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NFC West quarterback power rankings: Where does 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo rank?

By Peter Panacy

HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 10: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 10: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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JACKSONVILLE, FL – DECEMBER 10: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up on the field prior to the start of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on December 10, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – DECEMBER 10: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up on the field prior to the start of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on December 10, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images) /

Russell Wilson. 1. team. 36. . .

The Seahawks parted ways with plenty of Pro Bowl-level talent this offseason. And they’re still going to have a garbage offensive line after this unit was ranked 27th in the NFL by Pro Football Focus a year ago.

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All this means is Russell Wilson will have to shoulder a massive workload to keep Seattle in contention this season.

If there’s any quarterback in the league capable of doing so, it’s Wilson. And if we had to pick one QB from the NFC West to win one game regardless of the context elsewhere, Wilson should be the guy. Hands down.

This isn’t a mark against Jared Goff or Jimmy Garoppolo. Rather Wilson has already proven he can do more with less. Despite being sacked a whopping 43 times last year, he still led the league in touchdown passes (34) and still had an impressive 69.0 passer rating when under pressure — lower than Goff but notably higher than Garoppolo.

Wilson’s 73.1 adjusted completion percentage from last year is just three spots behind Garoppolo’s mark too.

And when one tacks on Wilson’s scrambling abilities, the quarterback’s overall impact becomes that much better.

Sure, 49ers fans don’t like to see Wilson at No. 1. But it’s the reality of the situation heading into 2018. Wilson is the best quarterback in the division.

Next: NFL power rankings: Breaking down each division for 2018

Even if his team no longer is such.