Throughout the 2016 NFL regular season, we’re ranking the league’s top 10 quarterbacks. Here’s how we view things after Week 8…
1. Tom Brady, Patriots: Sure, he’s played just four games, but the dude leads the league — by huge margins — in every key rate-based metric. With the Patriots also 4-0 when he starts, he’s head-and-shoulders above everyone else.
2. Matt Ryan, Falcons: The league’s passing yardage and touchdown leader has been nearly flawless for the division-leading Falcons. He takes a back seat to Brady thanks to a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions in Weeks 6 and 7.
3. Derek Carr, Raiders: Among 27 quarterbacks with 50-plus pass attempts in the 4th quarter and overtime, the super-clutch Carr ranks first with a 109.0 passer rating. No wonder the Raiders are 6-2.
4. Matthew Stafford, Lions: The league’s fourth-highest-rated passer needs to be more consistent, but he leads the NFL with four fourth-quarter comebacks for the 4-4 Lions. Also, four.
5. Drew Brees, Saints: With New Orleans struggling, Brees has quietly put together another Pro Bowl-caliber start to a season. He’s completed 69.5 percent of his passes and is the league’s third-highest-rated passer.
6. Dak Prescott, Cowboys: Still just two interceptions, and he came up huge in crunch time Sunday night against the Eagles.
7. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: Big bounce-back game Sunday in Atlanta, with Rodgers posting a 125.5 passer rating in a losing effort. The man hasn’t been right, yet he still has a 17-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
8. Marcus Mariota, Titans: Where is this coming from? The second-year Tennessee signal caller has posted a 120.7 passer rating in his last four games, with the Titans going 3-1 during that stretch. He now has a top-10 yards-per-attempt average and ranks second among all quarterbacks with 221 rushing yards.
9. Andy Dalton, Bengals: He’s completed 67.0 percent of his passes and ranks third in the league with an 8.2 yards-per-attempt average.
10. Russell Wilson, Seahawks: Despite the injuries, nobody’s been better under (seemingly constant) pressure than Wilson, who should climb this list during the second half of the season.
