Who is the best QB in the NFC North
The NFC North is one of the most exciting divisions heading into the 2023 season, with no one quite sure who will win the division.
With Aaron Rodgers no longer in the division, there is a gap open for other teams to try and win it. You can make a case for all four teams winning the NFC North.
However, who is the best QB in the league? Here is a ranking for all four quarterbacks in this division.
1. Kirk Cousins
Cousins had arguably one of his best ever NFL seasons. The stats may suggest otherwise, with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, but he put up some great performances. For once, he could not be blamed for the Vikings’ playoff loss, with 273 yards and two touchdowns in their 31-24 loss.
With Justin Jefferson to throw to, Cousins is blessed by having the league’s best wide receiver on his offense. However, his place in the team is far from certain with his contract set to expire after the 2023 season with no option to franchise tag.
He will be more determined than ever to show he can be the guy in Minnesota or at another franchise. Another season like 2022 and with the upgrade at defensive coordinator of Brian Flores to help the Vikings close out games, Cousins will have plenty of QB hungry suitors.
At the age of 35, he is not getting any younger and perhaps a move to the 49ers and a reunion with Kyle Shanahan can be the chance to finish off his career in the best possible way.
After watching him on Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’ series, there will be plenty of neutral fans rooting for Cousins in 2023.
2. Jared Goff
Goff’s NFL career is an interesting one.
Taken first overall in 2016, Goff came into the Rams organisation with plenty of excitement. After a disappointing rookie year, Goff went on to have success under Sean McVay, helping guide the Rams to a Super Bowl 53 appearance.
Goff struggled in this game and he never appeared to recover from this. Goff may have followed his 4,000-yard season from that season with another 4,000-yard campaign in 2019, but his relationship with McVay deteriorated more and more as time went on. This ultimately led to his departure for the Lions as part of the Matthew Stafford trade.
The fact Stafford won a Super Bowl in his first season for the Rams made Goff look worse than he actually is.
In fact, excluding his rookie year where he only started seven games, Goff has only had one season with less than 3,900 yards. Whilst his touchdown totals have never been the best in the league, he had a career renaissance in 2022, with 29 touchdowns and seven touchdowns (the joint lowest total in his career).
He was a big part of the Lions’ first winning season since 2017 and he will once again be a major component of an exciting team that many feel can win the division. Some are even aspiring for further than this.
3. Justin Fields
Another quarterback who has defied media criticism, a theme of this division, albeit on a smaller scale.
Fields had a difficult rookie year in 2021, Fields showed his potential last season, particularly down the stretch. He went from seven touchdowns to 17 and from 10 interceptions to 11. The biggest improvement was in the ground game, going from 420 yards and two touchdowns in 2021 to 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022.
His and 61 and 67-yard touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins and Lions put himself on the NFL map, with some impressive highlight plays.
Despite this, he will need to make another jump in 2023 if he wants to be higher on this list in 2024. The Bears have shown their faith in Fields by giving him a shiny new receiver. They were the worst team in the NFL record wise, but traded down with the Carolina Panthers who gave them DJ Moore in exchange. Whilst a small sample size, Fields and Moore showed their chemistry during their preseason game against the Titans.
Fields threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Moore had just one play in this game but it showed what the pair can do, with Moore collecting Field’s screen pass for a 62 yards and subsequent touchdown.
If these two can play like this for large parts of the 2023 season, then they can establish themselves as one of the better QB/WR duos in the NFL.
4. Jordan Love
Love has a high ceiling but has started just one game in the NFL.
Recent history will suggest that he will follow on from Aaron Rodgers and succeed after several years as the backup, but the law of averages suggest that they won’t have a third straight Hall of Fame quarterback.
We just do not know what we have in Love until he is out on the field.