Keep in mind that this article was written on July 14th, not August 5th.
There are some great quarterbacks in the NFL right now, including Dak Prescott, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. However, I only have to name 5 top QB’s in the game of football going into the 2020-21 season.
5. Deshaun Watson, HOU: Along with Prescott, I feel like Watson is one of the more overlooked quarterbacks in the NFL right now. His ability to scramble out of the pocket is probably the best in football, along with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Case in point, he rushed for 413 yards and 7 touchdowns last year. The yard total is more than starting Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson! Additionally, his ability to throw deep and still be accurate is top-tier in the NFL. He was 13th in the league in passing yards with 3,852 and barely cracked the top 10 in touchdowns with 26. The one thing that sets him back a little bit is that he won’t throw to top receiver and fellow Clemson man DeAndre Hopkins anymore, as he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson. However, he does have Will Fuller and Kenny Stills who are two decent wideouts. Last year, they had a combined total of 1,231 yards and 7 touchdowns. If Johnson can stay healthy and put up 2016-like numbers, Watson and his Texans offense are going to be great this season.
4. Drew Brees, NO: Brees is probably one of the best pocket passers of all-time. He’s not worried about his surroundings and only looks downfield to his open receivers. Part of that is courtesy of the offensive line, in which they allowed Brees to get sacked a mind-blowing 12 times last season. That’s the 2nd-lowest total in his illustrious career. If he didn’t have that broken thumb injury against the Rams in Week 2 (which was on my birthday), he would’ve had some amazing numbers. However, he had 2,979 yards and 27 touchdowns last year. To be honest, if those are the numbers he’s putting up in a down season, that’s not bad at all. If the trio of Brees, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas stay healthy, this offense will be a top-tier one this coming season.
3. Russell Wilson, SEA: Wilson is probably the most durable QB in all of the NFL. In all of his 8 seasons in the league, he has never missed a single game. Along with that, he’s very accurate with his passes. He was 8th in the league in completion percentage with a total of 66.1% last year. Additionally, he had 4,110 yards, 31 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Finally, he’s cold-blooded in crunch time. He led 4 fourth-quarter comebacks and 5 game-winning drives. Both of those numbers led the league last year. With D.K Metcalf and Tyler Lockett as nice weapons on the outside, Wilson is going to spray passes everywhere (and with accuracy) this season.
2. Lamar Jackson, BAL: This guy was an ABSOLUTE ANIMAL last season. After a disappointing first year, Jackson broke out in a big way. He threw for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns. In one game against the Rams on Monday Night Football, he threw for a remarkable 5 touchdowns and zero interceptions. And all of this is excluding his impeccable running ability. He broke Mike Vick’s rushing record, putting up 1,206 rushing yards. That put him in 6th in all of football. In fact, he beat out his own running back by 188 yards. I know your jaw must be past the floor right now, but it’s going to drop even further. Apparently, according to ESPN.com, analytics and oddsmakers predict that the Ravens will have a perfect 16-0 regular season. Personally, they have the best all-around team in the NFL. They succeed on offense, defense, and even special teams. Just like the analytics say, this team will be a force to be reckoned with and there’s no doubt about that.
1. Patrick Mahomes, KC: Mahomes reminds me a little bit of a Drew Brees-Deshaun Watson hybrid. When he’s in the pocket (like Brees), he’s one of the most accurate passers out there. However, when he escapes out of the pocket and flings it deep downfield (like Deshaun Watson), he’s also insanely accurate. Insane weapons like Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Mecole Hardman, Damien Williams and DeMarcus Robinson will help out Mahomes massively this coming season. About a week ago, Mahomes inked a 10 yr/503 million contract extension with the Chiefs. Just imagine how many Super Bowls he could win under contract. On the other hand, we’ve seen big time players throughout sports sign humongous contracts and not live up to the hype. So we’ll see. In the meantime, Chiefs fans, you got a great one for a long time.
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