Throughout the 2016 NFL regular season, we’ve been ranking the league’s top 10 quarterbacks. For the conference title games, let’s focus on the four starters still alive.
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: Rodgers has a ridiculous 36-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio dating back to Week 7, and he’s putting up the best numbers of his career in almost every category. But what we saw from him Sunday in Dallas went well beyond the statistics. The guy simply makes plays that no other quarterback in the history of the game has been able to make. He’s a legend at the height of his game, and it’s been a pleasure to watch.
2. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: What’s crazy is that, on paper, Ryan has actually been better than Rodgers of late. I mean, look at the numbers:
Last 5 games:
Matt Ryan
PPG: 38.0
74.5%
14 TD, 0 INT
9.4 YPA
132.9 ratingAaron Rodgers
PPG: 34.2
66.5%
14 TD, 1 INT
8.5 YPA
115.0 rating— Brad Gagnon (@Brad_Gagnon) January 16, 2017
3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots: It takes a special weekend for a quarterback as great as Brady to rank third on a list like this, but that’s just how good Rodgers and Ryan have been. Those two are the leading candidates for MVP, and Brady — who posted a record 28-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season — is probably next on that list, too.
4. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers: Taking it one step further, it takes a special weekend for a quarterback as great as Roethlisberger to rank fourth on a list like this, but that’s just how good Rodgers, Ryan and Brady have been. Big Ben is the best pure deep ball thrower in the game, and boy is he tough to take down. Still, among 32 quarterbacks who have thrown at least 200 passes away from home, Roethlisberger ranks 26th with a passer rating of 77.8. And away from home is where he’ll be on Sunday.
