Power ranking the QBs of the AFC North: Steelers starting to fall behind
By Tommy Jaggi
The AFC North has some quality quarterbacks, but here’s why the Pittsburgh Steelers are falling behind in the power rankings at the NFL’s most important position.
It’s no secret how important quarterbacks are to the success of a football team. We know from experience what sort of difference they can make, as the Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL for well over a decade.
Sadly, those days are rapidly coming to a close, and new, young faces are emerging as some of the top talents at the position in the league. Through the first seven weeks of the 2021 season, we have seen a lot of impressive quarterback play. Here’s where I have each of the starting AFC North quarterbacks slotted in my most recent power rankings:
1. Bengals QB Joe Burrow
I’m not sure if there’s anyone out there who would have predicted this great of a start to the 2021 season for Joe Burrow. After suffering a torn ACL that ended his season early in 2020, many feared that this would cause a major setback in Burrow’s development, It did not.
Right now, Burrow is second only to the currently injured Russell Wilson in yards per attempt (9.2), and despite his 8 interceptions, Burrow’s passer rating of 108.9 is good for 5th in the league, via ESPN.
Joe Burrow needs to take better care of the football, but he has more than made up for his mistakes with 17 touchdown passes already this season as his team sits atop the entire AFC entering Week 8. He has the makings to be a special player.