You have to do some pretty impressive things these days to be at the top of our weekly NFL Quarterback Power Rankings.
That explains why Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson have pushed the future Hall-of-Fame trio of Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady down our board.
You think the 49ers have problems at quarterback? Check out what’s going on in Buffalo.
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SIGN UP HERE Here are the rankings at the beginning of Week 9:
1. Deshaun Watson, Houston: With a five-TD, no-interception performance, he’s back where he left off last season, and the Texans are atop the AFC South. (Last week: 16)
2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City: It’s not a fluke. He’s really this good. (1)
3. Russell Wilson, Seattle: The number 158.3 is perfect. That was Wilson against Detroit. The playoff push is real. (7)
4. Drew Brees, New Orleans: He might have the best supporting cast he’s ever had. Need proof? The Saints can win even when he throws for 120 yards. (2)
5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay: Here’s a friendly suggestion to Stanford guy, Ty Montgomery: Do NOT screw up a chance for the Cal guy to win it or you’ll get traded away on the spot. (4)
6. Tom Brady, New England: A subpar game for Brady: That would be 324 yards and no interceptions, but also no TDs, against the Bills. (3)
7. Philip Rivers, L.A. Chargers: He spent the bye week working on his funky throwing mechanics. It’s questionable whether he can have a long career unless he learns traditional mechanics. ;-) (5)
8. Cam Newton, Carolina: His all-around play is as on-point as his post-game fashion. (9)
9. Matt Ryan, Atlanta: This guy gives the Falcons, with their depleted defense, a chance. (6)
10. Jared Goff, L.A. Rams: The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through Southern California. (8)
11. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia: He tied Matt Ryan’s record of 21 consecutive games with at least one TD pass and no more than one interception. (10)
12. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis: He’s hot, but the most impressive part: Luck has not been sacked on his last 156 pass attempts. He was sacked 156 times in the first five seasons of his career. (14)
13. Matthew Stafford, Detroit: He toughed his way through injuries to both hands in a loss to Seattle. (11)
14. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota: The Vikings are just slightly above average, which is a huge disappointment, though Cousins has hardly been to blame. (12)
15. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh: He has proven to be the ultimate coach killer . . . in Cleveland, that is. (13)
16. Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago: He’s getting better and better. (17)
17. Alex Smith, Washington: The stable leader of D.C. has his team atop the NFC East (15)
18. Dak Prescott, Dallas: Amari Cooper for a first-round draft pick? He better catch everything Dak throws his way. (18)
19. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati: It’s the bye week, so go to an island and work on that tan. (19)
20. Joe Flacco, Baltimore: There’s always a little something extra in the air when the Steelers visit. (20)
21. DEREK CARR, RAIDERS: With the 49ers and their meager pass rush on the slate for Thursday, Carr is looking forward to feeling no soreness on Friday morning. (21)
22. Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants: It has just about ran its course. (22)
23. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee: Oatmeal in hotel breakfast buffets have more consistency than Mariota. (24)
24. Case Keenum, Denver: When the Texans released Keenum in 2014, coach Bill O’Brien told him he was a third-stringer. Keenum wrote that in his book. Guess which team Keenum plays this week? Yep. (26)
25. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville: He did not get arrested, which means he had a better weekend in London than a lot of his teammates. But with the Jags on a four-game losing streak, the leash is short. (32)
26. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland: Let this be a lesson: Lose twice to the Steelers and heads will roll. (25)
27. Sam Darnold, N.Y. Jets: He didn’t have much of a chance with his two best receivers, Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson, being inactive against the Bears. Come to think of it, he doesn’t have much of a chance when his best receivers are Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson. (28)
28. Josh Rosen, Arizona: Step aside, Larry Fitzgerald, there’s a new 49ers Killer in the desert. (30)
29. Brock Osweiler, Miami: He’s back at it for another week with Ryan Tannehill on the mend. (27)
30. C.J. BEATHARD, 49ERS: Despite his messed-up right hand, he did not commit any turnovers. So that’s a start. (29)
31. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay: Hey, if you get benched, you go to the bottom – except for the Buffalo QBs. Ryan Fitzpatrick is back as the starter, but Winston gets to hold onto the shame of No. 31 for a week. Sorry, but those are the rules. (23)
32. Nathan Peterman, Buffalo: Among QBs who’ve attempted more than 30 passes, Derek Anderson ‘s 56.0 rating is second-worst in the NFL. He’s one spot behind Bills injured rookie Josh Allen. The absolute worst? That’s Peterman with a 20.8 rating. And Peterman gets the nod this week. Sheesh! (Anderson, 31)