The NFC North is widely expected to continue its modern-day tradition of being an absolute bloodbath in 2026.
Why shouldn't it be? Every team in the division finished above .500 in 2025, the last-place Detroit Lions swept the division-winning Chicago Bears, and three out of the four teams will be led by a former #1 overall pick at quarterback.
Despite those three former #1 overall pick QBs, NFL.com writer Nick Shook couldn't bring himself to rank the NFC North's QBs in the top three of his latest rankings, where he ranked each division by QB talent.
The NFC North ranked fourth in Shook's rankings, behind the third-ranked NFC East, the second-ranked AFC West, and the first-ranked NFC West.
It does make sense as each of those divisions has at least one Super Bowl winner as a starter, with the NFC West having two. Those two champions bring the reigning champion Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks and the reigning league MVP Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams. The NFC West also has San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy, who played in a Super Bowl, and Arizona Cardinals' Jacoby Brissett, who was a member of the New England Patriots Super Bowl LI-winning team.
That's a lot of championship lineage at the top of this ranking. Meanwhile, in the NFC North, Lions' Jared Goff is the only one to make it to a Super Bowl or even an NFC Championship game. He's also the only one to (knowingly) receive MVP votes in his career.
However, entering his age-32 season, Goff has become a bit of a known quantity, as Shook points to in his assessment of Goff:
"We've long known Jared Goff is at his best when he's well protected, and the Lions struggled with that in 2025. Still, Goff produced excellent numbers even amid Detroit's O-line decline, a credit to the former No. 1 overall pick's persistence and mental toughness. I have a pretty good idea of who Goff is at this stage of his career: a QB who will flirt with a top-10 ranking, provided disaster doesn't strike."
The Lions made moves this offseason to address their poor O-line while also bringing in a fresh offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing. So, "provided disaster doesn't strike," Goff should remain in the top third of QBs and again in the mix for the league lead in passing yards and touchdowns.
That "known quantity" can leave Goff more on the underrated and underappreciated side, but that Super Bowl window can only be open for so long. Goff still has plenty of doubters to prove wrong, and 2026 would be a great time for that.
How Shook views the rest of the NFC North QBs
Shook was more enthusiastic about the division-winning Caleb Williams of the Bears, saying that he loves to watch Williams play, thanks to his "cold-blooded heroics." Shook also believes Williams will continue to improve under Ben Johnson, further pushing his rise to stardom.
Williams came up huge in big moments in 2025, which is something Shook wants to see more of out of Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love. He sees Love's potential to be a top-ten QB, but "hasn't delivered in the biggest moments consistently enough for me to trust him." For the Packers to reach their potential as a team, Love will need more than just luck; he'll need to "level up in clutch moments."
READ MORE: ESPN analyst has the Lions easily taking back the NFC North crown
The Minnesota Vikings are nothing if not intriguing. J.J. McCarthy had a rough rookie season for the nine-win Vikings, so the team brought in veteran Kyler Murray to compete with McCarthy. Shook thinks the addition of Murray brings stability to the starting QB role for a team that won nine games lacking it.
The general theme across the NFC North QBs is potential. Goff's potential with an improved O-line, Williams' potential another year into the Johnson era, Love's potential if he improves in big moments, and the Vikings' potential with a stable starting QB.
Which QB and team more closely lives up to that potential may ultimately decide which team finishes where in the NFC North next season.
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