Cal Football: Is Aaron Rodgers Still the Best QB in the NFC North?

Sports Illustrated compares former Cal quarterback with Kirk Cousins and Matthew Stafford

Sports Illustrated asks the question: Who is the best quarterback in the NFC North? I didn’t know there was a question until this story emerged. (For what it’s worth, I still don’t think there’s a question, but I will get back to that later.)

Will Ragatz.com, of SI’s Inside the Vikings, starts with this comment:

Well, Kaitlin, it's interesting because if you look at the statistical production, especially the efficiency, Kirk Cousins has been the best quarterback in the north last year and for the last couple of years since he was signed as a free agent in 2018. When you're looking at who is the best quarterback in the north, you have to consider some of the contextual factors.

***Kirk Cousins in the Pro Bowl

Photo by Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports

It's true that the Vikings' Cousins and Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions had better passer ratings in 2019 that Rodgers, who slipped quite ways in that department last season while leading the Packers into the playoffs again. But Ryan Tannehill led the NFL in that category in 2019 and Patrick Mahomes was only seventh. And I'm guessing no one would want Tannehill instead of Mahomes calling the shots in a playoff game.

To me there is just one measuring stick: Which quarterback would you want on your team if you are playing a playoff game in 2020?

If you choose anyone other than Aaron Rodgers, you aren’t paying attention. Presumably things could change in the next few years, since Rodgers is 36 years old and says he wants to play into his 40s. But unless there is a noticeable drop in his performance level this season, the former Cal quarterback is the man in the NFC North.

Ragatz also concludes Rodgers is still the best of this threesome.

Now if you are comparing Rodgers with Drew Brees or Russell Wilson or Tom Brady as the best quarterback in the NFC, you might have a debate. And if you are including the entire NFL, Rodgers at his current level probably has to take a back seat to Patrick Mahomes.

The SI video also asks: Which is the best fantasy quarterback in the NFC North? You can listen to that part of the video if you want, but I care nothing about fantasy football, only whether a quarterback can carry his team to a win on an actual football field.

However, you will note that fantasy expert Bill Enright mentions former Cal star Marvin Jones as a key weapon for Stafford. (Just a touch of provencial reporting allows us to note that.)

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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