Week 2 NFL Quarterback Power Rankings: Who Starts on Top?
There’s nothing like a solid NFL Power Rankings column. If you’re looking for one, our own Jason Bates has you covered. But power rankings are so fun, why stop at just ranking the teams? I thought it’d be a nice addition to the site to start power rankings NFL quarterbacks, so we can get a feel for where these franchise saviors stand on a weekly basis.
These power rankings combine stats, QB rating, win/loss record and schedule difficult and can/will fluctuate from week to week. You’d think Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady would be the top dog, but you’d be wrong. Without further haste, here are the top 32 NFL quarterbacks according to my initial QB power rankings for 2012:
Note: Only the 32 starting quarterbacks from each week can make the list.
1. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) – Ryan scored four times and helped Atlanta rout the Chiefs. He played flawlessly and looks elite.
2. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) – Brady threw two touchdowns as his Pats started 1-0. He looked as sharp as ever.
3. Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) – Romo was clutch in a huge game, as his Cowboys up-ended the defending champion Giants.
4. Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos) – Manning’s first game back from a lost year was magical, and it was a win. Can’t knock that.
5. Robert Griffin III (Washington Redskins) – RG3 out-played Andrew Luck and Drew Brees. No turnovers and a 1-0 start. Just sick.
6. Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) – Cutler started horribly, but rebounded fantastically and led a big win for Chicago.
7. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) – Flacco’s no huddle offense is sublime. He looked like a new quarterback against the Bengals.
8. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) – Stafford tossed three picks, but you can’t take that last second game-winning TD from him.
9. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) – A-Rod didn’t get the win, but his matchup was brutal and he still turned in good digits.
10. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) – Rivers wasn’t flashy, but he didn’t turn the ball over and got San Diego to 1-0.
11. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) – It took Brees three quarters to get going. He and his Saints were a letdown at home.
12. Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles) – Four picks hurt him a lot, but let’s not forget he threw the game-winning touchdown pass.
13. Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) – Schaub puts up great numbers in a run-heavy offense. Opponent wasn’t tough, though.
14. Alex Smith (San Francisco 49ers) – Smith continues to be underrated. Road win against the Pack is a great start to 2012.
15. Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) – Bills didn’t give him much trouble, but he tossed three scores and looked pretty good doing it.
16. Christian Ponder (Minnesota Vikings) – Ponder completed over 70% of his passes with no picks and he got the win. Can’t ask for much more than that.
17. Josh Freeman (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Freeman was fairly pedestrian, but he took care of the football and won the game.
18. Blaine Gabbert (Jacksonville Jaguars) – His team lost, but he had a potential game-winner late in the game and really looked solid throughout. This was a moral victory, to be sure.
19. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) – Big Ben was solid at times in this one, but cost Pitt the game with a pick-six late. That hurts.
20. Eli Manning (New York Giants) – Eli was pretty ineffective for much of this game, but did turn it on late. Too late, unfortunately.
21. Sam Bradford (St. Louis Rams) – Bradford played a good game and had the Rams with the lead until the final seconds. An underrated performance from an underrated passer.
22. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) – Newton was supposed to be explosive. Instead he was passive and ineffective. Not a good start to 2012 at all.
23. Jake Locker (Tennessee Titans) – His overall numbers weren’t bad, but he gets an Incomplete due to his shoulder injury. Word is he wanted to keep playing, though, and that keeps him in the top-25.
24. Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo Bills) – Fitz scored three times in this one, but also tossed three picks. He can’t keep doing this and keep a starting job.
25. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) – Wilson wasn’t as poised as he was in the preseason, but he had Seattle in position to win at the end. Blame Braylon Edwards for this loss.
26. Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts) – Luck had a stiff matchup vs. Bears solid pass D, but managed to top 300 passing yards and got a touchdown. He must take better care of the football going forward, however.
27. Matt Cassel (Kansas City Chiefs) – It was a story of two halves. Cassel looked sharp in the first half and really just fell apart after that.
28. Carson Palmer (Oakland Raiders) – Palmer was missing Denarius Moore and doesn’t have a legit tight end, but he just didn’t get it done in week one. No excuses.
29. Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) – Dalton was very underwhelming in a tough divisional opener. I saw no progress.
30. John Skelton (Arizona Cardinals) – Skelton was painfully average before exiting with a bad ankle injury. He wasn’t the reason the Cardinals won. Kevin Kolb was.
31. Ryan Tannehill (Miami Dolphins) – The numbers make Tannehill’s debut worse than he actually was, but he still wasn’t very good.
32. Brandon Weeden (Cleveland Browns) – Weeden was atrocious in week one, throwing 4 picks and completing under 40% of his passes. He very well could be stuck in the 32nd spot all season.
My heart broke when they zoomed in on Nando’s face at the beginning on the match. He looked so sad. I honestly thought he’d come in after the 70th minute or so. I’d love for him to see some action in Munich.