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NFL power rankings: Starting quarterbacks from best to worst

By John Buhler

Jan 22, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter in the 2017 NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 22, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter in the 2017 NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NFL remains very much a quarterback-driven league. Here are the rankings of the NFL starting quarterbacks from all 32 franchises.

A major part to winning at a high level in the NFL comes down to quarterback play. Great play from the position can either mask deficiencies across other parts of a football or even elevate a great team to a Super Bowl contender. Bad play at quarterback undermines teams with great defenses from getting to the top or exacerbates things will horrible clubs.

Though some starting quarterback jobs are still up for debate entering the 2017 season.  A few teams don’t yet have a firm solution at the position. Others may look to add a signal caller in either the 2017 NFL Draft or through free agency. There might even be a few teams willing to make a trade to improve at the quarterback position.

Heading into April, here is a look at the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL and where they stack up based on the likelihood that he can lead a team to Super Bowl LII, all other things equal.

Dec 4, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) throws the ball during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots won 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) throws the ball during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots won 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jared Goff

Quarterback, Los Angeles Rams

Jared Goff may have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, but he’s the worst starting quarterback in the NFL heading into this upcoming season. Leaving Cal a year early to play for an archaic Los Angeles Rams offense basically made his rookie season a wash.

Goff went 0-7 as a starting quarterback for the 2016 Rams. He completed 54.6 percent of his passes for 1,089 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. His yards per attempt was a dreadful 5.3 and so was his QBR of 22.2. Getting sacked 11.3 percent of the time likely indicates that his offensive line is a wet paper bag in front of him and that he’s not able to feel the pressure when under center.

In short, Goff’s rookie season with the Rams was nothing short of a disaster. However, we can expect his sophomore campaign in 2017 to be at least marginally better. Helping drag Goff out of quarterbacking rock bottom will be head coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur.

Given that Goff falls into the Kirk Cousins and Matt Ryan prototype, being placed into an offense that coached those respective quarterbacks will only help elevate his game. McVay helped make Cousins a Pro Bowler, while LaFleur helped Ryan win NFL MVP.

What should help Goff going forward is that he is resilient and throws an accurate, good-looking football. Cal was a grease fire when he arrived in Berkley as a freshman in 2013. Goff helped lead the Golden Bears to a bowl his true junior season. The kid may not entirely be there upstairs, but he’s tough and will get better in 2017 in this modern Rams offense. If not, Los Angeles made a ghastly mistake in trading up to No. 1 to draft him last spring.

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