When looking at the landscape of the NFL right now, the AFC looks like the much better conference heading into the 2023 season. That’s primarily because of the quarterbacks in that conference: Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert among them.
The NFC still has some quality teams, but determining which quarterbacks are the best in the conference is difficult. Jalen Hurts appears to be the top choice after his MVP-caliber season, but Dak Prescott, Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray and Matthew Stafford all have their flaws and doubters.
It’s valid question to ask where Stafford ranks among the top quarterbacks in the conference. He’s one of the few left with a Super Bowl ring, assuming Aaron Rodgers gets traded to the Jets in the AFC, but after a terrible injury-filled 2022 season, some are wondering how much Stafford has left.
Robert Griffin III ranked the top five quarterbacks in the conference on Thursday and he left Stafford off the list. His rankings: Hurts, Cousins, Prescott, Murray and Geno Smith.
Top 5 Quarterbacks in the NFC
1. Jalen Hurts
2. Kirk Cousins
3. Dak Prescott
4. Kyler Murray
5. Geno Smith
(Pending Rodgers Trade to Jets) pic.twitter.com/f1gPu5msJo— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 23, 2023
NFL Network undertook the same task a week ago and their panel’s picks differed greatly. Stafford was ranked third by two hosts and fourth by the other two, with Hurts coming in at No. 1 on all four lists. Justin Fields, Derek Carr and Jared Goff made an appearance on the lists, too.
Top 5 QBs in the NFC…
Go off, Twitter pic.twitter.com/rXLubwQyjz
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 16, 2023
When healthy, Stafford should be viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. He sure looked like that in 2021 when he led the Rams to the Super Bowl. Last year was an anomaly, dealing with a concussion and a back injury that caused him to miss half the season.
It didn’t help that his offensive line was arguably the worst in the NFL, shuffling through backup after backup across the unit.
We’ll get a much better sense of the NFC landscape in 2023 when Stafford returns healthy, along with a hopefully improved offensive line. But as of now, he’s at least one of the five best quarterbacks in the conference.
