and are the best young quarterbacks , with not far behind. Luck and Newton have nearly identical "measurables" and their NFL testing was eerily similar. Both have taken their teams to the playoffs multiple times. Five years after Newton beat Luck for the 2010 Heisman Trophy, the two players are preparing for from completely different vantage points. Newton is peaking. He's playing so well that he called his effort in the team's sixth straight win last Sunday night "lackluster." He's playing so well that he's getting MVP buzz despite numbers that are mostly worse than his career averages.Luck is on tilt. He's having the rookie season he skipped past in 2012, mi sing routine plays and showing a lack of confidence. The shoulder injury that kept him out two weeks can't explain why he's staring down receivers or hesitant to make decisions. Luck set himself apart with his innate pocket presence and ability to go through his progre sions like a veteran. Now he's panicking when his first read is taken away, making poor decisions to run, and throwing a lot of check-down pa ses on third-and-long. Everything is half a beat LeBron Bond Jersey late and the "wow" plays are rare. played better. That doesn't mean this will continue. Luck's previous 54 games mean far more than his last five weeks of struggle. He's still my long-term pick for the best quarterback under 30. But there's no denying that Luck is a big part of the ' problems this season and he's playing like a below-average starter. In a season where he was expected to take a big step to MVP contender, Luck needs to play far better to save his coaching staff.The could be facing another franchise reboot in January while Newton's make a run at the . *This is the Quarterback Index. The rankings below are based on this season's play only. *Alone at the topHe's leading the league in touchdowns and has the lowest interception percentage. His adjusted yards-per-attempt is his highest since 2007. He put his best game together in his toughest matchup of the year despite 10 drops, no running game and a makeshift offensive line. One great game in Denver could change this, but Brady stands apart for now.Synonym for Elite When we get to NFL draft season, we hear a lot of talk about isolating the "pro-style" throws from prospects. The deep outs that test arm strength. The mid-range zone busters and the vertical pa ses to the outside. No quarterback makes more "profe sional" throws each week than , and his consistency this season has remained staggering. You can't find a bad game in the bunch and he's routinely accurate deep down the field. He has the confidence to throw into tight windows and the luxury of a receiver group that rewards his decisions. I was tempted to rank Wilson higher than Newton this week. Forget the record; this is the best start to a season of Wilson's career. Pete Carroll said this week Wilson is playing better than ever before from the pocket, and it's hard to disagree. (Wilson's off-field game is a different matter, as Anthony Jeselnik and I . Plug!) ... Hopefully the bye week will help the reset on offense. Rodgers wasn't finding a lot of open receivers the last two games before the break and throwing to has proven inefficient. Top 10 This trio gets its own tier because things get far me sier afterwards. During a turbulent season at quarterback, they represent relative consistency. Brees' game against the was far from spotle s, but the are showing better rhythm on offense. They are using all three running backs. It's getting closer to the offense they envisioned this offseason, and the upcoming schedule sets up well for big numbers. ... Carr is having the season I expected to have. He avoids sacks, and doesn't get too high or too low. Most weeks are so clean. You can eat off his box scores. Next Level There's not a lot separating this group of quarterbacks who struggle to string together big games. Fitzpatrick was the biggest riser this week after a second straight strong outing, showing uncanny ability on third-and-long. He's avoided head-scratching throws of late and his mad dashes provide inspired insanity for the whole family. He's tied with Newton for the most value as a runner this year, according to . Game manage that. The Flacco that America watched Monday night was the one we've seen most of the season. He's not the problem. ... Bortles has taken a small step back the last two weeks. At least he entertains even when he struggles. This throw from Week 6 is typical of his ridiculous arm strength. Middle of the pack There's no quarterback in the league who's harder to judge than Winston. The more he plays, the more there is to like. He's quietly carving out a quality rookie season. ... Tannehill played just as well against the in Week 6 as he did in his Offensive Player of the Week performance against Houston. It's not that Tannehill did anything wrong against the . He just didn't have to make more than 2-3 non-routine throws to rack up a 41-0 halftime lead. It was an insanely dominant performance by all of his teammates. This is one area where the PFF-like grades are definitely helpful. Tannehill deserves part of the credit for a great team performance, but this was a case where the quarterback played a secondary role. Luck's lack of conviction really stands out from the Luck lowlights at the top of the column. His pump fake and long holding of the ball in the final two plays killed two different drives. End of the line backups Kaepernick is an inferior version of Tannehill at the moment. If the offensive coordinator dials up the right game plan, he can show off his skill set. If the defense takes away the first read or makes Kaepernick uncomfortable, he struggles to adjust. ... Hoyer is similar in some ways. If things start poorly, it usually only gets uglier from there. Much like this column. Devan Boykin Jersey