:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/16510697/20120909_jel_aq2_185.0.jpg)
According to ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, there are six quarterbacks in the NFL better than the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger.
And one of those is the defending Super Bowl champion, Joe Flacco.
Roethlisberger slipped from six to seven from last year's list, and he will trail Flacco, Atlanta's Matt Ryan, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, Denver's Peyton Manning, New Orleans' Drew Brees and New England's Tom Brady.
The No. 7 means more than just a spot on Jaworski's list to Steelers fans. Perhaps it's an omen.
While these are obvious subjective rankings, lining them up single-file is difficult, if not impossible. One cannot ignore the playoff success Flacco just had, and with a football culture than places a premium - if not absolutely everything - on a quarterback starting for a winning team now, and not from the past, it can be argued the quarterbacks finished one through eight on this list are very even.
The pick-and-choose nature of Jaworski's list, though, only further clouds the question. If winning is valued so highly, it's fair to point out Rodgers has won one playoff game since defeating the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. He had only won one playoff game before that. Ryan is the passer least synonymous with winning on this list, even with a high level of regular season success.
Flacco got hot in the postseason, and played very well in four playoff games, and if that is enough for him to leap from No. 9 in 2012 to No. 6 this year, then ok, but Ryan will have jumped from No. 11 last year to, again, at worst, six this year.
Clearly, winning isn't being used as a primary factor, considering Eli Manning (two Super Bowls) and Roethlisberger (two Super Bowls) are No. 8 and No. 7, respectively. Brady will be the only quarterback with more than one Super Bowl championship under his belt in the top six.
Different arguments are made for different quarterbacks, and they are essentially apples being compared to grapefruits. But it's a fun argument.
Here's the list so far:
2013 Jaworski QB Rankings
Rank QB QBR
7 Ben Roethlisberger 62.8
8 Eli Manning 67.4
9 Matt Schaub 62.6
10 Andrew Luck 65.0
11 Colin Kaepernick 76.8
12 Russell Wilson 69.6
13 Robert Griffin III 71.4
14 Jay Cutler 51.9
15 Tony Romo 62.7
16 Matthew Stafford 58.9
17 Philip Rivers 40.6
18 Cam Newton 54.2
19 Andy Dalton 50.7
20 Alex Smith 70.1
21 Josh Freeman 53.1
22 Sam Bradford 51.6
23 Carson Palmer 44.7
24 Ryan Tannehill 52.3
25 Michael Vick 46.0
26 Brandon Weeden 26.6
27 Christian Ponder 53.8
28 Mark Sanchez 23.4
29 Chad Henne 29.9
30 Kevin Kolb 38.0
31 Jake Locker 48.1
32 Matt Flynn 23.4