If you looked at the quarterback situations for each division before the season started, you probably had the NFC South’s crew at, or near, the top.
After all, the division featured three quarterbacks that have won Most Valuable Player and taken their teams to the Super Bowl (Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton) and one former No. 1 overall pick that was supposed to prosper under the guidance of new coach Bruce Arians (Jameis Winston). But things haven’t worked out anything like expected. Injuries and poor play have been the story with NFC South quarterbacks.
Other divisions have passed the NFC South in terms of collective quarterback play. Let’s rank the eight divisions on quarterbacks. We’ll start with the worst and work up to the best.
8. NFC SOUTH
The best of the bunch – Brees — exited early, suffering a thumb injury in Week 2. The original forecast was that Brees would miss about six weeks, although he said Tuesday he hopes to return earlier. Losing Brees hasn’t been a total disaster for the Saints because they have a quality backup in Teddy Bridgewater. In a division that’s not strong overall, Bridgewater is good enough to help the Saints keep their heads above water until Brees returns. Carolina’s Newton is out with a foot injury and was playing poorly before that. Backup Kyle Allen stepped in on Sunday and got the Panthers a win. But that might have been just a fluke. Atlanta’s Ryan is playing, but he’s not playing at the level he has in the past. He’s already thrown six interceptions (he had seven last season) and the Falcons are 1-2. Tampa Bay’s Winston was supposed to become a star with Arians. Instead, he’s looked much like he did in his first four years.
7. AFC NORTH
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson has been one of the league’s biggest surprises. Through three games, he’s played like an MVP candidate and has the Ravens sitting at 2-1. But Jackson has been the only quarterback bright spot in the division. Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield entered the season with high expectations after setting an NFL rookie record with 27 touchdown passes this season, plus the arrival of receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was supposed to make Cleveland’s offense explosive. Instead, Mayfield has been a huge disappointment with five interceptions and 11 sacks. Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger was lost for the season with an elbow injury. Second-year pro Mason Rudolph has stepped in, but he’s no Roethlisberger. Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton has put up decent numbers, but it doesn’t matter because the rest of the Bengals are terrible.
6. NFC NORTH
With former coach Mike McCarthy gone, Aaron Rodgers seems happy and is playing like he used to. Detroit’s Matthew Stafford is putting up solid numbers, and the Lions are 2-1. With Rodgers and Stafford alone, you might expect this division to have a better ranking. But, then, you look at the other two starters and they’re dragging the division down. Chicago’s Mitchell Trubisky is bad enough that he could make it difficult for an otherwise good team to reach the playoffs. Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins is even worse. The Vikings are playing offense like a high school team and trying to have Cousins throw as little as possible.
5. AFC EAST
It’s hard to rank a division with New England’s Tom Brady in the middle of the pack. Brady is playing the same way he has for years and the Patriots are 3-0. Buffalo also is 3-0 and the two teams play Sunday. Buffalo’s Josh Allen might be the league’s most underrated quarterback, and he makes things happen with his arm and his legs. But Brady and Allen can’t undo all the quarterback damage that’s happened with the Dolphins and Jets. Even if Miami brought back Dan Marino in his prime, it wouldn’t matter because this team is historically bad. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen haven’t stood a chance. The Jets have had a run of bad luck at quarterback. Starter Sam Darnold came down with mononucleosis and backup Trevor Siemian promptly suffered a season-ending injury. The Jets had to start Luke Falk last week. But there is hope Darnold will return after this week’s bye.
4. AFC WEST
Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league. He’s putting up numbers at a better pace than he did last year, when he threw for 50 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards. But Mahomes alone isn’t enough to get this division a better ranking. Philip Rivers has put up decent numbers, but the Chargers are off to a 1-2 start, which is particularly bad for a team that had been mentioned as a Super Bowl contender. Oakland’s Derek Carr hasn’t played badly but the Raiders have averaged just 12 points in their last two games. Denver used the formula of bringing in an aging quarterback when Peyton Manning came to town and it worked wonders. The Broncos tried the same thing with Joe Flacco this year, but it’s not working out. Denver is 0-3 and Flacco has thrown only two touchdown passes.
3. NFC EAST
Dallas’ Dak Prescott is playing like an MVP contender and the Cowboys are undefeated. Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz had a great opener, but he’s completed only 58.1 and 52.8 percent of his passes in the last two games. But Wentz will bounce back when receiver DeSean Jackson is fully healthy. Rookie Daniel Jones had to wait until the third game before he took over for Eli Manning. But Jones was spectacular against Tampa Bay last week. Case Keenum has been nothing short of terrible for Washington. Colt McCoy, who suffered a broken leg last year, has returned to practice, but probably isn’t 100 percent yet. The Redskins may have to turn things over to rookie Dwayne Haskins. Can he be any worse than Keenum? Well, it’s possible.
2. AFC SOUTH
Back in the preseason, Indianapolis’ Jacoby Brissett and Jacksonville rookie Gardner Minshew were backups. But that changed when Andrew Luck abruptly retired and Nick Foles got hurt in the opener. Brissett and Minshew have each stepped in and played solidly. Brissett probably will be the Colts’ starter for a long time. Foles will be back at some point, and that means Minshew will become one of the league’s top backups. Houston’s Deshaun Watson is the class of the division. He’s thrown for six touchdowns with just one interception. The best thing you can say about Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota is that he hasn’t thrown an interception. The worst is that he’s been sacked a league-high 17 times, and the Titans have averaged just 12 points over their last two games.
1. NFC WEST
This division doesn’t have an individual that’s going to come up in the conversation of best quarterback in the league. But what it does have is consistency. Jared Goff has been solid and has the Rams off to a 3-0 start. It’s the same story with San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo. Seattle’s Russell Wilson has been a model of consistency, throwing for seven touchdowns without an interception. The only quarterback you can knock in this division is Arizona rookie Kyler Murray. But that’s not really fair. Yeah, the Cardinals are 0-3. But Murray has had some bright moments. His biggest problem is that he’s playing for a very bad team.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
