Ranking the Seahawks opposing quarterbacks from yecch to yass

Seahawks will face some stiff competition here

5. Derek Carr. After two fine seasons, he wasn’t nearly as good last year. Carr threw for the fewest touchdowns since his rookie campaign, and tied his career mark for most interceptions. I expect him to bounce back, which is why I have him in the top group. It doesn’t really matter though, as we all know the only thing we’ll be watching will be Marshawn Lynch versus the Legion. I predict at least two cracked helmets in this game.

4. Jared Goff. Yes, I ranked a third year player above solid veterans like Carr and Newton. Actually, virtually every stat site ranked him that way, so don’t blame me. Goff took a huge leap forward after his rookie season. If you somehow needed more proof that Sean McVay is a better coach than Jeff Fisher…well, there’s no helping you. Goff’s worst game of 2017 was against the Seahawks in week five, in Los Angeles. Perhaps history can repeat itself.

I will say Goff played much better in the late season dismantling of Seattle by the Rams, but he basically stayed out of the way in that game. Unlike many young quarterbacks, Goff is pretty good when he’s forced to throw a lot. In games with over 35 pass attempts, Goff is 5-2 with 12 touchdowns against 4 interceptions. That’s another reason he’s in this group with the big boys.

3. Matthew Stafford. The Lions quarterback has proven that he was much more than the delivery boy for Megatron, as he’s coming off one of his best seasons ever. It was easily better than his Pro Bowl season of 2014. Listen, it’s not his fault he’s in the same conference as Russell Wilson (and a player to be named later). In his worst season, Stafford completed 435 passes for 4,967 yards, 20 touchdowns and 17 picks. That’s a career year for most quarterbacks.

2. Philip Rivers. Chargers fans, calm down. I know you think Philip is the best signal caller ever. That’s really cute. I’ll give you that he’s one of the best. He ranks eighth in career passer rating – not just among active players, but of all time. He’s just below Peyton Manning and just above Ben Roethlisberger. Then again, Tony Romo has the fourth highest passer rating ever, and no one thinks he’s the fourth best quarterback ever. Shoot, he’s probably third in Dallas behind Roger and Danny.

So as much as I refer to it, passer rating isn’t the last word in judging quarterbacks. Regardless, Rivers shows no signs of slowing down, as he threw his fewest interceptions since 2009, and had his highest yards per attempt since 2013. Whether he’s playing in front of 57,000 or 27,000, Rivers is dangerous.