The NFC North isn’t necessarily known for having an abundance of talent at the quarterback position. But it has a good mix of great players, to unproven players. We are going to go through a quick ranking of the NFC North quarterbacks. Now that Aaron Rodgers is out of the division, who takes the top spot? Or was Rodgers even the top guy last season? Let’s dig in.
4. Jordan Love
Don’t get me wrong, Love has some shown some flashes with a small sample size. He has a really good arm, and learned behind Aaron Rodgers. So, is Love next in line in all time great quarterbacks for the Packers? I don’t think so. Coming out of camp, he hasn’t necessarily stood out during the team drills. He’s made some good throws, but sounds like he’s been mostly inconsistent. The Packers do have Christian Watson and a good duo of running backs, but I don’t see Love making the step as franchise quarterback this season.
3. Justin Fields
Look, Fields is talented. There’s no doubting that. Does he deserve MVP hype after leading his team to 4 wins last season? No. Fields is supremely athletic, and has the ability to hit a home run every play as a runner. But as we’ve seen in the past, running quarterbacks eventually get figured out. Fields has a nice arm, but his accuracy is really a question mark heading into the season. If Fields doesn’t figured it out on the passing part, he’ll just be another Mitch Trubisky,
2. Jared Goff
When you think of really solid quarterbacks, you think of Jared Goff. He’s smart, he’s accurate, and he can make a lot of winning plays. But can he take this Detroit team to the next level? They have a good amount of weapons in the Motor City, and extremely good offensive line. If it’s not this year, can he ever get a good team over the hump? He led the Rams to the Super Bowl, but honestly any quarterback could of sat back in that Sean McVay system. He’s really good, but he’s second best in this division.
1. Kirk Cousins
The most underrated quarterback in the league according to Patrick Mahomes. I can’t say I blame him. Cousins is talked about in the media and with the fans like he’s some sort of mediocre quarterback. To be honest, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Kirk led nine game winning drives in 2022, which is an NFL record. He also led the Vikings to 13 wins last season in his first year in Kevin O’Connells system. He’s only getting better. He’s been the best quarterback in the division the last two seasons.
Best QB in the division over the last 2 seasons? Cousins has been the best QB in the NFC. Hurts is unproven, Stafford has benefited from a stellar O-line, Murray is streaky, Prescott and Jones are severely overrated. Granted, Kirk has JJ, but he’s also been stuck behind a subpar OL. Heck, I’d take Captain Kirk over some of the “AFC elite” such as Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Yes, I’m a Vikings fan but I’ve lived through Frerotte, T. Jackson, McNabb, Ponder, Cassel, George, B. Johnson, probably a few more I’m forgetting.