Greg Cote’s Passer Ranking: Philip Rivers edges Tony Romo for Week 1 title
San Diego’s Philip Rivers logs a 53.20-point game to edge Dallas’ Tony Romo for the Week 1 crown as the Miami Herald launches its 18th season of Passer Success System (PASS) quarterback rankings — a staple of our NFL coverage since 1998. The Dolphins’ Ryan Tannehill is in 15th place out the gate. Two names not in our initial Top 20 jump out by their absence, with Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck both failing to make a our Week 1 chart. Our rankings are cumulative and use a simple formula unchanged since their inception, factoring accuracy, yardage, TD/interception ratio and team result. Most rating systems including the NFL’s and ESPN’s are complicated and percent based, allowing players who miss half a season to still win a title. Our rankings place a premium on consistently productive passers who avoid injury or benching. Watch for our updated Top 20 rankings in this space every Sunday.
Player | 2014 | 2015 Wk 1 | Season |
1. Philip Rivers, SD | 9 | 53.20 | 53.20 |
2. Tony Romo, DAL | 8 | 52.80 | 52.80 |
3. Tom Brady, NE | 7 | 49.40 | 49.40 |
4. Andy Dalton, CIN | 17 | 40.45 | 40.45 |
5. Marcus Mariota, TEN | — | 37.45 | 37.45 |
6. Alex Smith, K.C. | 16 | 37.15 | 37.15 |
7. Aaron Rodgers, GB | 4 | 36.45 | 36.45 |
8. Russell Wilson, SEA | 15 | 35.55 | 35.55 |
9. Carson Palmer, ARI | 30 | 35.35 | 35.35 |
10. Sam Bradford, PHI | — | 33.80 | 33.80 |
11. Matt Ryan, ATL | 5 | 31.90 | 31.90 |
12. Nick Foles, STL | 28 | 31.85 | 31.85 |
13. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | 2 | 31.55 | 31.55 |
14. Drew Brees, NO | 1 | 29.75 | 29.75 |
15. Ryan Tannehill, MIA | 10 | 29.30 | 29.30 |
16. Tyrod Taylor, BUF | — | 26.75 | 26.75 |
17. Matt McGloin, OAK | 54 | 25.10 | 25.10 |
18. Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ | 23 | 22.95 | 22.95 |
19. Teddy Bridgewater, MIN | 21 | 22.55 | 22.55 |
20. Colin Kaepernick, SF | 19 | 21.25 | 21.25 |
▪ Week’s best: Rivers, SD, 53.20 (35-42, 404, 2-2 in win).
▪ Week’s worst: Joe Flacco, BAL, 3.85 (18-32, 117, 0-2 in loss).
Note: Thursday night results included in following week’s chart.