Niner Noise
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NFL quarterback tiers, 2018: Ranking each team’s starter by category

By Peter Panacy

FOXBORO, MA - NOVEMBER 03: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers greets Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots following the game at Gillette Stadium on November 3, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - NOVEMBER 03: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers greets Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots following the game at Gillette Stadium on November 3, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) /
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FOXBOROUGH, MA – JANUARY 21: Blake Bortles #5 of the Jacksonville Jaguars reacts in the fourth quarter during the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA – JANUARY 21: Blake Bortles #5 of the Jacksonville Jaguars reacts in the fourth quarter during the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Game Managers

Joe Flacco (Ravens), Blake Bortles (Jaguars), Mitchell Trubisky (Bears)

“Just don’t mess up.”

That’s the mantra of this group. In some cases, the surrounding talent might be good enough to pull off some wins. And in the case of the Jaguars, make it deep into the playoffs.

Speaking of Jacksonville, much of its 2017 success was predicated on not having quarterback Blake Bortles be the guy. Last year might be one of his better seasons, but it’s pretty clear the Jags weren’t riding him to the AFC Championship game.

As for Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens, the defense helped put this team in the NFL playoff picture. Not Flacco. He spent most of the year towards the bottom of QB completion percentage before a decent finish, still ranking 25th in passer rating (80.4) among qualifiers. Signed through 2021, he’s not going anywhere, though.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears embraced the game-manager role for rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky who, in fairness, didn’t exactly have a lot of weapons to help him out.

We’ll see if that changes in 2018 amid coaching changes, as the former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick looks to secure his own legacy in Chicago.