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Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:15 pm EST

The Week 9 NFL Quarterback Power Rankings: Brady on the move

By MJD

Shutdown Corner is proud to present the weekly quarterback power rankings. They're just as arbitrarily decided as normal power rankings, except they rank quarterbacks, not whole teams. Rankings are based on play this year alone and meant to represent who is playing the best football at the current moment.


1. Drew Brees(notes), New Orleans Saints
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The Saints are turning scoring in the NFL into something more golf-like, where certain teams have handicaps. Against the Dolphins, Falcons and now Panthers, the Saints have given them a bunch of strokes on the front nine, and then Drew Brees just squashes them on the back nine. Brees also retook the lead in 2009 quarterback rating this week, at 106.1.
2. Peyton Manning(notes), Indianapolis Colts
http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_nfl_experts__17/ept_sports_nfl_experts-24738635-1256637318.jpg?ymGeFHCDDW7gG0ms
Manning threw the ball 40 times in the first half against the Texans. Not that that stat makes him a great quarterback, but it does illustrate pretty well just how much the Colts are leaning on him. Earlier in the season, Brees and Manning were clearly numbers one and two here, leaving everyone else to fight for third and beyond. Now, though, we're at a point where the one-two combo could be broken up at any minute.
3. Ben Roethlisberger(notes), Pittsburgh Steelers
http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_nfl_experts__17/ept_sports_nfl_experts-666407078-1256637318.jpg?ymGeFHCD7TR2T.lY
The Steelers were pretty convincing in the second half last night, weren't they? They didn't leave much doubt about who was the better team on that field. What you saw in the second half was legitimate knockout power. Even if a fight isn't going their way, Ben Roethlisberger and the receiving corps still give them the ability reach out and turn your lights off at any moment.
 
4. Brett Favre(notes), Minnesota Vikings
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Favre had a week off, so he'll sit quietly here in the four spot. There are two things I'll say while we're here, though. First, you know the traditional second-half meltdown from Brett Favre, where he turns into a Juggs machine that can only throw to the other team? That's not coming this year. Secondly, Brett Favre is exactly one-tenth of a point behind Drew Brees in quarterback rating. In fact, the top five guys (Brees, Favre, Peyton, Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers(notes)) are separated by less than three points.
5. Tom Brady(notes), New England Patriots
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Handsome Tom makes a big jump this week, not necessarily based on his 25-of-37, 332-yard performance against the Dolphins, but because his level of play over the last few weeks has so good. It was really only a matter of time before Brady pushed back into the top five; I just wanted to see him string a few good weeks together. He's very close to being vintage Tom Brady.
6. Matt Schaub(notes), Houston Texans
http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_nfl_experts__17/ept_sports_nfl_experts-261080313-1256637318.jpg?ymGeFHCDR4sieKHK
It wasn't the finest of weeks for Matt Schaub, and I should probably deduct more points because it was a week where the Texans really needed him. Still, he leads the league in yards passing and touchdown passes (tied with Brees with 17), so you can't move a guy like that too far down the list.
7. Philip Rivers(notes), San Diego Chargers
http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_nfl_experts__17/ept_sports_nfl_experts-203531488-1256637318.jpg?ymHeFHCDOrI2KBUj
Rivers threw a pair of interceptions on Sunday, and I was afraid I was going to have to move him down. That last drive, though, salvaged the week, to say the least. I know the Giants secondary isn't the most fearsome unit ever assembled, but still, that's on the road, on the other side of the country, in a hostile environment against a desperate team.
8. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_nfl_experts__17/ept_sports_nfl_experts-343475244-1256637318.jpg?ymGeFHCDNtPOlfH8
Okay, maybe I got a little carried away with Aaron Rodgers at number three last week. Eight is probably a little low for him, too, but there's got to be some kind of a punishment when you throw three interceptions to the Bucs, and even worse, take six sacks. Rodgers is on pace to be sacked 74 times this season. Maybe his offensive line isn't great, but for all the great things Rodgers can do, no one gets sacked that much if they have any kind of pocket awareness and know when to get rid of the ball.
9. Carson Palmer(notes), Cincinnati Bengals

Sort of like Tom Brady, I feel like Carson Palmer's finally rounding back into his true form, too. His stats from Sunday's game against Baltimore don't really do his performance justice. Cincinnati won that game in part because they had an effective all-around offense, and Baltimore didn't. That starts with the quarterback.
10. Tony Romo(notes), Dallas Cowboys
http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_nfl_experts__17/ept_sports_nfl_experts-892957649-1256637319.jpg?ymHeFHCDld6kzD7w
Romo wasn't spectacular on Sunday night against Philadelphia, but he did enough to keep himself in the top ten here. Any time you go on the road and win (against a non-Washington-based team) in the NFC East, you've accomplished something.

Noses pressed against the glass:

Kurt Warner(notes), Arizona Cardinals
Eli Manning(notes), New York Giants
Jay Cutler(notes), Chicago Bears
Joe Flacco(notes), Baltimore Ravens
Donovan McNabb(notes), Philadelphia Eagles
Kyle Orton(notes), Denver Broncos

Related: Joe Flacco, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Schaub, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Carson Palmer, Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Quarterback Power Rankings

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164 Comments

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  1. GoMets
    1. Posted by GoMets Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:37 pm EST

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    Um, Kurt Warner threw a touchdown after coming back from having been shut down for about an hour because the game was looking like a blow-out...you know, because of his other four touchdown passes.
  2. Max_Powers
    2. Posted by Max_Powers Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:55 pm EST

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    Wooo Big Ben!
  3. Paul
    3. Posted by Paul Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:56 pm EST

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    This is a sham! Romo has better ratings than the 3 QBs above him. What's this guy basing his ratings on? Looks? Number of letters in last name?
  4. zeldalinkjoshus
    4. Posted by zeldalinkjoshus Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:58 pm EST

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    totally agreed GoMets its like MJD reads all of our comments and then ranks them off a tally sheet or something Kurt Warner should be in the top 5 after his 5 touchdowns and I think as well Aaron Rodgers should be in the top 5 as well with his great qb rating i mean someone had to meltdown to the bucs it was bound to happen these rankings suck its more like a popularity contest I wish I had a job making up bull [profane] rankings
  5. Incredibly_Disrespected
    5. Posted by Incredibly_Disrespected Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:01 pm EST

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    You're becoming predictable, MJD....
  6. RelevantStats
    6. Posted by RelevantStats Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:04 pm EST

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    Big Ben is the only quarterback on this list that has thrown a game winning touchdown to win the Superbowl, sports' biggest stage. One word: clutch.
  7. Incredibly_Disrespected
    7. Posted by Incredibly_Disrespected Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:05 pm EST

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    ......maybe your rankings would appear more realistic if you assigned grades i.e.: A, B, C, etc instead of 1 - 10
  8. nicholas s
    8. Posted by nicholas s Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:13 pm EST

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    lets power rank play calling .. Mc Carthy you get a Z..
  9. Max_Powers
    9. Posted by Max_Powers Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:21 pm EST

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    Romo's lucky to even make this list with the way he started the season. . . Playing 2 decent games doesn't put you in the top 5.
  10. Trogdor the burninator!!!
    10. Posted by Trogdor the burninator!!! Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:21 pm EST

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    What about Matt Ryan? He's better than some of the other guys on the Looking through the glass list.
  11. el diablo
    11. Posted by el diablo Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:22 pm EST

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    You idiots that are saying Warner should be in the top 5 are only looking at this previous week, and about the week before where he was horrible, you dumb fu*ks
  12. me
    12. Posted by me Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:25 pm EST

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    Orton pressing the glass???
    Unfortunately his near miss INT's turned into full blown INT's on national TV. (could have been a couple more...)
    He is a good "don't wreck the train" QB but not a difference maker.
  13. me
    13. Posted by me Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:28 pm EST

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    How does SD feel that their former QB (Brees - who they let go for nothing) is in the number one spot???? At least Denver got a QB and draft picks...
  14. treythewop
    14. Posted by treythewop Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:33 pm EST

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    2 of the 3 Aaron Rodgers INTs went right through his WRs hands...
  15. PitBull
    15. Posted by PitBull Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:48 pm EST

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    MJD is a fool Drew is at #1 with manning at #2,, can be flip floped all you want but the rest after #4 is just crap...
    Warners Nose Pressed??????????You are a fool
  16. ANDREW M L
    16. Posted by ANDREW M L Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:55 pm EST

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    Saw again last night what makes Big Ben a winner. Slim lead against a fired up home team; gets stripped from behind and ball goes the other way for 6 points. No problem. Refastens the chin strap and takes the team down the field on the next possession in 4 or 5 plays, can't remember which. The Steelers, with the superior team and the superior QB win the game going away. Did the same thing in last year's SB. Pitt called for holding in the end zone for a safety and a little while later Fitz breaks free over the middle and suddenly Steelers are behind in a game they controlled. No problem. Ben still has 2:35 to do what he does as good or better than anybody playing in the NFL today...WIN GAMES! The weather's getting cold and the Steelers are getting hot. Not predicting a SB victory, but their chances are as good as anybody's and alot better than most.
  17. Aaron V
    17. Posted by Aaron V Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:56 pm EST

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    #9...Dear Max Powers...what classifies as a decent game? Because Romo has been solid in the past four games. Throwing for over 300 yards in three of them...with 9 TDs and only 1 Int...on the season he has the 8th best QB rating...8th in yards...13th in TDs...and of those who have more TDs only one guy has fewer picks...Oh and his team is 6-2 and top in the NFC East...that sounds like he's put more than just two decent games together to me...
  18. It never counts
    18. Posted by It never counts Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:03 pm EST

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    I acutally agree with your top 5. Not the order, but stil, thats nice. No Rogers, thank god you're seeing the light. I'd have Manning up at 1. Brees is amazing, but I trust Manning more. Farve and Brady switch. Brady may even hit up 3, but Ben is just doing too well.
  19. Jeff
    19. Posted by Jeff Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:04 pm EST

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    I will give credit to Brady when credit is due. He was throwing against the #26 pass defense, Miami. Of course his numbers will be great. I know Romo's number's werent spectacular however he was 21-34 for 307 yards, I TD and I interception. He did complete over 60% of his passes against a tough defense, if anything he should have rose in your rankings. Everyone knows you have a thing for Aaron Rogers, maybe you are gay, I don't know. But he can't be in the top 10 last week. He was 17-35 for 266 yards, 2 TDs and 3 picks. He completed less than %50 of his passes.
    There is no way he deserves to be in the top 10 for week 9.
  20. Russell B
    20. Posted by Russell B Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:08 pm EST

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    No problem with list except one thing, Rogers at 8 spot, he throws 3 picks to an 0-7 team and they lose to an 0-7 team. Need to move Rogers out and put Ryan in at 8. If you can't beat the bottom feeders should not be on list, don't care about his stats, the only thing that counts is wins and loses. In fact if you look at the list Rogers is the only QB that is 500 or below. Go Vikings Go AD
  21. redemption_value
    21. Posted by redemption_value Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:11 pm EST

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    Hey Everbody! Don't forget what ROMO rhymes with. It just requires an H for you illiterate type: Hint hint. Get rid of R.
    Denver looked good last night...in those pretty orange uniforms. Orton ears an oo/ Maybe he has ROMOs H.
    AFC North is ultra-tough!
  22. MikeM
    22. Posted by MikeM Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:13 pm EST

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    If you are a fan of a team, you shouldn't be able to comment on that QB's ranking. Your too close to the fire and have to much at stake to be fully honest about it.
    Clearly there are a bunch of Cowboy and Homo fans on here if you think he deserves to be any higher on the list.
    Rivers is too high for his numbers. Rogers deserved to be on the list the first month of the season, but not the past few weeks,
  23. GMizzle
    23. Posted by GMizzle Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:14 pm EST

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    *Rests his sac on MJD's forehead*
  24. fred h
    24. Posted by fred h Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:16 pm EST

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    Cutting Drew Brees had to be the dumbest decision in San Diego Sports history. Of course it tickles the snot out of me because had they kept him the Saints would probably still be cellar dwellers. We've had some good QB's here ie. Archie Manning, Bobby hebert, Kenny (the Snake) Stabler, Richard Todd. Jim Everett, to name a few but none have had the impact on the team that Drew has. Now this year they also have a supporting staff unlike any other team. We have had offense and we have had defense but never at the same time. One was always marginal. Special teams are still questionable but adequate enough to not lose games for us. The coaching staff is without a doubt superior to anything we've ever had and Jim Mora had a pretty good staff except for Carl Smith (offensive coordinator) who he put too much faith in. If Mora would have replaced him he probably could have taken the Saints to the big dance. Those years we had the best defense in the league. The Giants and Tampa Bay had real good ones in that era but we were loaded. The only problem was trying to score more than 17 points. One year they only relinquished 204 total points. Getting back to my point though; THANK YOU SAN DIEGO, enjoy Phillip Rivers.
  25. tall john
    25. Posted by tall john Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:23 pm EST

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    Top 5 is spot on. The rest?... dont really care for it.

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