NFL Quarterback Rankings: Is the Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers still king of the NFC?
With the NFL season just really getting underway with OTA’s it’s time we start to look at player positions. Today we will begin with NFL Quarterback Rankings in the NFC. There are many good QB’s such as Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, Drew Brees of the Saints and Matt Ryan of the Falcons. But when dissected, who will come out as the best of the best n the NFC?
16. Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams)
I know it was his rookie year but Goff was horrible in his debut for the Rams. The Rams signal caller of the future passed 200+ yards only twice in 7 games. A learning curve yes, but he must do better or he will find himself holding a clipboard for the next hot thing out of the college ranks. Goff threw for 1089 yards with 5 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, a passer rating of 64 percent and a completion percentage of 54. You can blame a lack of receivers for his production but his stats made previous ROY Todd Gurley look bad.
15. Mitchell Trubisky (Chicago Bears)
He’s a rookie coming into a situation where he’s almost set up to fail. The Bears are thin at wide receiver and their ground game is at best– suspect. Trubisky will learn what Jay Cutler did early– there is no protection. The only good thing that he has going for him heading into the 2017-18 season is that he’s better than Goff.
14. Brian Hoyer (San Francisco 49ers)
Maybe the 49ers front office has a medical prescription for that medicinal weed. Is there a logical reason they decide to go with Hoyer instead of taking Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes? The 49ers must begin their rebuild and a 31-year old journeyman is not the answer. Most teams get a veteran if their roster is right on the brink, however, that’s not the case for San Fran.
13. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers)
Let the haters come out to play. Let’s be honest here. I like Cam but he’s average at best. His numbers were in a deep decline in 2016 and with his receiving core taking a hit with the departure of Ten Ginn, we should expect more of the same. His legs have kept him in the Elite discussion but as long as his completion percentage continues to hover around 53 percent, he will remain near the bottom.
12. Carson Palmer (Arizona Cardinals)
Carson is a warrior but all warriors eventually fall. Palmer has had trouble keeping up his numbers recently. While he still threw for over 4200+ yards his completion, touchdowns, passer rating and interceptions took a big dip. At 37 years old and with his favorite target, Larry Fitzgerald ready to retire, this may be the year we see the BIG drop in production.
11. Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins)
This might get ugly for Cousins by the 5th week of the season. Who will he be throwing to? There is no more speedster in DeSean Jackson or possession receiver with Pierre Garcon. Cousins will now get to show if he can pull off a Tom Brady-like season or will he turn into the next Jay Cutler.
10.Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles)
The face of the Eagles had an up and down rookie year. His receivers couldn’t catch a cold and the team’s offensive play calling was downright horrible. However, he’s still the leader and he must do a better job of moving the chains. Wentz has a great arm but at times he looks as if he’s scared to use it. If he can keep his turnovers down, expect a huge year for Wentz.
9. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
In his rookie year, Dak wasn’t asked to air it out. He was aided by a great offensive line and an MVP running back in Ezekiel Elliott. Many may feel he deserves to be higher but he did nothing special that will warrant that over the other QB’s above him. Prescott can manage a game as his 68 completion percentage suggest but with Jason Witten getting older he may be forced into a few bad situations this year.
8. Eli Manning (New York Giants)
Manning is a solid QB but he tends to do some of the dumbest stuff. He and Odell Beckham have chemistry but he tends to force the ball when he should check off and go the other way. If the Giants were able to run the ball more effective last season then Eli’s numbers would have seen an increase. If Manning can keep his turnovers down he could very well be on pace for an MVP-caliber season.
7. Sam Bradford (Minnesota Vikings)
Sometimes it goes beyond the yardage and touchdowns. Bradford had an awesome year in 2016. The Vikings were in need of a boost when Bridgewater went down and no one saw the emergence of Bradford coming. What made his year so special was at the rate he delivered the ball. He led the NFC in completion percentage with 72. The Vikings didn’t have the top weapons at wide receiver but Bradford made due with what he had.
6. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Winston is finally coming into his own. In 2016 he took a major step towards being mentioned with the likes of Russell Wilson and Co as he passed for 4000+ yards and 28 touchdowns. His downside is his completion percentage. Winston needs to deliver the ball more on spot by leading the receiver but this year he has major weapons. DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard will provide Winston with targets that are reserved for fantasy leagues. He could very well have an MVP year.
5. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions)
Stafford took a huge leap in 2016 when many thought he would crumble without the presence of Calvin Johnson. What has continued to haunt Stafford has been his inability to stay away from the costly turnovers. With that being said, if you’re in a shootout, Stafford is one of the QB’s you want on your side as he has a rare gunslinger mentality.
4. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks)
Wilson is still dangerous despite having what many considered a down year by his lofty standards. Wilson will still beat you with his arms and legs but the ground game must get back to its dominating ways for him to be highly successful. He’s crafty with the ball but he was also the highest sacked QB int he NFC last season due to poor protection.
3. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons)
Matty Ice played the best football of his career in 2016. He was finally able to shake that Peyton Manning stigma of not winning the big game but the Falcons let their Super Bowl victory slip away by not trusting their process. Ryan threw circles around his competition and with a weapon like Julio Jones and two very capable RB’s, Ryan was able to exploit defense to the tune of 2900+ yards, 38 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 70 percent. Ryan was in a zone.
2. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints)
Just off stats alone, Brees should be No.1. However, where Brees is concerned is that his team has not managed to sniff the playoffs. What fun is throwing for 5000+ yards and at a 70 percent rate and still only win a handful of games? With that said. Any QB that can put these numbers up yearly needs to be mentioned with the best. Bress has proved time and time again that he’s elite. Too bad the Saints defense can’t match his production.
And the winner is…
1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)
Doesn’t matter what Bress or Ryan does, Rodgers is still the blueprint for QB’s in the NFC. Forget the Super Bowls, MVP’s and Pro Bowls, he’s the man in which the bar is set. Rodgers has had a tough go lately with his receivers going down the last two seasons but yet, he still seems to finds himself at the top of all statistical categories by the end of the season. Will he ever slow down?
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
