AFC North QB Power Rankings: Joe Burrow is carving out his place

1: Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson deserves to be in first as much as Roethlisberger deserves to be in last. He’s in the MVP conversation through the first nine weeks of the year (yes, even after that dud on Thursday night).

The Baltimore Ravens sit at 6-3 and are in first place in the division. The 2021 season is Jackson’s fourth year in the NFL and he’s only 24-years-old. He led Baltimore to the playoffs the past three seasons.

What makes Jackson so special is that he isn’t your traditional quarterback. His speed and ability to be just as effective in the run game is what sets him apart as a dual-threat. The Ravens’ 34-31 overtime win against the Vikings last Sunday is the perfect example of this. Jackson had 21 carries for 120 yards and led all rushers on both teams. It marked his 12th game of 100+ rushing yards, the most in NFL history.

Jackson’s rating is 96.2 and he has a 65 percent completion percentage (173-of-266). He’s thrown 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight games. His vision and feet are the reason why Baltimore’s offensive average of 427.9 yards per game is the second-best in the NFL.

Make no mistake, Jackson has an arm, too. He threw for a franchise-record 442 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-25 overtime win against Indianapolis in Week 5. Jackson has broken records all year long, so much so that there isn’t enough space to go into detail about all of his accolades. Keep in mind, there’s still another half of football left to be played.

Jackson’s played out of his mind and no other quarterbacks in the division have come close to reaching the impact that he’s had on his team this year.

How would you rank the quarterbacks in the AFC North?