The Associated Press ranks the Top 10 players at a different position every week of the NFL season. It does quarterbacks twice, once at the start of the season and once at the end. Tom Brady's status at No. 1 hasn't changed. In fact, he's widened the gap in the most recent survey.
Brady, still going strong at 40, received nine of 11 first-place votes and was second on the other ballots for a total of 108 out of a possible 110 points in the rankings released Friday.
MORE PATRIOTS:
- QUICK SLANTS THE PODCAST: Will there be fallout from the Guerrero situation?
- Bills' Incognito has a warning for Gronk
- #FRIDAYBAG: Who'll give Pats the most trouble in the playoffs?
"Brady isn't just No. 1 on this list of active players. He's probably No. 1 on a list of all-time QBs that you'd want to start a game that you needed to win," said the AP's Dennis Waszak Jr., based in New York. "The likes of Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and John Elway might have something to say about that, but it's tough to argue against Brady."
This time, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints was the runner-up with 81 points in the voting done by Pro Football Hall of Fame member James Lofton and 10 AP football writers on a 10-points-to-1-point system.
In the earlier ranking, Brady had eight first-place votes and 107 points, while Rodgers took the other three No. 1s and was second overall at 94 points, with Brees at No. 3.
New England Patriots
Showing zero signs of slipping, Brady heads into Week 16 with his Patriots at 11-3 and already having clinched a record ninth consecutive AFC East title.
Brady leads the NFL with 4,163 yards passing, is tied for second with a 104.0 rating, and has an impressive margin of 28 touchdown throws to only seven interceptions.
Brees is tied with Brady in passer rating; the only QB ahead of them is Alex Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs, who was named on only one ballot, collecting an eighth-place vote.
Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers finished third with 75 points and one No. 1 vote, followed by Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers with 73 points and the other first-place nod. Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks was No. 5 with 61 points.
The Associated Press panel consists of Pro Football Hall of Famer James Lofton and AP football writers Simmi Buttar, Dave Campbell, Schuyler Dixon, Josh Dubow, Howard Fendrich, Rob Maaddi, Arnie Stapleton, Teresa M. Walker, Waszak Jr., and Barry Wilner
This time, a total of 19 quarterbacks received at least one vote, including Colin Kaepernick, who was 10th on the ballot of Rob Maaddi, who is based in Philadelphia. Kaepernick played in a Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers, but is not in the league this season after initiating the national anthem kneeling and sitting during last preseason.