Quarterback Power Rankings 2013: The 'Put Up or Shut Up' Tier QB's

19.      Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Unrealistic expectations for the Chiefs have burdened immense pressure on Smith to perform at a top notch level in his first year in Kansas City. Despite finishing 2-14 last year, many have predicted the Chiefs will make the playoffs, throwing Smith under the fire immediately. Smith needs to prove that he is not just a system quarterback and display that his 2011 success was not just completely because of new head coach Jim Harbaugh (Smith was horrific for the first five years of his career before Harbaugh was hired). Although Smith was supplanted by Colin Kaepernick in the middle of the season last year, he was very effective in the 10 games he appeared in. Last year, Smith led the NFL in first-down passing, with a quarterback rating of 119. His rating ascended to 132 in play-action, which is encouraging with the presence of Jamaal Charles in the backfield for the Chiefs. Smith is signed with the Chiefs through 2014, but he could be ran out of town after one year if he does not play at a high level this season.

20.      Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams

By selecting West Virginia University wide receivers' Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey in the draft and adding coveted tight end Jared Cook via free agency, Bradford finally has some weapons to work with on offense. Bradford plays best out of the shotgun, but has proven to be dependable in the play-action and bootleg. Bradford's red zone efficiency is not up to par though. He is too conservative at times and often times will not end the drive in a touchdown for fear of turning the ball over. With an enhanced supporting cast, Bradford needs to finish off drives and stop leaving potential points on the board.

21.      Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Freeman is arguably the most extreme example of a “hot/cold quarterback” (Even more so than QB Christian Ponder). Freeman had an amazing six-game stretch of 16 touchdown passes with just six interceptions last season, propelling the Bucs to five wins in that time span. He also had a horrid six-game stretch (the Bucs lost five of six in this span), where he threw 10 interceptions with just six TD passes. A major issue for Freeman has been handling the blitz. He posted the second-worst QBR versus the blitz in 2012. The Bucs defense improved significantly in the off-season so the club’s playoff chances could rest on the shoulders of Freeman, who is playing for his job.

22.      Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Dalton has proven to be a phenomenal game-manager in his first two seasons with the Bengals. Of course, it is tough to win Super Bowls with game-managing QB’s. It’s difficult to criticize a guy who has thrown for 47 touchdowns with just 29 interceptions in his career. Then again, Dalton complacency as a quarterback is widely documented and his tentativeness has proven to be costly against elite defenses. An interesting stat in regards to Dalton: He is 19-13 as a starter (not including the playoffs), but has won just two games against opponent’s with a winning record. This proves that Dalton does take care of business against the teams the Bengals should beat, but also that he struggles to defeat the upper echelon teams in the NFL. This is a critical year for Dalton, who seeks his third playoff appearance in as many seasons as he looks to put behind his postseason woes from the past two years (0-2 record, zero touchdowns with four interceptions).

23.      Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

Tannehill was overshadowed by all the rookie sensations a year ago, but he actually played decent in his first season under center in the NFL. He did struggle mightily on third down last season, registering the worst rating of all starting quarterbacks. Tannehill threw seven of his 13 interceptions on third down. He needs to do better than his 12 touchdowns (27^th in NFL) and 58.3 completion rate (23^rd in NFL), especially with a new bevy of targets in Brandon Gibson, Dustin Keller and most notably, Mike Wallace. It may be unfair to put excessive pressure on such a young quarterback with potentially great upside, but if Tannehill doesn’t show signs of progression in 2013, it may be time for the Dolphins to look elsewhere for their franchise quarterback.

24.      Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

Vick will presumably win the starting quarterback job over Nick Foles and Matt Barkley. But this could be his last chance as a starter if he does not cut down his turnovers. In 10 games last season, Vick threw ten interceptions and lost five fumbles. Maybe Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense will benefit Vick, who recorded an exceptional 98 QBR in the two-minute offense. If Vick wants to be the man under center for Kelly’s shotgun spread attack beyond 2013, he will need to take care of the football much better.

25.      Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns

Weeden played well last season, especially for a rookie, as he tossed 3,385 yards in a west coast offense that clearly did not play to his strengths. The new offense, run by new offensive coordinator Norv Turner, will feature play-action and down-field throws, which both play to the fortes of Weeden. Weeden proved he had a strong arm last season, but his decision-making wasn’t the greatest and he posted a horrific 26.6 QBR. Weeden will be 30 by the second of month of the season, putting the onus on him to succeed this year if he wants to continue being the man under center in Cleveland, especially since the old regime drafted him, not the current management.

26.      Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings

Ponder was an intriguing quarterback last year because when he was good he was really effective; when he was bad he was really awful. In weeks 1-4, Ponder ranked 10th in the league with a 68.8 QBR. He posted a mere 27.1 QBR from weeks 5-13, the worst mark in the NFL. The final four weeks of the season Ponder posted an impressive 86.8 QBR, the second best mark in the league. Alas, the jury is still out if Ponder can be a consistent quarterback that the Vikings can build around, given his inability to throw the deep ball. Last season, he had only 28 completions of 20 yards or more, the fewest of any QB to start all 16 games. With the best running back in the league in Adrian Peterson, a formidable offensive line and a new, dangerous target in Greg Jennings, Ponder must play well this season to retain his job moving forward.