Ranking the NFC West Starting Quarterbacks

The NFC West is a Top 3 division when it comes to the talent of starting quarterbacks, some may even argue it is the best in the NFL. With three Superbowl starting quarterbacks and the 2019 ROY, opposing defensive coordinators need to understand that any of these starting four can go off and take over the game at a moments notice. In this week’s articles, the East West Football Network will be looking at who are the top Quarterbacks in each NFL division, however there is one clear answer in the NFC West. With that being said, the other three slots in the ranking list remain up for debate. Below I will discuss how I rank the Quarterbacks in the NFC West.

1. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks

I would be really interested in having a debate with someone who says that Russell Wilson is not the top Quarterback in the NFC West. I have been a huge fan of Wilson since his final year in college at Wisconsin. His creative ability is unlike anything I have seen until 2019 (when Kyler Murray joined the league) and his ability to make something out of nothing is unmatched by any other Quarterback in the NFL. Since being drafted in the 3^rd round of the 2012 NFL draft, Wilson has started every game of his career and will surpass 30,000 passing yards in 2020. With 3,993 career rushing yards, Wilson is a threat to beat you with his legs on any given play. The sad part about Wilson’s career is that he has been sacked 347 times in his career, which if the Seahawks invested more in his Offensive Line and Offensive Weapons rather than focusing on Defense it would be fun to see how much better Wilson can get. With a Superbowl Championship, 7 Pro-Bowls, 2019 Second Team All-Pro, 2017 Passing TD’s Leader, 2015 Passing Rater leader, and 2012 Rookie of the Year Award, Wilson’s resume proves he is the best Quarterback in this division.

2. Kyler Murray – Arizona Cardinals

Like I said at the beginning of the article, spot 2-4 in the rankings are where things get debatable, especially when it comes to my list. I am putting Kyler Murray at number two and that may blow some people away, but after one year at the helm of the Arizona Cardinals, I have no doubt in my mind that Kyler Murray is the second-best Quarterback in the division. My reasoning for this is when you watch him play, he has that incredible ability to make something out of nothing and he can dominate defenses with his arm or his legs. Only a handful of other Quarterbacks have that ability in the NFL, which makes Murray so hard to game plan against. Another thing I love about Murray’s game is he does everything so smoothly and almost everything he does look effortless, including his passing motion, accuracy, and ability to escape the pocket. Unlike Jimmy G and Jared Goff, Murray is a true gamechanger and an Offensive Weapon at the Quarterback position. It will be interesting what the former number 1 overall pick can do in year two with the Cardinals, but after a rookie campaign that finished with 4,266 total yards, 24 total touchdown, and the 2019 Rookie of the Year award, I expect to see big things from Murray going forward, as long as he finds a way to reduce turnovers.

3. Jimmy Garoppolo – San Francisco 49ers.

Coming in at number 3 we have Jimmy Garoppolo. In all honesty, I think Jared Goff and Garoppolo can be swapped around here depending on the argument being made (ie. system, statistics, injuries, etc.), but I will give the nod to Garoppolo, due to his statistical averages. Like Jared Goff, Garoppolo’s team success is due to their incredible running game and their dominate defense, thus the reasoning why he is considered more of a game manager than a game changer. However, unlike Goff, Jimmy G will still have a dominate defense a strong running game, and a solid OLine that will help him, and the 49ers be successful in 2020. I often wonder if Garoppolo stayed in New England, would he have been just as good with the group of misfits that they seem to always be successful with in New England, or would he be out of the league by now? Garoppolo’s 6,946 career passing yards and 44 passing TD’s in 26 career starts isn’t the best, but there is no question that Jimmy G helps make the 49ers offense better, and that can be with their 2019 season where they came from second last in the NFL in 2018 to Superbowl runners-up in 2019. Garoppolo may benefit from his system, but I believe he will have to prove he can win games in 2020 without leaning on his running game as much, because opposing defenses will be focused on stopping that fantastic power run game.

4. Jared Goff – Los Angeles Rams

If you read my article on the 2020 NFC West Off-Season Review, you know that I think the LA Rams will be the worst team in this division. I do not think that will be because of Jared Goff’s play, but rather the lack of game changing players he has on his team in 2020. Goff will no longer be supported by a quality run game that is led by Todd Gurley and they loss a handful of key players on defense that I think will set them back. Rather than being a quality game manager like he has been in years past, and relying on play action to help him in the passing game, Goff will need to take his game to the next level to get the Rams back to the playoffs. I do think it is possible for Goff to take this next step though, he is a former number 1 overall pick and a 2-time Pro Bowler and starting Superbowl Quarterback for a reason. Goff can make all the throws that you would want from your starter, however if he really wants to take his game to the next level and be in the conversation for one of the best in the NFL, he needs to preform better in big game situations (ie. look at his below par performances in the 2019 Superbowl & 2019 NFC Championship games, where he only threw for one touchdown in each game and had 57.9 & 83.0 passer rating in each game respectively).

Like I said at the top, this is my opinion and can be debated. If you rankings are different let me know your thoughts and rankings in the comment section below!