After nine weeks, there are when choosing the best quarterback this season. I'm more interested in the group of young players still trying to reach that level., , and are all coming off some of their worst games of the season. The have a weekly identity crisis, and Kaepernick's play isn't helping matters. might only have eight games left with him.The ' pa sing game is out of synch, with Wilson going through the worst two-game stretch of his career in terms of yards per attempt. Newton, meanwhile, has seen his just in time for his accuracy as a pa ser to vanish. He's always been a streaky player, and has followed up the best five-game stretch JaKarr Sampson Jersey throwing the ball of his career with three rough outings.We forget that this is how the maturation of a franchise quarterback is supposed to go. No one said finding consistency at the position was easy.*On to the rankings. These are based on 2014 play only. *Top Shelf There is very little separating this group. Brady's arm strength stood out in windy conditions last week. No one is better at whipping fastballs up the seams. ... Luck's nicely encapsulated his entire season. He made more than enough insane to ses for big plays to make up for a few early mi ses. This is the offense that Roethlisberger fans . He has speedy receivers who can take advantage of his big arm, a solid running game, and an offensive line that is good enough. For the , it was striking how few improvised plays Roethlisberger needed to put up six touchdowns. It's a great sign for the next five years of his career that he's better than ever at timing throws from the pocket. He's improving, even if he's losing part of what has always made him unique.Rivers' game in Miami was not quite the meltdown the box score indicated. I had him marked for just four bad throws before the score was 27-0, and his first interception came as he was hit. (He threw four pa ses on the day while hit.) After facing a huge deficit in the second half, the Rivers of 2012 came out. He forced a few pa ses while trying to make big plays, but the was more about the dominant pa s rush and a terrible defensive performance. Next Level Wilson's receivers aren't winning one-on-one battles. and only give Wilson tight windows to throw to, and Wilson often leaves the pocket when someone doesn't break free. There were a surprising amount of miscommunication and throws where the intended receiver wasn't even clear. His pa s protection was poor, and his best plays were screens. The ' line is banged up and the return of tight end will help immeasurably. To put it another way: The defense e sentially handed Wilson 20 free points Sunday. And yet the still kept the game competitive in Seattle. Moving up: He's playing like a cro s of 2012 and 2013 . Tannehill is playing under control, but the biggest improvements have come from the players and scheme around him. , and are making plays for Tannehill. (Landry is a keeper as a versatile, fluid wideout who can do a little of everything.) Tannehill had all day to throw against San Diego, and he's more than capable of pulling off four to five impre sive athletic feats per game. He did it as a rookie, too.Don't underestimate the impact that the read-option plays have made for Tannehill and this offense. San Diego's defense was comical in its attempts to identify who actually had the ball last week. The have truly mi sed because his replacements and their linebacker group in general have been terrible. : He came out firing Houston, showing a confidence and aggre sivene s that was lacking toward the end of his New York days. Sanchez has always been at his best in the hurry up offense, and he can let 's scheme do a lot of the work for him. Sanchez also picked up one key first down last week running that never would have.: I hate the word "efficient" for quarterbacks, but it really applies to Smith's season. He only tried two long pa ses , and he connected on both of them. The ' offense is the equivalent of the sleeper hold. A strong game in Buffalo this week would move him a tier.: He's moving up, if only because his first start was an upgrade over two poor relief outings. The biggest problem was Vick's reaction to pre sure, and some bad instincts about when to run.: Anyone killing for his start only saw the highlights. His interception late in the first half turned the game around and his low throw to on fourth down late in the fourth quarter e sentially ended the game. He played well for the most part otherwise, with some pretty deep throws and escapes from pre sure. He didn't get rid of the ball quickly enough at times, but overall it was an encouraging performance. Pin the lo s on the defense giving up 22 second-half points.Moving Down : The can't decide what they are. When they go to a spread attack, their tackles can't hold up in pa s protection. Everyone wants them to just "run the ball" but they struggled when they tried St. Louis. has 39 carries for 107 yards over the last three weeks, for le s than three yards per carry. When teams blitz Kaepernick, he hasn't shown the awarene s to change plays or find checkdown pa ses. : It's a great sign that the can when they get a C-plus performance from Palmer. Even if the game was against ... : If earned himself five more years in the league with his starts this year, Weeden could have written a ticket to No. 3 quarterback status with his performance against Arizona. Every pitch is a fastball. : His play seems to be devolving by the week. No quarterback has done le s in a "winning" performance all season than Davis against the .The latest Around The NFL Podcast and returns the game "Win Gregg's Toaster." Find more Around The NFL content on . Brian Bowen Jersey