Sky Sports examines the top five quarterbacks so far in 2015
Thursday 29 October 2015 14:19, UK
With Week 8 almost upon us, we are nearing the halfway point of the NFL season and the race for the playoffs is beginning to take shape.
More so than ever, the NFL remains a quarterback-driven league and the teams with good play from that position are the ones who will advance to the postseason.
Some surprising names have elevated their play to elite levels this season, joining some familiar faces in our elite tier of signal callers through the first seven weeks.
Here is a look at Sky Sports' top five quarterbacks so far in 2015:
1) Tom Brady (New England Patriots)
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is playing arguably the best football of his storied career, which is quite a statement when you consider he has won four Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVPs, two NFL MVPs and been named to the Pro Bowl on ten occasions.
On Sunday the Patriots had just 17 healthy offensive players as they took on a New York Jets team which entered the game with NFL's number one defence. Despite the myriad of injuries, New England was still able put up a season-high 30 points on the Jets.
Statistically Brady has had better days. The 38-year-old went 34/54 for 355 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing four times for 15 yards and a further touchdown.
What made the performance special was the lack of any running game whatsoever. James White and LeGarrette Blount ran a combined five times for one yard.
The Patriots put the game completely in Brady's hands as they dropped back to pass on 90.9 per cent of their offensive plays, which is the highest percentage by any team in the past 10 seasons.
To illustrate how difficult it is to win with this approach, consider this; the other 31 teams in the NFL are a combined 3-109 over the past ten seasons when at least 80 per cent of their plays are drop backs.
The Patriots under Brady, incidentally, are 4-0.
For the season, Brady leads the league with 16 touchdowns despite already having taken his bye week. His single interception came from a perfectly-thrown ball to Julian Edelman against the Indianapolis Colts which his normally-dependable wide receiver failed to catch.
It is difficult to imagine Brady sustaining this level of play throughout the season, but if he can do so, it will be equally difficult for opposing defences to stop the juggernaut which is the Patriots offence.
2) Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals)
The undefeated Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the NFL's surprise stories this season and no player has been more central to their success than quarterback Andy Dalton.
Now in his fifth NFL season, Dalton has taken a massive step forward in his development.
The 27-year-old has led the Bengals to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons but fallen short on each occasion. This earned him the reputation of someone not able to win 'the big game' but he has shattered that perception with his play so far in 2015.
Dalton leads the NFL in yards per attempt with 9.12 and has thrown 14 touchdowns and two interceptions while racking up 294 yards per game. Dalton's 116.1 passer rating leads the NFL.
To put that in perspective, consider Aaron Rodgers' career passer rating is 106.5 while no other quarterback in history in above 100.
The Bengals have done a wonderful job in the draft in recent seasons and have assembled a very impressive supporting cast around Dalton. AJ Green is one of the league's best receivers while Marvin Jones and Mohammad Sanu are very good compliments. Tyler Eifert is emerging as an elite tight end. Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard form a potent one-two punch at running back. The offensive line has allowed just six sacks and is arguably the league's best.
But Dalton is the one making everything tick. He has elevated his play to an elite level this season. Whether he ascends to join the NFL's elite tier of signal callers will ultimately depend on how he fares in the playoffs but he sure has been fun to watch so far in the regular season.
3) Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)
Entering the season, the Green Bay Packers appeared certain to have one of the NFL's most prolific offences but things haven't quite shaken out that way through six games, even though the team is undefeated.
All-Pro wide receiver Jordy Nelson was lost for the year in the preseason after suffering a knee injury. Pro Bowl receiver Randall Cobb has struggled to find his best form while dealing with a shoulder injury. Second-year breakout candidate Davante Adams has missed nearly four full games with an ankle problem. Pro Bowl running back Eddie Lacy is averaging less than four yards per carry and has rushed for just 260 yards and one touchdown.
Despite all this, the Packers are 6-0 and Aaron Rodgers is the reason why.
The Green Bay signal-caller has maintained his strong play despite the struggles of his supporting cast. Rodgers has thrown 15 touchdown and just two interceptions. His passer rating of 115.9 trails only Andy Dalton and is the second-highest mark of his career.
4) Carson Palmer (Arizona Cardinals)
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is enjoying a career renaissance in Arizona under head coach Bruce Arians.
Palmer is the perfect quarterback to execute Arians' vertical passing game and their marriage is resulting in the best season of the 35-year-old's career.
Palmer has thrown 16 touchdown passes - tied for first in the NFL with Tom Brady - while throwing just five interceptions and his 9.06 yards per attempt trails only Andy Dalton. Palmer's QB rating of 108.9 is easily the highest of his 13-year NFL career.
The Cardinals offensive line is much improved this season and that has granted Palmer the time he needs to find his dangerous receiving core of Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd. The running game - led by Chris Johnson - has also been much improved and the balanced offensive attack is allowing Palmer to thrive.
5) Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers)
The San Diego Chargers have disappointed this season and last Sunday's loss at home dropped them to 2-5 on the season. But don't blame quarterback Philip Rivers for the team's struggles.
Rivers leads the NFL in passing yards with 2,452 - 398 ahead of second-placed Tom Brady. He has been forced to attempt a league-high 311 passes while trying to compensate for the Chargers' deficiencies elsewhere.
San Diego's offensive line has been decimated by injury with left tackle King Dunlap, left guard Orlando Franklin, centre Chris Watt and right tackle DJ Fluker all missing games.
The team's below-par offensive line play has rendered their running game ineffective and allowed Rivers to be sacked 18 times.
San Diego's defence has also struggled mightily which means Rivers has often found himself playing from behind. The Chargers are allowing a league-high 5.3 yards per rush attempt and are allowing 28.3 points per game.
Despite the collapse of much around him, Rivers has maintained a high level of play. His 15 touchdown passes trail only Brady and Palmer while his QB rating is a highly-respectable 99.2.
