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This is a rating of all 32 teams QB confidence ratings. Pace has his work cut out to get this issue resolved. The Bears are no longer better off the half of the league.
1. New England Patriots
QB Confidence Index: 10.0 | November rating: 10.0
No reason to change anything here. Tom Brady is playing quarterback better than anyone in the league, shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, and the 3-1 record the Patriots posted during his suspension shows they're well positioned if something should happen to him. What happens with backup Jimmy Garoppolo is an interesting offseason story to watch.
2. New Orleans Saints
QB Confidence Index: 9.9 | November rating: 9.5
Drew Brees is leading the league in passing yards -- something he has done each of the past two seasons and six of the past 10. He turns 38 in January but looks like the same guy he has always been. And the rotating cast of receivers and backs around him works because of the justified confidence his team has in him.
3. Atlanta Falcons
QB Confidence Index: 9.7 | November rating: 9.3
Matt Ryan is one of those guys in the never-misses-a-game category, so the fact of Matt Schaub as his backup is incidental. Ryan is putting up MVP numbers for a team that allows 27.5 points per game on defense.
4. Oakland Raiders
QB Confidence Index: 9.6 | November rating: 9.2
Derek Carr is still young, but he doesn't look it when the fourth quarter starts -- and his team's confidence in him is growing with every heart-pounding comeback victory. The mark of a quarterback who has made it -- from a confidence-index standpoint -- is the panic Raiders fans felt when Carr left the game Sunday for a few minutes with a hand injury.
5. Green Bay Packers
QB Confidence Index: 9.5 | November rating: 9.0
Aaron Rodgers' early-season accuracy struggles are well behind him at this point, and he's coming off two of his best games of the season. Rodgers doesn't appear to be the problem in Green Bay, where scheme issues and the total lack of a running game are proving difficult to overcome.
6. Dallas Cowboys
QB Confidence Index: 9.4 | November rating: 9.2
Dak Prescott is a rookie, which makes the confidence his team has in him simply incredible. It also gives you at least a little bit of pause when you project how the rest of the year will go for him. But Prescott has done nothing whatsoever to indicate a drop-off or rookie wall is coming, and whatever you think of Tony Romo, it's impossible to argue that he's not the best backup in the league.
7. Seattle Seahawks
QB Confidence Index: 9.1 | November rating: 8.9
A week ago, it looked safe to rocket Russell Wilson and the Seahawks into the top two or three here. But Wilson's two-pick mess in Tampa Bay (and yes, we know all about the offensive line) keeps him at this still-high-but-not-what-he's-used-to spot in the rankings. Seattle has great confidence in Wilson as a player, but from week to week it's impossible to be confident in what this offense will deliver.
8. Detroit Lions
QB Confidence Index: 9.0 | November rating: 8.9
Not much has changed since four weeks ago except that Matthew Stafford keeps executing comeback wins. Stafford's own confidence in Jim Bob Cooter's offense is evident, and the Lions' confidence in Stafford is likely to be reflected in a record-breaking quarterback contract extension this coming offseason.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers
QB Confidence Index: 8.9 | November rating: 8.6
There's always going to be a health question that keeps the Steelers from reaching peak confidence in Ben Roethlisberger. But as long as he's on the field, he's as good as anyone at operating his offense and finding his playmakers.
10. Washington
QB Confidence Index: 8.7 | November rating: 6.2
Probably had Kirk Cousins too low on the November list. Since that list was published, he has played three games, completed 72.4 percent of his passes and thrown eight touchdown passes and no interceptions. There will always be doubters, but Cousins is playing his position at an elite level right now.
11. San Diego Chargers
QB Confidence Index: 8.7 | November rating: 8.8
A month ago we wrote, "There's still no one out there doing more with less on a weekly basis than [Philip] Rivers, whose team gives away leads the way a grandmother gives away $5 bills." The Chargers are 2-1 since then, and the one loss was all on Rivers, who threw an incomprehensible four interceptions in the fourth quarter against Miami. That surely didn't shake the Chargers' overall confidence in Rivers, but it kept him from rising higher, for sure.
12. New York Giants
QB Confidence Index: 8.3 | November rating: 7.9
The Giants' confidence in Eli Manning has two very strong pillars -- the fact he never misses a game, and the fact they know he can deliver a championship. But he's not playing all that great this season, and that has to make them wonder. Manning's November completion percentage was 60.1, and while the Giants went 4-0, the schedule is about to toughen up. Manning needs to find another gear.
13. Carolina Panthers
QB Confidence Index: 8.3 | November rating: 8.1
Cam Newton made it to Feb. 7 last season before his first bad mood. This season hasn't gone as smoothly -- by any stretch -- and Newton's numbers reflect that. But the Panthers remain confident he's their guy, and their mission this offseason will be to beef up his protection so he can get back to his MVP ways.
14. Baltimore Ravens
QB Confidence Index: 7.6 | November rating: 7.6
There has been no reason to change Baltimore's ranking here. The Ravens are 3-1 since our last ranking, losing only in Dallas, and Joe Flacco is doing just what Joe Flacco usually does. Nothing that pops your eyes out, nothing that gets the Ravens beaten -- just enough big plays to keep the run game humming.
15. Tennessee Titans
QB Confidence Index: 7.3 | November rating: 5.6
Marcus Mariota has thrown 11 touchdown passes and two interceptions in four games since the last time we did this, and in two of those games he has had a Total QBR over 95 (out of 100). Whether the Titans can cash in this opportunity and make playoffs or not, they have to feel confident that Mariota is their guy moving into next year and beyond.
16. Kansas City Chiefs
QB Confidence Index: 7.2 | November rating: 5.8
This is the "correction zone" of this month's edition, as we had been underrating Alex Smith as well. His numbers aren't pretty, but he delivers what the Chiefs ask of him, and they've won 19 of their past 23 games. They also have Nick Foles behind him as backup, and Foles has played well in relief twice this season.
17. Arizona Cardinals
QB Confidence Index: 7.1 | November rating: 7.9
Carson Palmer has 15 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions on the season -- five of each in the three games he has played since our last update. Arizona's offense hasn't worked this season, and Palmer's level of blame for that can be debated. But this was as confident a team as any in the league when the season started, and now it has reason to question almost everything.
18. Minnesota Vikings
QB Confidence Index: 7.1 | November rating: 7.1
Sam Bradford completed a stunning 77.9 percent of his passes in four November games. Problem is, the Vikings won only one of them. He's delivering what has been asked of him, and it has to feel ridiculous that he had to change offensive coordinators -- again -- midseason. But when you throw an interception like the one he threw at the end of the Thanksgiving game against the Lions, how much confidence can you expect your team to have in you?
19. Cincinnati Bengals
QB Confidence Index: 7.0 | November rating: 8.5
Which team has been more disappointing this season than the Bengals? They haven't beaten anyone but the Browns since September, and Andy Dalton seems to be regressing -- especially now that A.J.Green is hurt. Dalton completed 55 percent of his passes in three November games, only one of which saw him post a Total QBR higher than 30.
20. Indianapolis Colts
QB Confidence Index: 6.9 | November rating: 7.8
As has been the case since last season, the Colts' only reason to lack confidence in Andrew Luck is they can't trust themselves to keep him healthy. It might seem unfair to downgrade Luck for that, but with Scott Tolzien as the only backup, this feels like a situation that could fall apart with the next awkward hit.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB Confidence Index: 6.7 | November rating: 5.6
"Confident" probably isn't the right word -- yet -- to describe the way the Buccaneers should feel about Jameis Winston. It always feels as if the next inexplicably bad interception lurks right around the corner. But in between those, Winston is making big plays, and he has a winner's toughness that makes you feel he's going to keep you in every single game -- even if it's a bit ugly from time to time.
22. Buffalo Bills
QB Confidence Index: 6.5 | November rating: 5.0
The Bills continue to profess confidence in Tyrod Taylor at every turn, even as the wider world struggles to accept him as a legitimate NFL starter. If Buffalo can keep Sammy Watkins healthy the rest of the way, perhaps that will give Taylor a chance to dazzle some of his doubters. But he's 12th in Total QBR, so he's doing something right.
23. Philadelphia Eagles
QB Confidence Index: 6.4 | November rating: 7.9
A rookie correction is perfectly understandable, and Carson Wentz has had one. He has shown enough to give the Eagles confidence that he'll be the guy going forward, and their ability to assemble a better group of receivers and linemen around him will determine his future. It's also important to mention Chase Daniel here as one of the league's most known-quantity backups.
24. Denver Broncos
QB Confidence Index: 6.2 | November rating: 5.0
Trevor Siemian is no sure thing, but he looked like a capable playmaker down the stretch in a tough loss to Kansas City last week. As long as he doesn't turn it over, the Broncos are fine with Siemian until first-round pick Paxton Lynch is ready.
25. Miami Dolphins
QB Confidence Index: 6.0 | November rating: 4.2
The Dolphins' season has turned around in a huge way, mainly because of what it has found in the run game with Jay Ajayi and the offensive line. Ryan Tannehill is averaging just 217 passing yards per game during the Dolphins' six-game win streak, but he has also thrown just one interception during that span.
26. San Francisco 49ers
QB Confidence Index: 5.1 | November rating: 2.5
The story of Colin Kaepernick never seems to be about how he's playing anymore, but with eight touchdown passes and two interceptions in his past four games, he has played better than expected and could be positioning himself as an interesting offseason option for QB-starved teams -- including the one he's on now.
27. Los Angeles Rams
QB Confidence Index: 4.9 | November rating: 2.0
Yeah, Jared Goff showed enough in his second start to make you think he deserved to be the No. 1 overall pick. He's a project with a long way to go, but the arm talent is obvious. There seems to be some dispute about the level of confidence the team should have in the group of coaches charged with developing Goff, but the young man has the ability and can look the part.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
QB Confidence Index: 4.0 | November rating: 3.5
Blake Bortles' regression is one of the bizarre stories of the NFL season, and the third-year quarterback is likely to cost Gus Bradley his job as coach. Bortles is under contract through next year, and the team holds a fifth-year option for 2018 if it chooses. But his future prospects rest in the hands of whoever comes in to coach the team, lead the offense and develop a quarterback who has lost his way.
29. Houston Texans
QB Confidence Index: 3.1 | November rating: 3.9
It's not getting any prettier with Brock Osweiler, who has more interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (12) this season. The Texans are 6-5, and a weak AFC South has bought them time. But if Osweiler is going to deliver the kind of steady quarterback play for which they're paying him, the time to start is now.
30. New York Jets
QB Confidence Index: 3.0 | November rating: 2.7
If the Jets keep running Ryan Fitzpatrick out there, they can be confident at least that they're starting the guy who gives them the best chance to win of anyone on the roster. But with only Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg under contract for next year, there's no way for the Jets to have any confidence about their QB situation moving forward. They are a total mystery.
31. Chicago Bears
QB Confidence Index: 0.9 | November rating: 5.0
At one point, it looked as if the Bears had an adequate Jay Cutler backed up by an adequate Brian Hoyer, and plenty of teams had worse situations. But both of those guys are hurt, Matt Barkley is starting, and this is another team that has no idea where it goes at quarterback in 2017 and beyond.
32. Cleveland Browns
QB Confidence Index: 0.5 | November rating: 0.8
Robert Griffin III might get another look before this season is over. You decide whether that's a good thing or not.
url]http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18173865/nfl-2016-quarterback-confidence-index-rating-all-32-teams-washington-redskins-detroit-lions-rising[/url]
1. New England Patriots
QB Confidence Index: 10.0 | November rating: 10.0
No reason to change anything here. Tom Brady is playing quarterback better than anyone in the league, shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, and the 3-1 record the Patriots posted during his suspension shows they're well positioned if something should happen to him. What happens with backup Jimmy Garoppolo is an interesting offseason story to watch.
2. New Orleans Saints
QB Confidence Index: 9.9 | November rating: 9.5
Drew Brees is leading the league in passing yards -- something he has done each of the past two seasons and six of the past 10. He turns 38 in January but looks like the same guy he has always been. And the rotating cast of receivers and backs around him works because of the justified confidence his team has in him.
3. Atlanta Falcons
QB Confidence Index: 9.7 | November rating: 9.3
Matt Ryan is one of those guys in the never-misses-a-game category, so the fact of Matt Schaub as his backup is incidental. Ryan is putting up MVP numbers for a team that allows 27.5 points per game on defense.
4. Oakland Raiders
QB Confidence Index: 9.6 | November rating: 9.2
Derek Carr is still young, but he doesn't look it when the fourth quarter starts -- and his team's confidence in him is growing with every heart-pounding comeback victory. The mark of a quarterback who has made it -- from a confidence-index standpoint -- is the panic Raiders fans felt when Carr left the game Sunday for a few minutes with a hand injury.
5. Green Bay Packers
QB Confidence Index: 9.5 | November rating: 9.0
Aaron Rodgers' early-season accuracy struggles are well behind him at this point, and he's coming off two of his best games of the season. Rodgers doesn't appear to be the problem in Green Bay, where scheme issues and the total lack of a running game are proving difficult to overcome.
6. Dallas Cowboys
QB Confidence Index: 9.4 | November rating: 9.2
Dak Prescott is a rookie, which makes the confidence his team has in him simply incredible. It also gives you at least a little bit of pause when you project how the rest of the year will go for him. But Prescott has done nothing whatsoever to indicate a drop-off or rookie wall is coming, and whatever you think of Tony Romo, it's impossible to argue that he's not the best backup in the league.
7. Seattle Seahawks
QB Confidence Index: 9.1 | November rating: 8.9
A week ago, it looked safe to rocket Russell Wilson and the Seahawks into the top two or three here. But Wilson's two-pick mess in Tampa Bay (and yes, we know all about the offensive line) keeps him at this still-high-but-not-what-he's-used-to spot in the rankings. Seattle has great confidence in Wilson as a player, but from week to week it's impossible to be confident in what this offense will deliver.
8. Detroit Lions
QB Confidence Index: 9.0 | November rating: 8.9
Not much has changed since four weeks ago except that Matthew Stafford keeps executing comeback wins. Stafford's own confidence in Jim Bob Cooter's offense is evident, and the Lions' confidence in Stafford is likely to be reflected in a record-breaking quarterback contract extension this coming offseason.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers
QB Confidence Index: 8.9 | November rating: 8.6
There's always going to be a health question that keeps the Steelers from reaching peak confidence in Ben Roethlisberger. But as long as he's on the field, he's as good as anyone at operating his offense and finding his playmakers.
10. Washington
QB Confidence Index: 8.7 | November rating: 6.2
Probably had Kirk Cousins too low on the November list. Since that list was published, he has played three games, completed 72.4 percent of his passes and thrown eight touchdown passes and no interceptions. There will always be doubters, but Cousins is playing his position at an elite level right now.
11. San Diego Chargers
QB Confidence Index: 8.7 | November rating: 8.8
A month ago we wrote, "There's still no one out there doing more with less on a weekly basis than [Philip] Rivers, whose team gives away leads the way a grandmother gives away $5 bills." The Chargers are 2-1 since then, and the one loss was all on Rivers, who threw an incomprehensible four interceptions in the fourth quarter against Miami. That surely didn't shake the Chargers' overall confidence in Rivers, but it kept him from rising higher, for sure.
12. New York Giants
QB Confidence Index: 8.3 | November rating: 7.9
The Giants' confidence in Eli Manning has two very strong pillars -- the fact he never misses a game, and the fact they know he can deliver a championship. But he's not playing all that great this season, and that has to make them wonder. Manning's November completion percentage was 60.1, and while the Giants went 4-0, the schedule is about to toughen up. Manning needs to find another gear.
13. Carolina Panthers
QB Confidence Index: 8.3 | November rating: 8.1
Cam Newton made it to Feb. 7 last season before his first bad mood. This season hasn't gone as smoothly -- by any stretch -- and Newton's numbers reflect that. But the Panthers remain confident he's their guy, and their mission this offseason will be to beef up his protection so he can get back to his MVP ways.
14. Baltimore Ravens
QB Confidence Index: 7.6 | November rating: 7.6
There has been no reason to change Baltimore's ranking here. The Ravens are 3-1 since our last ranking, losing only in Dallas, and Joe Flacco is doing just what Joe Flacco usually does. Nothing that pops your eyes out, nothing that gets the Ravens beaten -- just enough big plays to keep the run game humming.
15. Tennessee Titans
QB Confidence Index: 7.3 | November rating: 5.6
Marcus Mariota has thrown 11 touchdown passes and two interceptions in four games since the last time we did this, and in two of those games he has had a Total QBR over 95 (out of 100). Whether the Titans can cash in this opportunity and make playoffs or not, they have to feel confident that Mariota is their guy moving into next year and beyond.
16. Kansas City Chiefs
QB Confidence Index: 7.2 | November rating: 5.8
This is the "correction zone" of this month's edition, as we had been underrating Alex Smith as well. His numbers aren't pretty, but he delivers what the Chiefs ask of him, and they've won 19 of their past 23 games. They also have Nick Foles behind him as backup, and Foles has played well in relief twice this season.
17. Arizona Cardinals
QB Confidence Index: 7.1 | November rating: 7.9
Carson Palmer has 15 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions on the season -- five of each in the three games he has played since our last update. Arizona's offense hasn't worked this season, and Palmer's level of blame for that can be debated. But this was as confident a team as any in the league when the season started, and now it has reason to question almost everything.
18. Minnesota Vikings
QB Confidence Index: 7.1 | November rating: 7.1
Sam Bradford completed a stunning 77.9 percent of his passes in four November games. Problem is, the Vikings won only one of them. He's delivering what has been asked of him, and it has to feel ridiculous that he had to change offensive coordinators -- again -- midseason. But when you throw an interception like the one he threw at the end of the Thanksgiving game against the Lions, how much confidence can you expect your team to have in you?
19. Cincinnati Bengals
QB Confidence Index: 7.0 | November rating: 8.5
Which team has been more disappointing this season than the Bengals? They haven't beaten anyone but the Browns since September, and Andy Dalton seems to be regressing -- especially now that A.J.Green is hurt. Dalton completed 55 percent of his passes in three November games, only one of which saw him post a Total QBR higher than 30.
20. Indianapolis Colts
QB Confidence Index: 6.9 | November rating: 7.8
As has been the case since last season, the Colts' only reason to lack confidence in Andrew Luck is they can't trust themselves to keep him healthy. It might seem unfair to downgrade Luck for that, but with Scott Tolzien as the only backup, this feels like a situation that could fall apart with the next awkward hit.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB Confidence Index: 6.7 | November rating: 5.6
"Confident" probably isn't the right word -- yet -- to describe the way the Buccaneers should feel about Jameis Winston. It always feels as if the next inexplicably bad interception lurks right around the corner. But in between those, Winston is making big plays, and he has a winner's toughness that makes you feel he's going to keep you in every single game -- even if it's a bit ugly from time to time.
22. Buffalo Bills
QB Confidence Index: 6.5 | November rating: 5.0
The Bills continue to profess confidence in Tyrod Taylor at every turn, even as the wider world struggles to accept him as a legitimate NFL starter. If Buffalo can keep Sammy Watkins healthy the rest of the way, perhaps that will give Taylor a chance to dazzle some of his doubters. But he's 12th in Total QBR, so he's doing something right.
23. Philadelphia Eagles
QB Confidence Index: 6.4 | November rating: 7.9
A rookie correction is perfectly understandable, and Carson Wentz has had one. He has shown enough to give the Eagles confidence that he'll be the guy going forward, and their ability to assemble a better group of receivers and linemen around him will determine his future. It's also important to mention Chase Daniel here as one of the league's most known-quantity backups.
24. Denver Broncos
QB Confidence Index: 6.2 | November rating: 5.0
Trevor Siemian is no sure thing, but he looked like a capable playmaker down the stretch in a tough loss to Kansas City last week. As long as he doesn't turn it over, the Broncos are fine with Siemian until first-round pick Paxton Lynch is ready.
25. Miami Dolphins
QB Confidence Index: 6.0 | November rating: 4.2
The Dolphins' season has turned around in a huge way, mainly because of what it has found in the run game with Jay Ajayi and the offensive line. Ryan Tannehill is averaging just 217 passing yards per game during the Dolphins' six-game win streak, but he has also thrown just one interception during that span.
26. San Francisco 49ers
QB Confidence Index: 5.1 | November rating: 2.5
The story of Colin Kaepernick never seems to be about how he's playing anymore, but with eight touchdown passes and two interceptions in his past four games, he has played better than expected and could be positioning himself as an interesting offseason option for QB-starved teams -- including the one he's on now.
27. Los Angeles Rams
QB Confidence Index: 4.9 | November rating: 2.0
Yeah, Jared Goff showed enough in his second start to make you think he deserved to be the No. 1 overall pick. He's a project with a long way to go, but the arm talent is obvious. There seems to be some dispute about the level of confidence the team should have in the group of coaches charged with developing Goff, but the young man has the ability and can look the part.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
QB Confidence Index: 4.0 | November rating: 3.5
Blake Bortles' regression is one of the bizarre stories of the NFL season, and the third-year quarterback is likely to cost Gus Bradley his job as coach. Bortles is under contract through next year, and the team holds a fifth-year option for 2018 if it chooses. But his future prospects rest in the hands of whoever comes in to coach the team, lead the offense and develop a quarterback who has lost his way.
29. Houston Texans
QB Confidence Index: 3.1 | November rating: 3.9
It's not getting any prettier with Brock Osweiler, who has more interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (12) this season. The Texans are 6-5, and a weak AFC South has bought them time. But if Osweiler is going to deliver the kind of steady quarterback play for which they're paying him, the time to start is now.
30. New York Jets
QB Confidence Index: 3.0 | November rating: 2.7
If the Jets keep running Ryan Fitzpatrick out there, they can be confident at least that they're starting the guy who gives them the best chance to win of anyone on the roster. But with only Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg under contract for next year, there's no way for the Jets to have any confidence about their QB situation moving forward. They are a total mystery.
31. Chicago Bears
QB Confidence Index: 0.9 | November rating: 5.0
At one point, it looked as if the Bears had an adequate Jay Cutler backed up by an adequate Brian Hoyer, and plenty of teams had worse situations. But both of those guys are hurt, Matt Barkley is starting, and this is another team that has no idea where it goes at quarterback in 2017 and beyond.
32. Cleveland Browns
QB Confidence Index: 0.5 | November rating: 0.8
Robert Griffin III might get another look before this season is over. You decide whether that's a good thing or not.
url]http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18173865/nfl-2016-quarterback-confidence-index-rating-all-32-teams-washington-redskins-detroit-lions-rising[/url]
