Greg Cote: Tom Brady back at No. 1, Drew Brees skies to third in near-record week of Miami Herald QB rankings
New England’s Tom Brady is back at No. 1 over San Diego’s Philip Rivers, but New Orleans’ Drew Brees vaulting up to third place is the big news in the Miami Herald’s Passer Success System (PASS) NFL quarterback rankings entering Week 9. Brees scored a 78.55-point game – second-best in the 18-year history of our chart, trailing only Ben Roethlisberger’s record 80.10 points from 2014. Miami’s Ryan Tannehill holds steady in 16th place. Our rankings are cumulative so players on a bye take a temporary hit that evens out over the course of the year. We use a simple formula unchanged since its inception in 1998, 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. Find our updated Top 20 in this space every Sunday.
Player | LW | WK8 | Season |
1. Tom Brady, NE | 2 | 48.80 | 321.50 |
2. Philip Rivers, SD | 1 | 43.05 | 318.65 |
3. Drew Brees, NO | T-6 | 78.55 | 288.10 |
4. Matt Ryan, ATL | 5 | 51.85 | 267.95 |
5. Carson Palmer, ARI | 3 | 40.70 | 267.30 |
6. Eli Manning, NYG | 8 | 54.50 | 261.30 |
7. Andy Dalton, CIN | 4 | 21.55 | 242.60 |
8. Aaron Rodgers, GB | T-6 | 9.85 | 219.40 |
9. Derek Carr, OAK | 15 | 43.65 | 216.65 |
10. Russell Wilson, SEA | 10 | 23.50 | 210.90 |
11. Joe Flacco BAL | 14 | 36.95 | 210.80 |
12. Kirk Cousins, WAS | 9 | BYE | 204.85 |
13. Alex Smith, KC | 13 | 28.25 | 203.45 |
14. Matthew Stafford, DET | 11 | 15.85 | 202.15 |
15. Josh McCown, CLE | 12 | 18.55 | 196.85 |
16. Ryan Tannehill, MIA | 16 | 21.00 | 190.40 |
17. Peyton Manning, DEN | 20 | 32.00 | 184.20 |
18. Sam Bradford, PHI | 17 | BYE | 166.30 |
19. Teddy Bridgewater, MIN | 21 | 18.35 | 165.30 |
20. Brian Hoyer, HOU | 24 | 33.75 | 162.05 |
▪ Bubble: Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ, 158.90.
▪ Week’s best: Brees, NO, 78.55 (40-50, 511, 7-1 in win).
▪ Week’s worst: Matt Cassel, DAL, 5.85 (13-25, 97, 0-0 in loss).
Note: Thursday results included in following week’s chart.