Week 2 QB Power Rankings: San Diego Chargers’ Philip Rivers shines
Sep 7, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws a pass against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
17. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (-14)
Right after the most significant improvement (Romo) comes the most significant regression. Roethlisberger missed wide open receivers on more than one occasion. His anticipation seemed erratic and off – he had the same issue at the beginning of last season; then he improved.
18. E.J. Manuel, Buffalo Bills (+3)
I see a big improvement on Manuel’s part from the end of last year to the start of this year. He looks much more comfortable in the pocket (and Sammy Watkins helps, too). Don’t look now, but the Bills are 2-0 and have sole possession of first place in the AFC East, largely due to Manuel’s improvements.
19. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Houston Texans (+1)
Fitzpatrick only moves up a spot for the same reason Andy Dalton does – QB play this week was stellar, and there’s no room to move him up too much without being unfair to the other quarterbacks who had exceptional performances. Also like Dalton, Fitzpatrick didn’t throw many passes, but he was efficient and led the Texans’ offense to a rout of the Raiders.
20. Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (-9)
Locker struggled against a bad Dallas defense. Well, it was good on Sunday. But if Locker is having that much trouble against a defense that is widely regarded as one of the worst, if not the worst, in football, that’s a bad sign. Locker’s stellar performance against Kansas City in Week 1 combined with his subpar showing on Sunday points out exactly how inconsistent he can be. When Locker is locked in, however (no pun intended), he’s easily a top 14 quarterback.
21. Brian Hoyer, Cleveland Browns (+1)
Here, we see the same scenario that happened with Andy Dalton and Jake Locker – there’s no room to move Hoyer higher because of good performances. Hoyer still hasn’t committed a turnover this year, and he somehow found a way to beat the Saints without his top receiver (Josh Gordon – suspended), top tight end (Jordan Cameron – injured), and top running back (Ben Tate – injured).
22. Austin Davis, St. Louis Rams (± 0)
Davis played until the end in Week 1, but since Shaun Hill played more, the latter was ranked, not the former. Davis seemed more comfortable behind center and played a mistake-free game, but I’m not convinced that Davis is the guy who should be starting full-time this year.
23. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (+5)
Flacco looked much better on Thursday night than he did against Cincinnati four days prior. It’s always good to see him throw less than 60 passes a game. Flacco was generally accurate and didn’t throw it to the guys in white and yellow, even though he didn’t manage to throw for even 170 yards (the Ravens’ run game was good, so there was no need for excessive passing).
24. Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (-7)
Carr was wildly inconsistent against Houston. I actually picked Oakland to upend the Texans; of course that didn’t happen. Carr made one ridiculously great throw, but after that, he was inaccurate for the most part. He missed a receiver who was standing wide open five yards in front of him. Yes, we’ve all seen experienced QBs make mistakes like that one, but Carr needs to be more accurate.