Week 12 NFL QB Power Rankings
Nov 16, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) passes before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
9. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (± 0)
Rivers played a good game aside from an ill-advised throw near the goal line that was picked off and returned for a touchdown. He’s still nowhere close to how he was playing early in the season.
10. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (+1)
Pittsburgh had a bye week, but Roethlisberger moves up by a spot because of Matthew Stafford’s fall to 11.
11. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (-3)
Stafford regresses every year from September to December, and it’s reflected in completion percentage. This year his completion percentages are as follows, from September to November, respectively: 64%, 58%, and 51%. Stafford was off on a lot of throws against New England, and although his receivers didn’t help him out at all (there were some catchable passes that were dropped), Stafford needs to improve for the Lions to make the playoffs.
12. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (± 0)
Ryan is a bright spot on a bad team (one that actually leads its division). 6-10 might win the NFC South.
13. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (+2)
Flacco played one of his best games of the season on Monday night. He outplayed Drew Brees in a game that could turn out to be significant for both teams – the Ravens joined the rest of the AFC North (every team has seven wins), and New Orleans dropped to 4-7, yet is still tied for first in the NFC South.
14. Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (-1)
While Smith played a clean game, he took sacks that could’ve been avoided and couldn’t outscore the Raiders. Poor showing from Smith and the Chiefs’ offense.
15. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers (± 0)
I wanted to move Kaepernick down a bit, but it seems as if every QB below 12 on this list is middle-of-the-pack or below average. So far, that’s what Kaepernick has been – he wasn’t able to move the ball against a Washington defense that was torched by Josh McCown. He threw a bad interception to undrafted free agent Greg Ducre – that was just Washington’s 4th pick of the season. Against a depleted secondary, Kaepernick was not able to do much.
16. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (+1)
Cutler’s third quarter was stellar after a poor first half. I expect him to play better down the stretch, as he’s playing for his job and possibly Marc Trestman’s job.