Top Five NFL Quarterbacks Through Week Three: Matt Ryan Regains Top Spot

This is the third edition of a series that will detail who the best quarterbacks are through each week. These are not based off previous accomplishments, just their play in the 2014 season.

5. Nick Foles

Nick Foles through for 325 yards on Sunday. Big deal. And he completed nearly 66% of his passes, and tossed three touchdowns. But that doesn’t impress me either.

The reason Foles is in the top five this week, is because of his toughness. I gained a new level of respect for this kid after watching the tail end of this game, because he took a nasty blindside shot by defensive lineman Chris Baker, but popped up, and led his team to a win. That is exactly what you want in your starting quarterback, and he is primed for a big season.

4. Kirk Cousins

Cousins was involved in that shootout with Foles, and while he didn’t come out with the win, he put the team on his back, and nearly pulled it off. Cousins threw for over 420 yards, connected on three touchdowns, and dropped 34 points on an underrated Eagles defense. We will see how he plays in the coming weeks, but the Redskins may be better off with Cousins as their starting quarterback.

3. Phillip Rivers

A 22-10 win over Buffalo isn’t very flashy, but Rivers has done a very good job through three weeks this year, and he deserves to be rated highly on this list. The Chargers are showing everybody that they are a force to be reckoned with in the AFC, and Rivers is the chief reason for that. I have always liked Rivers’ game, and I believe he has what it takes to bring his squad all the way to the AFC Championship in January.

2. Peyton Manning

So, Peyton Manning did exactly what Peyton Mannign always does on Sunday, and choked in the biggest moment. He threw an awful interception into triple-coverage when Denver was about to take the lead, and pretty much cost his team the game. However, to his credit, he led the Broncos down the field in the final minute against one of the best defenses in football, and sent the game into overtime. In the regular season, Manning can be pretty damn clutch.

1. Matt Ryan

How can I not have Ryan at the top after what he did to the poor Buccaneers?

Ryan didn’t even play a full game on Thursday night, and he still managed to throw for 286 yards, three touchdowns, and a 99.7 QBR rating, which is nearly perfect. He also completed 87.5% of his passes, which is almost as impressive as any of the other statistics. When Ryan and that offense are in the dome, they are one of the toughest teams to beat in the entire NFL.

I don’t think they will advance to the Super Bowl, because they definitely struggle away from home, but winning the NFC South is not a stretch at this point. In fact, if I were a betting man, I would feel more comfortable putting money on Atlanta than the Saints. And that is mainly because of Matty Ice.