From First to Last

The Raanan Rankings: NFL Quarterbacks

By Jordan Raanan, XFINITY Sports

It's just about halfway through the season. Time to correct some of my preseason quarterback evaluations. Namely, Matthew Stafford.

Editor’s note: These rankings are based on how each team’s starter has played so far this season and what I expect going forward in the final 10 weeks.

Jordan Raanan has covered the NFL since 2005. Follow him on Twitter at @JordanRaanan or email him at jraanan@hotmail.com.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

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From First to La... By Jordan Raanan, XFINITY Sports

It's just about halfway through the season. Time to correct some of my preseason quarterback evaluations. Namely, Matthew Stafford.

Editor’s note: These rankings are based on how each team’s starter has played so far this season and what I expect going forward in the final 10 weeks.

Jordan Raanan has covered the NFL since 2005. Follow him on Twitter at @JordanRaanan or email him at jraanan@hotmail.com.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
1. Aaron Rodgers... Nobody is playing the position at a higher level than the reigning MVP. Rodgers is on pace for 43 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. (Preseason Rank: 1) (AP Photo/John Grieshop)

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2. Tom Brady (Pa... New England's win over the Jets in Week 7 reaffirmed what most of us already knew: Tommy's still got it. He sports a 4:1 TD to INT ratio so far this season. That’s stellar. (Preseason Rank: 2) (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
3. Eli Manning (... Eli jumps Brees if only because he's the best fourth-quarter quarterback in the NFL right now. (Preseason Rank: 4) (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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4. Drew Brees (S... His numbers (2,097 yards and 18 TDs in six games) are silly. The only knock is the interceptions (7). (Preseason Rank: 3) (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman)

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5. Ben Roethlisb... Big Ben's having his best year yet (11 TDs, 3 INTs). He's carrying the injury-ravaged Steelers on his shoulders. The kicker is he's playing better now than in any of his Super Bowl-winning seasons. (Preseason Rank: 6) (AP Photo/Doug Benz)

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6. Peyton Mannin... No worries here about his arm strength. And I only expect Peyton to keep getting better as he becomes more comfortable with his new supporting cast. (Preseason Rank: 7) (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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7. Matt Ryan (Fa... The Falcons quarterback is knocking on the door of the elite. He's going to need a solid playoff performance before he walks through that door, however. (Preseason Rank: 10) (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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8. Philip Rivers... That one disastrous half against the Broncos has clouded his season. Aside from that, Rivers has been pretty good working with an inconsistent running game and below-average receivers. (Preseason: 8) (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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9. Robert Griffi... RG3's been great. Maybe not MVP great, but still great. The Shanahans have utilized his arm and lethal legs to perfection. The rookie struggles will come at some point, but Griffin will be a Top 10 QB the remainder of this season and for the next decade or so. (Preseason: 22) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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10. Andrew Luck ... In three years I expect him to be No. 2 on this list behind Aaron Rodgers. Even though he's been a bit up and down in his first six games, Luck has shown an ability to make every throw. He's been very impressive downfield as well. (Preseason: 21) (AP Photo/Richard Lipski)

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11. Tony Romo (C... It's been a struggle so far for Romo and the Cowboys. However, I still have confidence the Cowboys’ passing game will come around. Romo makes his fair share of bad decisions, but what he's proved over the last few seasons is he also has a unique ability to make plays with what I call "special throws." (Preseasons: 9) (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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12. Joe Flacco (... Flacco's shown flashes this season of being something extraordinary. But he's still a bit too inaccurate for me to consider him a Top 10 QB. (Preseason: 12) (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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13. Matthew Staf... My biggest disappointment this season. I expected big things after 40-plus TDs last year. Instead, Stafford has thrown five touchdown passes in six games and his QB rating is below 80. Something's just not right, but I'm not totally giving up on him just yet. (Preseason Rank: 5) (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

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14. Matt Schaub ... Schaub's been solid for several years now. The only thing holding him back from being higher on the list is his team’s offensive philosophy. He's just not asked to carry the team on his shoulders like most quarterbacks. My gut and eyes tell me he can't do it. (Preseason Rank: 14) (AP Photo/Margaret Bowles)

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15. Jay Cutler (... We saw in the Week 2 loss to Green Bay loss what keeps Cutler from rising on this list. Once the snowball starts rolling downhill, it can't be stopped. (Preseason Rank: 15) (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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16. Michael Vick... He's been a turnover machine now for the last year and a half. He still has some vintage Vick games left in him this season, though. (Preseason: 11) (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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17. Cam Newton (... It's been a struggle for Cam and Carolina this season. Newton's decision-making just hasn't been good. Believe it or not, he statistically set the bar too high in his rookie season. It was almost impossible for him to live up to those expectations in his sophomore year. (Preseason: 13) (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

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18. Carson Palme... Palmer's arm has looked strong. His decision-making has been solid. I've been pleasantly surprised by his play this season. (Preseason: 16) (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

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19. Alex Smith (... The 49ers use him well. They don't ask Smith to do too much and hide his mediocre arm strength. Smith played brilliantly early in the season until he uncharacteristically started turning the ball over. That was just a blip though. He's proven to be solid and reliable. I think with the right supporting cast—which he has in San Francisco—he's good enough to win a Super Bowl. (Preseason: 25) (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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20. Josh Freema... Freeman has played well since a slow start. Maybe last season was an aberration. (Preseason: 20) (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

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21. Andy Dalton ... The sophomore has been a little too up-and-down this season with 10 interceptions. He's also been prematurely asked to carry the Bengals’ inept running game, something he's shown he’s not ready to do. (Previous: 19) (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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22. Sam Bradford... It's almost hard to judge considering the weapons he has now. Bradford's ranking is based almost solely on his skills and potential, not the results. (Preseason: 17) (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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23. Mark Sanchez... The embattled Jet once again has been making plays. He has a few too many dumb plays in him to garner a better ranking, however. Still, it hasn't helped that Sanchez has worked with the worst offensive weapons in the NFL. (Preseason: 19) (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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24. Ryan Fitzpat... Fitzpatrick is on pace for an impressive 34 touchdown passes. He's also on pace for a less than impressive 21 interceptions. I'm just not a big Fitzpatrick fan. (Preseason: 24) (AP Photo/Doug Benz)

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25. Christian Po... The second-year QB is still best served right now as a game manager. (Preseason: 27) (AP Photo/Andy King)

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26. Jake Locker ... The Titans signal-caller is currently injured. When he was on the field, he showed some flashes, but not quite enough consistency throwing the football to be certain he's a franchise quarterback. (Preseason: 24) (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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27. Ryan Tannehi... His touchdown total (5) doesn't represent how well he's played. Tannehill's decision-making and play-making has been impressive considering the limited weapons at his disposal. (Preseason: 30) (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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28. Brandon Weed... Weeden seems to improve each week. There is reason for the Browns to be optimistic. He can throw the ball downfield as well as anybody. (Preseason: 31) (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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29. Russell Wils... For the most part, Wilson has looked like a rookie mid-round draft pick. With his size and lack of experience, he's been unable to make enough big plays. (Preseason: 29) (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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30. Kevin Kolb (... Kolb showed some flashes before he was injured, despite playing behind a putrid offensive line. At the very least, he proved he's tough. (Preseason: 32 - John Skelton) (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

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31. Matt Cassel ... Fourteen turnovers in five starts… no wonder Cassel lost his starting job to Brady Quinn. (Preseason: 26) (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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32. Blaine Gabbe... Gabbert has shown zero ability to make plays even with an improved group of receivers. As a result, Jacksonville's offense is beyond inept. (Preseason: 28) (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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