NFL Quarterback Power Rankings

Were Kyle Orton and Brodie Croyle one of the top five quarterbacks in the league last weekend? That's what the NFL passer rating system says. But Scout.com's Ed Thompson has developed his own rating system that puts the emphasis on the performance factors that impact the team's success.

I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan of the NFL's passer rating system. If you believe in that system, the top quarterbacks after Week One action are Tony Romo, Drew Brees, Brodie Croyle, Trent Edwards and Kyle Orton.

There's no debating that Brees should be in the top five, and there's a decent argument that Romo deserves to be there, but certainly not as the No. 1 quarterback. The other three aren't even close.

But instead of just complaining about the dysfunctional rating system, I devised my own formula for ranking quarterbacks. My rankings consider completion average, touchdowns, interceptions, percent of passes that resulted in a first down, passing yards per game, sacks, starts, and wins--with each category weighted appropriately to reflect how important they are to the success of the team. My rankings also deduct results that distort the quarterback's overall performance--such as yards, completions and touchdowns from drives in the closing minutes against a prevent defense. And I also consider the impact on a quarterback's overall performance when he benefits from a fluke play--such as Kyle Orton's incomplete pass to his intended receiver that padded Orton's stats with an undeserved 87 yards and a touchdown pass after Brandon Stokley ran the tipped ball in for a score.

The results below are a one-week snapshot and will be adjusted weekly just like team power rankings.

After you check out the rankings, be sure to click here for more coverage of your favorite NFL team. And you can follow me on Twitter for more comments about these quarterbacks and my take on other NFL news and topics.

	1. Drew Brees, Saints The 30-year-old QB threw six touchdown passes and completed 76.5 percent of his throws. He's going to be tough to stop. More on the Saints...
	2. Tom Brady, Patriots He didn't look all that terrific early, but Brady finished strong, amassing a league-best 378 passing yards.  More on the Patriots...
	3. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers Roethlisberger posted a league-best 76.7-percent completion rate. 41.9% of his throws moved the chains. More on the Steelers...
	4. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks Hasselbeck got off to a fast start, throwing three TD passes while completing 69.4 percent of his throws. More on the Seahawks...
	5. Peyton Manning, Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez was injured early, but Manning still passed for 301 yards, completing 73.7 percent of his throws. More on the Colts...
	6. Joe Flacco, Ravens The sophomore signal-caller came out of the gates strong, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns. More on the Ravens...
	7. Tony Romo, Cowboys Romo's 353 passing yards was fourth-best, and he threw for three scores, proving that Dallas can move the ball without Terrell Owens. More on the Cowboys...
	8. Eli Manning, Giants His performance wasn't flashy, but Manning got the job done, completing 69 percent of his passes for 256 yards. More on the Giants...
	9. Mark Sanchez, Jets The rookie completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 272 yards, threw for a touchdown and an interception. 41.9 percent of his throws resulted in first downs and he avoided being sacked even once. More on the Jets...
	10. Matt Ryan, Falcons 41.7 percent of Ryan's throws resulted in a first down. He threw two touchdown passes and no interceptions. He should do even better this week. More on the Falcons...
	11. Philip Rivers, Chargers Rivers finished ninth in completion percentage with 66.7 percent. His 252 passing yards were solid, but he was sacked three times.  More on the Chargers...
	12. Kerry Collins, Titans The steady veteran completed 62.9 percent of his throws for 244 yards, including a 57-yard strike and a touchdown. More on the Titans...
	13. Jason Campbell, Redskins Campbell got off to a bad start, and he padded his numbers with a late drive. But he completed 70 percent of his throws. More on the Redskins...
	14. Chad Pennington, Dolphins Slow start for Pennington despite a 72.4-percent completion rate. He only had 174 yards, which won't get it done this week. More on the Dolphins...
	15. Trent Edwards, Bills Good start by Edwards, who threw two touchdown passes, no interceptions, and completed 60 percent of his passes. More on the Bills...
	16. Brodie Croyle, Chiefs  Two touchdown passes and a 66.7-percent completion rate against the Ravens defense is very respectable. More on the Chiefs...
	17. Carson Palmer, Bengals Despite a 63.6-percent completion rate, Palmer struggled. Two interceptions and three sacks contributed to a frustrating loss. More on the Bengals...
	18. Shaun Hill, 49ers A 209-yard passing day with one touchdown and no interceptions was all the 49ers needed from Hill to beat Arizona. More on the 49ers...
	19. Kurt Warner, Cardinals  Warner stumbled, throwing two interceptions while completing 59.1% of his passes. And his top receiver was RB Tim Hightower. More on the Cardinals...
	20. Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers Leftwich didn't get a touchdown pass until the game was already wrapped up, but he completed 61 percent of his throws. More on the Buccaneers...
	21. Aaron Rodgers, Packers Rodgers faced a tough Bears defense. He completed 60.7% of his throws for just 184 yards and was sacked four times. More on the Packers...
	22. Jay Cutler, Bears Cutler threw four-interceptions and completed just 47.2 percent of his throws. It won't get any easier for him this week. More on the Bears...
	23. Brett Favre, Vikings Favre played a support role while Adrian Peterson ran wild over the Browns. He completed 66.7% of his passes, but only for 110 yards. More on the Vikings...
	24. Donovan McNabb, Eagles McNabb threw two touchdown passes, but only tallied 79 passing yards and tossed an interception. He broke a rib during the game. More on the Eagles...
	25. Kyle Orton, Broncos Prior to the tipped pass that won the game, Orton had 166 yards passing. Just 25% of his throws were for first downs. More on the Broncos...
	26. JaMarcus Russell, Raiders Russell's 40 percent-completion rate was the worst among all starters last week, and he threw two interceptions. More on the Raiders...
	27. Brady Quinn, Browns 94 of his 205 yards--and his only touchdown--came during a garbage-time drive late in the game. And he was sacked five times. More on the Browns...
	28. David Garrard, Jaguars Garrard posted a league-worst mark for the week when only 14.3 percent of his passes resulted in a first down. He threw for just 122 yards. More on the Jaguars...
	29. Matt Schaub, Texans He finished the day with only 166 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. And he faces another tough defense this week. More on the Texans...
	30. Matthew Stafford, Lions Despite three interceptions, a 43.2-percent completion rate and just 18.9 percent of his throws moving the chains, Stafford had a better day than two veterans. More on the Lions...
	31. Marc Bulger, Rams Are Bulger's glory days gone for good? He completed less than half his throws, was sacked three times and posted just 191 yards. More on the Rams...
	32. Jake Delhomme, Panthers Ugly outing for a usually steady quarterback. He was yanked with just 73 passing yards against four interceptions. More on the Panthers...

All photos in this feature were shot by Getty Images photographers.

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A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, Ed Thompson's player interviews and NFL features are published across the Scout.com network and at FOXSports.com.