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Joe Burrow is having an excellent 2021 NFL season. He ranks toward the top of the NFL in just about every passing category. He also plays in one of the toughest divisions in the league, the AFC North. All four teams in the division remained in the playoff race for almost the entirety of the 2021 season.
Despite the tough competition around him, Joe Burrow has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in just his second NFL season. The AFC North doesn't just have great teams, it's also filled with good quarterbacks.
Although Joe Burrow is the youngest of the four starting quarterbacks in his division, he may already be best among them.
Joe Burrow has emerged as the current king of the AFC North
The label of "best quarterback" is a matter of perspective, and could be based on some combination of past, present and future.
For instance, If it was to be determined strictly on overall accomplishments, then there is no doubt that Ben Roethlisberger is the "best" quarterback in the AFC North. Roethlisberger is a two-time Super Bowl champion and a future Hall of Famer, but has passed his prime at this point.
However, If we were to base the debate for "best" quarterback in the AFC North on current production, then Joe Burrow would have a clear edge.
Burrow leads the NFL with a 70.4 completion percentage and ranks second with a 108.3 passer rating this season. Roethlisberger, on the other hand, ranks outside the top 20 in both categories.
Based on production alone during the 2021 NFL season, Joe Burrow is head and shoulders above the other quarterbacks in the AFC North. Entering Week 18, he leads the group in terms of yards, touchdowns (34), passer rating, completion percentage and total quarterback rating (54.1).
The one advantage that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has in the debate is his ability to run the ball from the quarterback position. He is one of the best rushing quarterbacks in NFL history, winning the 2019 MVP award on the back of his exploits on the ground.
Joe Burrow has yet to bag an MVP award. However, if keeps playing the way he has been this year, there is a high likelihood he will win one at some point in his career.
Burrow's 4,611 passing yards account for one of the most productive passing seasons ever among any of the current AFC North quarterbacks. Roethlisberger has only eclipsed that mark twice in his entire career. Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson have yet to accomplish the feat since entering the league.
Joe Burrow had the best season of any quarterback in the AFC North this year, and one of the best of all time among all four of their careers.
Considering Burrow is only in his second season, it's reasonable to believe that he is just getting started and could still improve in the years to come,. With all that being said, he is the best quarterback in the division based on current production and future potential.
