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Posted by Paul in Fantasy Advice, Projections, Quarterbacks, Ranks on Jan 13th 2010 (Print This)
Warner looks to add to his Hall of Fame application this weekend vs. the Saints.
With the wild card round in the rear view mirror now, we’re left with eight teams battling for divisional supremacy. The eight teams left leave us with a healthy batch of quarterbacks entering different paths in their careers. As many as four are destined for the hall of fame and will look to continue building there legacy. Two are striving to take the next step in an attempt to move into the top tier while the last two guys are simply out to make a name for themselves. We should take a moment and reflect on how special this group of quarterbacks truly is. We’ll start at the top with Warner and Favre. Both are sure bets to make the hall and could be playing in their last games respectively. Warner is coming off one of the single greatest performances ever played in a playoff game or any other for that matter. That will happen when you throw more touchdowns (5) than you do incomplete passes (4). He is set to retire at the end of the season, hopefully as a super bowl champion. Favre, on the other hand, has retired once and could very well do it again. He packs a major ego but also has racked up an impressive resume over the years.  This could be the swan song for old #4. Next up are Manning and Brees. This is a pair of quarterbacks that almost led their teams to unbeaten records and will most likely continue to dominate the NFL for the next five years. Manning has earned his record fourth MVP and is out to claim his second super bowl title. He could very well finish as the greatest passer the league has ever seen. Brees continues to post eye popping numbers in his quest for his first super bowl title. It’s a strong bet that we could see these two meet up in the big game come February. Rivers and Romo are veteran passers who are on the brink of elite status. Rivers has taken over as the primary weapon on what used to be a run first team. He’s leading one of the hottest teams in football and is out to take his game to the next level. Romo is a guy who is out to shake the inconsistency tag that has been hovering over him for years. He has managed to make it this far and will do everything in his power to take his team to the top. Flacco and Snachez are the young bucks of the group. The jury is still out on both, but both have managed to lead their teams through the first round of the playoffs. We are witnessing the beginning of what could be very promising careers. So sit back this weekend and take it all in. This could be the last time we get to witness something this special.
1) Kurt Warner – ARI – QB
In my opinion Kurt Warner had one of the greatest games ever played from the quarterback position. His performance should rank up there as one of the best of all time. The Packers defense didn’t do much to slow him down but it wasn’t by choice. After all, they came into the game ranked in the top 5 overall in team defense. It just so happens that Warner is that good. Take a look at his stat line from Sunday. He completed 29-33 passes or 87.9% of his throws for 379 yards with 5 touchdowns and zero interceptions. That’s a passer rating of 154.1! The crazy thing about those numbers is that he threw more touchdowns (5) than he did incomplete passes (4). Any time you do something like that a statue should be put up in your honor.
This weekend the Cards travel to New Orleans to take on the high powered Saints. A bout that has the potential to be just as entertaining as the Packers game. The Saints come into this one having been both brilliant and horrible on defense at times throughout the year. I’m expecting something in the middle but you never know. The Saints are at home and are one of the last few teams that actually have the venue that supports a home crowd, so we know that will play a roll. The fact is neither team has the defensive backs to keep up with the weapons both these teams posses on offense. We can expect monster days from both signal callers. Now, I’m not saying Warner will have a repeat performance but I wouldn’t be shocked if he does, would you?
2) Drew Brees – NOR – QB
After watching what Aaron Rodgers was able to do to the Arizona secondary, Drew Brees must be licking his chops heading into this one. I know the Saints didn’t finish the season off on a high note, but it shouldn’t matter. The fact remains that they’re one of the most talented and well coached teams in football. Brees and the rest of the Saints will be well rested and ready to pounce come Sunday. I expect nothing more than an NFL instant classic.
3) Peyton Manning – IND – QB
The Colts will play at home against the Ravens on Saturday night. I know the Ravens dismantled the Patriots on Sunday and they deserve all the credit in the world for that. However, it should be noted that the Colts offense is far better than the Pats. The Patriots play calling was very predictable and the lack of skill players was evident. If you go back to the film you’ll see Ravens defenders anticipating almost every play. That will not happen Saturday with Peyton Manning (NFL MVP) calling the shots. I know the Colts pretty much quit at the end of the year but it really should make for fresher legs from some of the skill guys. Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon were all hobbled towards the end of the year. I’ll bet you see a burst of quickness that was missing a few weeks ago. The Colts could be rusty, but I’m willing to bet the best quarterback in football comes out on top as he usually does.
4) Tony Romo – DAL – QB
Outside of San Diego, is there a hotter team than the Cowboys? Romo looked great against a top flight Eagles secondary Saturday. He completed 23-35 passes (65%) for 244 yards with 2 touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Cowboys were able to jump out to an early lead and control the clock. Throw in a long run from Felix Jones (FFB PLAYOFF SLEEPER) and Romo wasn’t asked to do much. That may not be the case when the Cowboys travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings. The Vikings have a solid run defense and will most likely force Romo to beat them through the air. This game will be a major stepping stone in Romo’s career. Will he be able to take the next step and lead the Cowboys to the NFC championship game?
5) Brett Favre – MIN – QB
If anyone could benefit from a week off, it was 40 year old Brett Favre. His legacy is already cemented in NFL history, but the man is a competitor and he wants to go on top. The problem is his ego could get in the way. He may try and win this thing on his own. If he allows Adrian Peterson to be the focal point of the offense things will open up in the middle of the field. The Vikings have five legitimate weapons on offense. They need to establish the run and not become one dimensional. This game will come down to turnovers, so lets hope Favre doesn’t try and force to many passes.
6) Philip Rivers – SDC – QB
Rivers leads the red hot Chargers at home against the Jets. He has become one of the more consistent and steady passers in the league. I ranked him at #6 this week because he draws a difficult match up against a very good Jets defense. I like the Chargers in this one, but it should be a low scoring affair.
7) Joe Flacco – BAL – QB
Two years in the league and two playoff appearances for the young signal caller. He is a true leader who is most effective when he lets the game come to him. He often resembles a seasoned veteran than a second year player. He’s been battling a hip injury but will play against the Colts on Saturday. Last weekend he was asked to do almost nothing as the team relied heavily on it’s dynamic running game. He only attempted 10 passes for 34 yards with an interception. He’s probably going to need to do a lot more if he hopes to advance to the AFC championship.
8) Mark Sanchez – NYJ – QB
The rookie was an efficient 12-15 (80%) for 182 yards and 1 touchdown against the Bengals. The Jets focus on the running game and defense, asking very little of Sanchez. Look for much of the same this weekend against the red hot Chargers.
3 Responses to “Divisional Playoff QB Ranks (Week 19)”
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nice work this week on the rankings!! keep er coming!!
This week TheCoach has the Cardinals in a close battle… the reason being is because the Saints simply screwed themselves by benching starters in the last week of the season… They haven’t won a game in a month now with the BYE and haven’t won’t a meaningful game since the Patriots or looked good winning in the process. I don’t trust the way the Saints decided to finished off the season and even if they do win… no way they cover the touchdown spread…
Indy on the other hand can win this game, it once again will be closer than the touchdown spread predicts though. Baltimore is playing great smash-mouth football but I am concerned at the fact they are playing Peyton Manning who can single handily win a game as we have seen many times.
Minnesota played out the season and of course we all know what happened, they stomped the Giants 44-7 (who beat Dallas twice this season) but lets be realistic in the fact that Dallas is playing the best football since 1996 but Romo is finally playing football since ditching Jessica Simpson. Good move for his stats!
Last but not least, I know everyone is saying the Chargers are going to kill the Jets, but again, Vegas is giving to many points here (7.5). The Jets match up so well against the Chargers, Revis blanket whoever he wants, and they stop the run while running the ball against a Chargers team who other than week 17 when they played the Redskins, gave up 100+ on the ground to 6 straight opponents to finish off the season.
Also, to finish off since 2005, seven teams have won round one on the round and they are 7-0 against the spread in the 2nd round (take Baltimore and New York)
For a full in depth write up with TheCoach Prediction visit:
http://www.lionsdenu.com/category/sports/nfl-guide-2009-2010/
Best of luck to all this week…
Regards,
TheCoach
I don’t think I’ll recover from that Tony Romo performance by the time Sunday roles around again this week. That one sticks for a little while.
I’m super pumped about the big game. It’s a offensive shoot out. I’ll choose them New Orleans Saints in a nail bighter.