Are the Browns the best prepared in a playoff race of backups? NFL quarterback power rankings after Week 13
NFL Quarterback Power Rankings After…..
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The AFC was billed as a conference loaded with elite quarterbacks heading into the season. But several of those quarterbacks have been injured, making the playoff race more difficult for some teams.
The three teams in AFC wild card spots — the Steelers, Browns and Colts — are all dealing with injuries to starting quarterbacks. The Colts and Browns lost their starting quarterbacks for the season while Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett just had surgery for a high ankle sprain and will miss Thursday night’s game against the Patriots. Pickett’s injury isn’t a season ender, but any time missed is crucial this time of year.
They’re also not the only AFC teams to have notable quarterback injuries.
The Bengals lost Joe Burrow for the season just a few weeks ago and Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles tear in Week 1 threw the Jets season way off course.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a high ankle sprain on Monday night. He hasn’t been ruled out of their Sunday game at Cleveland, but that’s still a significant injury considering that their lead in the AFC South is just one game.
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So what was expected to be a great quarterback battle in the AFC wild card race has turned into a battle just to survive. Could the Browns with Joe Flacco be in the best position among the other teams who have been forced to go to their backups?
Here is a power ranking of all 32 starting quarterbacks based on how they have performed 13 weeks into the season. Their previous ranking is in parenthesis. If a starter was injured or benched within the last week, their replacement will be listed with the previous starter in the parentheses.
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32. Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots (32, replaced benched Mac Jones)
31. Tim Boyle, New York Jets (31, released and will be replaced by Zach Wilson)
30. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (30)
29. Tommy DeVito, New York Giants (29)
28. Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders (27)
27. Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons (26)
26. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (25)
