AFC West: Quarterback rankings through Week 4

With Week 4 in the books, let’s recap what we’ve learned about the AFC West quarterbacks so far. Is there justified hype?

At the beginning of the season, most fans and critics of the game might have told you the AFC West was where the competition was at. With all of the changes, additions, subtractions, and improvements made for this new season, it’s no wonder this was assumed. However, it now looks more like survival of the fittest with the Chiefs at 4-0, the Raiders and Chargers tied at 2-2, and the Broncos at 0-4.

For all of the changes each team implemented for the 2019-20 season, the question to be asked is, “Has it made any difference?” We’ll only know for certain at the end of the season.

If we compare the stats from Week 4 of the 2018-19 season to this season, will it tell us anything? Can it predict the future?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

One important takeaway is the performances of the quarterbacks, and if they’ve affected their teams for the good or bad.

These rankings have been based on their performance for the 2019-20 season and any improvements when comparing those stats to those from Weeks 1-4 of the 2018-19 season. The decision was difficult to make because all four showed improvement, but nonetheless, here are the rankings and comparisons.

4. Derek Carr

Carr has the best completion rate of all four quarterbacks, but it appears the passes have been for short yardage gains. He’s on the rise for the Raiders, especially after passing Ken Stabler as the all-time passer in franchise history. Carr has been efficient for the first four weeks and seems to not have let the Antonio Brown soap opera affect his play. He has the offensive weapons needed to score each week, and the test will come with the utilization of those weapons. The keyword for Carr is consistency. He showed us what a great quarterback he can be, now all the offensive line needs to do is let him shine.

3. Joe Flacco

Despite the fact that the Broncos have not won a game yet, Flacco has been impressive when you compare this year to his stats from last year when he was with the Ravens. You can make the case that Flacco is doing his job when you look at the stats, but for most fans and critics, it doesn’t mean much when the team is 0-4 so far this season. One might make the argument that a new team and system have contributed to his stats being a little behind from last year. His completion percentage has increased, but his overall attempts are fewer than last year. Flacco will have to be the one to get the Broncos out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves and the veteran quarterback can pull it off.

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2. Philip Rivers

For a veteran quarterback, Rivers is showing that he can still make things happen on the field. There’s a slight improvement from the previous season, offering fans a glimpse of all the possibilities for the rest of the schedule. Rivers has 211 consecutive starts, second to only Brett Favre (297) out of all quarterbacks in that category. As long as Rivers stays healthy and continues with consistency and improvement, it’s not difficult to assume Rivers will give the Chargers a chance in the postseason.

1. Patrick Mahomes

The current reigning MVP has already shown improvement over last year while still managing to make it look easy. Now that everyone in the league knows what he can do, the question will be if he’s able to challenge himself to improve and be consistent when needed. Only Mahomes can answer that. He has the skills, so consistency will occur with repetition as he transitions from rookie to veteran status. Critics and fans wonder if he can keep up with his current level of play if he will eventually level out and come back down to Earth. Even if one or both occurs, as with all the quarterbacks on this list, consistency is a big contributor to wins on the field.

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