Fansided

The 10 most underrated quarterbacks in NFL history

By Brad Berreman

CINCINNATI, OH - JANUARY 1982: Quarterback Ken Anderson #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals during a game in January 1982 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - JANUARY 1982: Quarterback Ken Anderson #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals during a game in January 1982 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 10
Next
Credit: George Gojkovich/Getty Images
Credit: George Gojkovich/Getty Images /

6. Ken Stabler

Having a Super Bowl ring might ordinarily disqualify someone from an underrated list. But here we are with “Snake.”

In his first full season as the starter for the Raiders (1973), Stabler led the NFL in completion percentage (62.7). Then in 1974 he led the league in touchdown passes (26) and, as a nod to today’s more advanced stats, adjusted yards per attempt (7.9). In 1976, he led the league in completion percentage (66.7), touchdown passes (27), yards per attempt (9.4), passing yards per game (228.1) and passer rating (103.4). The Raiders would go on to beat the Vikings in Super Bowl XI to complete that 1976 campaign.

In 1979, his final season with the Raiders, Stabler finished top-five in the league in passing yards (3,615) touchdowns (26) and passer rating (82.2).

Stabler started 28 games over the 1980 and 1981 seasons with the Houston Oilers. In 1980 it was good and bad over all 16 games, with the second-best completion percentage (64.1 percent) and second-most interceptions (28) in the league. He spent his final three seasons with the New Orleans Saints (1982-1984), with 14 starts in his age-38 season (1983).

Stabler died in July of 2015 at 69 years old, so he passed before he gained induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the following year. That wait only reinforced how underrated he was, and frankly still is.

Home/NFL