The NFC North quarterback picture has turned into a real fight at the top, and after eight weeks, there’s no clean way to separate the best of the bunch.
Three passers in this division are playing at an elite level. Then there’s the Minnesota Vikings’ Kyler Murray, who is dragging the whole exercise in the other direction.
Murray’s season has been rough enough that the conversation around a big-money Vikings deal in 2027 already feels dead on arrival. He missed time early, so there’s some room to account for rust, but the production still hasn’t been there.
Through six games, he has only five touchdown passes. His touchdown rate sits at 3.2 percent, which would be a career low if it holds, and he’s still taking sacks at an 8.9 percent clip - the same old problem that showed up late in his Arizona run.
The numbers get even uglier from there. Murray’s EPA per dropback is the worst of his NFL career, and the chatter around Minnesota potentially giving up a first-round pick for Kirk Cousins is no longer just a joke.
At the top end, Caleb Williams isn’t moving in the rankings this week, but the gap is shrinking fast. There’s a real temptation to split hairs and call it a 2A and 2B situation, but that would be the easy way out. Williams’ sample is still relatively small, and there’s a case for Jordan Love being ahead of him beyond just volume of snaps.
Still, Williams is making this harder every week. He’s one of those quarterbacks who could rank first in a lot of divisions around the league, and the NFC North may have three of those guys. Since returning from injury, he’s been excellent, and his showing against the Seattle Seahawks’ defense on the road stood out in a big way.
The criticism about his receivers piling up yards after the catch doesn’t hold much water anymore. Williams has the skill set, and denying that at this point is just refusing to see what’s right in front of you. He looks like a superstar, he’s a strong leader for Chicago, and when he’s under center, the Bears might be the most complete team in the NFC right now.
Love, though, is still holding the edge, and it’s because he’s doing more with less than just about anyone in the league. Maybe anyone, period.
He has multiple touchdown passes in every game this season except one, and even in that Dallas game, he still found the end zone on the ground. The Packers have been living with shaky offensive line play, no real running game, and too many dropped passes, and Love keeps producing anyway.
Against Carolina, he was at it again: 288 passing yards and three touchdown throws, all while Green Bay managed only 66 rushing yards as a team. The Packers haven’t topped 70 rushing yards in a game since October 4, and they still haven’t reached 100 rushing yards in a game all season.
That kind of burden makes Love’s season stand out even more.
Jared Goff rounds out the top tier, and he’s built an MVP-caliber case through eight weeks. His 15 touchdown passes against just one interception give him the best TD/INT ratio in the league, and if the season ended today, his 110.0 passer rating would be the second-best mark of his career, behind only the 111.8 he posted two seasons ago during Detroit’s 15-win run.
He’s also helping drive a Lions offense that looks more and more efficient by the week. Over the last two games, Detroit has tightened up on defense, which has given Goff a little more breathing room than he had earlier in the year. On the season, he trails only Joe Burrow in pure EPA in the passing game.
Against Minnesota’s blitz, Goff threw for 130 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and his 17 completions are tied for the most against the blitz in a game this season. Minnesota got pressure on only 6 of its 26 blitzes, a 23.1% rate, and still managed three sacks.
Right now, Goff is playing the best football of his life.
In Other News...
Packers Walk Into A Patriots Moment That Will Dominate This Week
The Week 9 trip to New England already had a little extra shine for the Packers, and now it has a broadcast wrinkle to match. Tom Brady is set to call a Patriots game at Gillette Stadium for the first time in his broadcasting career when Green Bay visits Foxborough, adding another layer of attention to a matchup that was already going to draw plenty of eyes.
Brady said he is excited to return to the stadium where so many of his biggest moments unfolded, while Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and others around the organization have been taking stock of the occasion. The conversation around the game has also drifted toward Rob Gronkowskis upcoming Hall of Fame induction, giving this week in Foxborough a distinctly Patriots flavor even before the teams take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Trade Buzz Just Raised The Stakes For This Defense
With the NFL trade deadline drawing near, Green Bay has started to look like a team that could be more than a bystander. The Packers have reason to explore help on defense, especially with Micah Parsons expected back from injury, and the idea of adding another proven edge presence has only sharpened the conversation around how aggressive they want to be.
One name that has surfaced in that discussion is Khalil Mack, a veteran pass rusher who would give Green Bay another disruptive piece if the Chargers decide to listen. Los Angeles has stumbled this season, which only adds to the intrigue around whether a player of Macks caliber could become available, and for the Packers the appeal is obvious: a chance to deepen a defense that could get a lot more dangerous if the right move is made. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Jacobs Puts Packers On Edge As NFL Wait Continues
Josh Jacobs situation has taken another turn as the Packers wait for the NFLs next move. The running back is already back in the middle of a difficult legal and league process after missing six games on the commissioner-exempt list following his May arrest, and recently released police records have now added fresh allegations from three women involving physical and verbal abuse.
For Green Bay, the uncertainty is the real issue. Jacobs has said he believes in his legal defense and expects to stay on the field for the rest of the season, but the NFL investigation is still ongoing, leaving the team to monitor a case that could continue to hang over its backfield. If the league eventually acts, any suspension would likely be applied against the games he has already missed, which only adds another layer to a situation the Packers would rather not have lingering into the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]