NFC North Round-Up: Ranking the QBs for All 4 Teams
Very quickly, the NFC North began looking like it could be one of the more competitive divisions in the entire NFL this year.
A big reason for that is the turnaround at the quarterback positions for many of the teams in the past 12 months. As we move into the summer months, here is a QB ranking for each team in the NFC North.
1. Green Bay Packers
The Packers went into the 2023 season with uncertainty at the quarterback position for the first time in a decade and a half after Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets. Of course, Jordan Love faced some growing pains early on in the campaign, but by the end he proved to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Love threw for 2150 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just one interception over the final eight games of the regular season. He was at or near the top of the NFL in just about every passing category during that stretch. Assuming we see a full season of that production and another year of growth from Green Bay’s extremely young receiving group, it only makes sense to put the Packers at the top of this list even if the backup options aren’t all that exciting.
Detroit Lions
The Lions certainly have the advantage in terms of veteran leadership in their QB room right now. Jared Goff took his strong conclusion to the 2022 campaign and translated it to a full season of great production for Detroit.
The QB finished second in passing yards (4575), fourth in passing touchdowns (30), and seventh in completion percentage (67.3%) throughout the course of the season. Similarly to the Packers, Detroit doesn’t have a particularly amazing plan in place if Goff were to miss time, but his talent has helped put the Lions back on the NFL map.
3. Chicago Bears
This ranking comes fully because of belief in Caleb Williams. The first overall pick spent the past two collegiate seasons torturing opposing defenses, and during his 26-game stint with the USC Trojans, Williams threw for 8170 yards, 72 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions while competing 67.5% of his passes.
Williams is capable of doing just about everything that he will be asked to do with a football. He can stand in the pocket and make sharp throws. He can scramble. He can throw on the run from virtually any angle. The sky is the limit, and it needs to work out because Chicago doesn’t have many other options at QB right now.
4. Minnesota Vikings
It’s unfair to say that any of these four teams are in a bad spot at the quarterback position right now, which is why putting the Vikings at No. 4 is difficult but necessary. Minnesota moved on from the veteran QB who led them for the past six seasons, Kirk Cousins, and now, they will move forward with one of Sam Darnold or rookie J.J. McCarthy.
While it is a good thing that the Vikings have multiple capable options on the table, it’s also difficult to say just how good any of these QBs will perform in 2024. Darnold has been underwhelming to this point of his NFL career while McCarthy is completely unproven. It will be an interesting season for the Vikings at the position.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.