7 victory.

Obviously, Brees has been hot all year. He currently leads the NFL in passing yardage with 2,477 and has thrown 18 touchdowns.

However, Sunday night Brees put on a clinic that probably had Peyton Manning impressed. The Colts never pressured Brees and he made them pay to the tune of 325 yards and a handful of touchdowns. The Indianapolis secondary never jammed the Saints' receivers, giving them free releases and allowing easy pickings for one of the most accurate pass-throwers in the NFL.

On a negative note, a streak of four consecutive games with 350 yards was ended for Brees.

Eh, he's not perfect is he? He was pretty close Sunday night.





 

Not: Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 7 Stat Line: 29/51, 264 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 4 Interceptions

Josh Freeman threw a grand total of six picks during the 2010-2011 regular season.

He was picked off four times on Sunday alone.

Maybe it was jet lag. Perhaps it was an uncharacteristic 51 pass attempts for the Tampa Bay offense.

Whatever the reason, Freeman is having a hard time taking care of the football this season. He currently leads the NFL with 10 interceptions.

Do not place all blame on Freeman, however. The running game has not nearly had the impact as it did last season, forcing more throws for the Kansas State product. If LeGarrette Blount can return soon, look for the Bucs to revert back to a ground-first approach. 

Hot: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Week 7 Stat Line: 18/23, 256 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 0 Interceptions

Cam Newton has become one of the most exciting players to watch in the NFL.

Newton had the most efficient performance of his career on Sunday, completing 78.3 percent of his passes and accruing a 127.5 quarterback rating.

23 attempts represent the lowest total to date for the Carolina Panthers signal caller, which speaks volumes to how tidy Newton was against a good Redskins defense.

Newton also added 10 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown, which pleases fantasy owners and must be considered when evaluating a dual-threat quarterback such as Newton. 

Newton has had some impressive yardage totals in games this season. In order to eventually become elite, however, his outings need to resemble the one he had against Washington.

No turnovers. High completion percentages. Wins.



 

Not: Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

Week 7 Stat Line: 21/38, 137 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Interception

The opposite of efficiency? Joe Flacco's performance on Monday Night Football versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Twenty-one completions for 137 yards averages out to a paltry six-and-a-half yards per completion. That just does not cut it for elite NFL quarterbacks.

There is significant pressure on Flacco to perform. He is the X factor for the Ravens. When he performs well, Baltimore is likely to win against most teams. When he plays like he did Monday night, the Ravens lose to less talented teams.

He better heat up before December. The pressure isn't going to get any easier from here on out. 

Hot: Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings

Week 7 Stat Line: 13/32, 219 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 2 Interceptions

The numbers aren't impressive. A 44.9 percent completion percentage is certainly nothing to write home about.

Give the rookie a pass, though. He definitely passed the eye test.

The Minnesota Vikings, for whatever reason, chose to start Christian Ponder against the vaunted Packers defense who have an excellent pass rush and Charles Woodson to gobble up any wayward throws.

Despite playing against the odds, Ponder played admirable. Sure, the rookie made his share of poor decisions that led to a pair of interceptions. However, Ponder kept the Vikings in the game which is something his predecessor, Donovan McNabb, probably could not have done 

There is buzz about this kid's performance in his first start, making him a deserving member of the "Who's Hot"  quarterback club.  

Not: Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

Week 7 Stat Line: 16/32, 179 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 2 Interceptions

If fans of the San Diego Chargers are not concerned yet, they should be.

Something is awry with Philip Rivers.

Despite playing one of the easiest early schedules in the league, Rivers has a terrible ratio of seven touchdowns to nine interceptions through six games.

Yes, he has been without his favorite target Antonio Gates for a portion of that time. However, he still has Vincent Jackson and an improved Ryan Mathews to help balance the attack.

Over the past four seasons, Rivers has yet to have a quarterback rating under 100. His rating is currently 82.3 for this season.

The Chargers are traditionally slow starters. However, this year the schedule gets more difficult as the season wears on. San Diego will need Rivers at his best down the stretch to win the AFC West. 

Hot: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Week 7 Stat Line: 24/30, 335 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 0 Interceptions

Just another day at the office for Aaron Rodgers. 

The man under center for the Packers finished the day with an 80 percent completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 146.5.

The one black eye for Rodgers was that he was sacked four times. The offensive line issues continue to persist in Green Bay, even though Rodgers does a great job of hiding the problems with his play.

Even if you are not a Packer fan, sit back and watch the precision with which No. 12 distributes the ball to his receivers. The accuracy that he displays is unmatched in the league today.

If Rodgers can continue even a semblance of this pace over a long period of time, look for him to be atop many record books by career's end.

 

Not: Matt Hasselbeck, Tennessee Titans

Week 7 Stat Line: 14/30, 104 Yards, 1 Touchdowns, 2 Interceptions

Matt Hasselbeck is an ideal example of a quarterback that has occupied both sides of this list over the course of the first seven weeks. 

After a poor Week 1, Hasselbeck played well over the next three contests, leading the Titans to a 3-1 start.

The last two games, however, have brought Hasselbeck and the Titans back down to earth.

On Sunday, Hasselbeck struggled to make any headway against a Texans secondary that is improved, but not great.

The offense looked out of sync, and the day was characterized by several three-and-outs for the Titan offense.

The struggles in the passing game can be attributed somewhat to injuries to Kenny Britt and awful play by running back Chris Johnson. That being said, Hasselbeck is the veteran presence the Titans need to turn things around and play more consistently.

Hey, at least Tennessee gets the Colts this Sunday.

Hot: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 7 Stat Line: 26/39, 361 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 0 Interceptions

After a somewhat mediocre beginning to the season, Ben Roethlisberger has turned things around in the Steel City.

Including Week 5 against the Titans, Roethlisberger has thrown for nine touchdowns and just one interception during the last three games.

Since throwing three picks in the season's first game, the Pittsburgh quarterback has thrown just three errant passes in six games since.

After a sluggish start to the season, it appears that the Steelers are close to regaining control of the AFC North. Combine the recent surge of the Steelers with some chinks in the armor on the part of the Ravens, and you have an interesting race to follow in the AFC North down the stretch. 

Not: Curtis Painter, Indianapolis Colts

Week 7 Stat Line: 9/17, 67 Yards, 0 Touchdowns 1 Interceptions

Feel sorry for Curtis Painter. Someone needs to.

Painter was a statistical nightmare on Sunday night versus the New Orleans Saints. Of course, what do you expect when you're down three touchdowns seemingly before the coin is tossed?

Peyton Manning's replacement had the worst game of his short starting career, tossing for just 67 yards in a contest in which Indianapolis was obviously trailing for the majority of the game.

Painter had shown decent signs of life in previous weeks. So maybe this was just a fluke debacle.

Or, maybe not.

Either way, the Colts are the leaders in the clubhouse for Andrew Luck. Now that would make for an interesting offseason in Indy.