Matt Ryan vs. Joe Flacco (1 Viewer)

[PatrickT]

So I'm a Sue me.

Best QBs in the NFL lately? Garcia and Ryan

December 12, 2008 3:04 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

If Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia can play (and that might not be decided until game time) the two best quarterbacks in the NFL over the last five weeks will go head to head in the Georgia Dome.

It might be a little surprising, but as AFC South colleague Paul Kuharsky points out over on his blog, Garcia and Ryan have the best passer ratings in the league over the last five weeks.

Yep, they've been better than Peyton Manning. They've also been way better than Kurt Warner and Drew Brees, who consistently have been mentioned in MVP talk.

 

[The_Man]

Flacco's QB rating over the last 7 weeks is 99.9 -- the highest in the NFL during that span.

I think they had this discussion on the Ravens board and the counterpoint was that if you figured out QB rating for any other week duration of the season (take the last 3 weeks, take the last 4 weeks, take the last 10 weeks), Ryan's is better. So 7 weeks is the convenient debate point when those putting Flacco up against Ryan as an equal would use.

It might be a little surprising, but as AFC South colleague Paul Kuharsky points out over on his blog, Garcia and Ryan have the best passer ratings in the league over the last five weeks.

Yep, they've been better than Peyton Manning. They've also been way better than Kurt Warner and Drew Brees, who consistently have been mentioned in MVP talk.

So -- it's not valid to use a 7-week period when Flacco was the highest-rated QB, but it is valid to use a 5-week period when Ryan was the highest-rated.Also, is it OK to point out that in his last five games, Ryan has played defenses that rank 25, 27, 14, 30, and 25 vs. the pass?

Ryan is a great talent, but let's not put him in Canton yet. I will be very interested to see how he fares vs. TB (#4 vs. the pass) this week. The first time, he was 13 of 33 for 158 yards with 2INTs and 0 TD. Ryan struggled vs. TB and also vs. Philly -- the only two really good pass defenses he's seen.