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Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger Leads AFC North Quarterback Ratings

By Larry Snyder

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Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books for the teams of the AFC North. Let’s take a look at how the division’s starting quarterbacks stack up with a regular season game under their belts.

1) Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger had a great first half against the Browns, but it was his play calling at the end of the game and hitting second year wide receiver Markus Wheaton with a pass that led to the game-winning field goal with five seconds left on the clock.

The 6-foot-5, 241-pound signal caller completed 23 of 34 for 365 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His total quarterback rating (via ESPN) was 58.4 in the season opener. He also ran the ball two times for eight yards.

Offensive line coach Mike Munchak and his players have to work quickly as the Black and Gold take on the Ravens in Baltimore at 8:25 p.m. on Thursday. The emphasis needs to be on correcting some protection problems that led to Roethlisberger being sacked four times for a total loss of 27 yards.

2) Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton got the job done on the road against the Ravens in Baltimore as the Bengals won 23-16. He went 25 of 38 for 301 yards and one touchdown. His quarterback stats came in a close second to Big Ben with a 52.3 passer rating.

The 6-foot-2 signal caller from Texas Christian was not sacked and had six carries for just three yards on the afternoon. With the victory, his overall road record stands at 15-10 for Cincy.

The game was decided when Dalton went deep on a 77-yard touchdown strike to A.J. Green in the fourth quarter. According to the folks at profootballreference.com, Dalton has 11 game-winning drives on his resume that account for more than a third of his 31 wins.

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3) Cleveland Browns: After a dismal first half against the Steelers, Brian Hoyer almost completed the comeback in the second half at Heinz Field. He finished the day connecting on 19 of 31 for 230 yards and one touchdown. He checked in with a 45.6 quarterback rating along the North Shore.

The 6-foot-2 Michigan State product ran the ball one time for minus-2 yards and was sacked three times for a total loss of 24 yards. The Browns did not commit any turnovers in the contest.

Hoyer ran the no-huddle scheme well against the Black and Gold, but he will face another stern test this week, hoping to make it work again, against the New Orleans Saints.

4) Baltimore Ravens: On the other side of the field in the Bengals/Ravens contest, Joe Flacco went 35 of 62 for 345 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He ended the game with a 45.2 quarterback rating. Flacco and the offense under new coordinator Gary Kubiak struggled for two and a half quarters, and the rally fell short.

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Delaware product was sacked three times on the day for a total loss of 16 yards.

With the clock ticking, Baltimore had one final chance to tie the game with a touchdown and made it to the Cincinnati 16-yard line. Flacco was sacked twice, on third and fourth down, as time expired.

From The Clipboard: The top 10 Total Quarterback Ratings across the NFL on Monday morning are as follows: Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers at 93.5; Matt Ryan of the Falcons at 91.9; Derek Anderson of the Panthers at 89.6; Drew Brees of the Saints at 84.0; Peyton Manning of the Broncos at 79.8; Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Texans at 76.8; Jake Locker of the Titans at 70.3; Russell Wilson of the Seahawks at 66.8; Matt Cassel of the Vikings at 60.4; and E.J. Manuel of the Bills at 59.1. All quarterback stats from ESPN.com.

In the early going, it may be a wise move to keep any AFC North quarterback on the bench of your fantasy team. At the moment, the better move may be to save them for the bye week of your regular starting fantasy quarterback till we get a couple of more games down the road.

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