As the Denver Broncos enter their bye week, (still undefeated in case that has been forgotten) one thing has become blatantly apparent: Misery loves company. Rather than celebrate what might be one of the best defenses in NFL history, we will now spend the bulk of the next two weeks breaking down all the faults of Peyton Manning and argue whether or not it is time to force him into early retirement by starting Brock Osweiler.
Yes, his touchdown passes are down and his interceptions are up. In baseball individual stats trump wins and losses, but this isn’t baseball. With only 16 games to prove your worth in the regular season, wins are the most important thing in the NFL. And through six games, Manning hasn’t lost yet.
The Broncos have 10 games remaining on the schedule, including two games with the San Diego Chargers. Here is how Peyton Manning stacks up to the rest of the quarterbacks he will face this season.
No. 10 – Alex Smith
The Kansas City Chiefs have been a huge disappointment this season. After picking up a win on the road in their first game, they have dropped five games in a row. Smith has thrown three interceptions to only three touchdowns in the losing streak.
Smith has been the true definition of mediocrity in his stint with the Chiefs.
As Colin Cowherd put it, “There needs to be a new term created to describe Alex Smith. Frankly, “game manager” is too dynamic for him.”
No. 9 – Michael Vick / Landry Jones / Ben Roethlisberger
The Steelers would probably be much higher on this list had Roethlisberger not gotten hurt. However, naming Vick the starter in his absence has been a dreadful decision. After sustaining a knee to the head and a hamstring injury, Vick was replaced by Jones last week who led the Steelers to a win over the Arizona Cardinals, but there is a reason the Steelers felt the need to sign Vick in the first place. There was very little confidence Jones could be effective if he had to play in the event of a Roethlisberger injury.
It was reported that Roethlisberger wanted to play against Arizona but was ultimately held out. If he is not fully healthy when he returns, he could struggle and be a detriment to the team. At 4-2 the Steelers are still in prime position to make the playoffs, but as far as the quarterback position is concerned, there is still plenty of uncertainty.
No. 8 – Jay Cutler
So much talent. So many bad decisions. That is the curse with Cutler. Broncos fans know this all too well with Cutler. He’ll put together a nice stretch, and just when he reels in the fan base, he will ultimately cost them a big game. Chicago is a knowledgeable fan base. They get it with Cutler.
They’ve even come up with a “Cutler Makes Me Drink” shirt to embody their feelings.
The Bears find themselves in an early hole with their 2-4 record, with two of those losses coming in the division. This season may already be over before Cutler had a chance to break any hearts.
No. 7 – Derek Carr
Remarkably, the Raiders find themselves in second place in the AFC West with a record of 2-3. Carr has improved in his second year as a starter, and could be right on the verge of being in the elite category within the next couple of seasons.
National pundits are even starting to get on the Derek Carr bandwagon. NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal says he’s “Impressed how steady Derek Carr has been. Not a poor full game all season and not the reason they lost last two weeks.”
While he hasn’t had any “poor full games” he is still having poor moments, for example the pick six to Chris Harris.
No. 6 – Philip Rivers
The “narrative” in the NFL is, as long as you have a top tier quarterback you have a chance to win the Super Bowl. In many ways, Rivers has been the exact opposite of Peyton Manning this season. He has a 70 percent completion percentage to go along with 2,116 yards and 12 touchdowns.
While those numbers look great, the only number that matters is two. That’s the number of wins Rivers has led his team to through six games.
Rivers was without his security blanket, Antonio Gates, for the first four weeks of the season. However, the Chargers have dropped both games since Gates returned to the lineup. Their only wins have come against the 2-4 Browns and 1-5 Lions.
No. 5 – Andrew Luck
The Colts are 3-3, sitting atop an awful division in the AFC South. However, Luck is a mere 1-3 with his lone win coming by squeaking past the Tennessee Titans in Week 3. After missing back-to-back games with a shoulder injury, Luck played his best game of the season against the New England Patriots last week in a loss. Still, he hasn’t been up to the standards we expect from him.
As Troy Renck points out, “Five games in, Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning, who finished first and second in TD passes last year, have more INTs than TDs this year.”
The Colts only face four teams currently with a winning record in their remaining 10 games. Luck is in prime position to get back on track as he leads his team to another division title.
No. 4 – Peyton Manning
On the surface this ranking might seem far to high. Manning has thrown at least one interception in every game this season, and has a league high 10 for the year. However, any time the Broncos needed a big drive or a score to end the game he has delivered.
“This year marks the sixth time that Peyton Manning has led his team to a 6-0 start, the most of any starting QB in NFL history,” noted Gil Brant, a senior analyst for NFL.com.
Even in a down year Manning is breaking records! The Broncos are beating teams they are supposed to beat. Whether or not this trend continues is a different story. While Manning and the rest of the Broncos have been far from perfect as individuals, as a team they still maintain a perfect record.
No. 3 – Andy Dalton
The Red Rifle appears to have figured it out entering his fifth season. Last year Dalton had 19 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. Through six weeks he already has 14 touchdowns, and possibly even more impressive, only two interceptions.
Prior to this year Dalton has been good, but not great. He has led his team to the playoffs every year he has been in the league, but is yet to get his first playoff win. His career passer rating is an average 87.8. So far in 2015 his rating is 116.1.
Dalton’s season will ultimately be judged on what the Bengals do in the playoffs this time around, but if his start is any indication of what is to come, they will be a force to be reckoned with come January.
No. 2 – Tom Brady
Brady is arguably the best quarterback in NFL history after winning his fourth Super Bowl. The last thing the rest of the teams in the NFL needed was for him to enter this year with a giant chip on his shoulder, which is exactly what happened as a result of “Deflate Gate.”
Brady has 14 touchdowns through five games, and his only interception on the season came when Julian Edelman bobbled a ball right into the hands of Colts safety Mike Adams.
The Patriots are averaging a league high 36.6 points per game. Brady is throwing an outstanding 325 yards per game. All this thanks to some PSI and a stupid decision by Roger Goodell to try and suspend the face of the league for four games.
No. 1 – Aaron Rodgers
Not many quarterbacks in this league could maintain the level of excellence Rodgers has after losing their best target for the year in the preseason. For his career Rodgers has a passer rating of 106.5 and completion percentage of 65.9. Even without Jordy Nelson he has improved both of those categories this year by posting a rating of 115.9 with a completion percentage of 68.1.
Rodgers is the full package of brains, athleticism and a rocket arm. The Packers are clearly the best team in the NFC this season, and probably the NFL. As long as Rodgers is behind center they will be the favorites to win the NFC North, no matter who he is throwing the ball to.