NFL Power Rankings: Ranking the top-10 quarterbacks approaching Week 6

3. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Let's not overthink this; Sam Darnold is playing great football in 2024 and could continue getting some MVP hype if he keeps this up for most of the season. The Minnesota Vikings are the only unbeaten team in the NFC and are watching their QB get the job done nearly every week.

No QB is going to play well for all 17 games, so one bad game here and there for Darnold is fine; it happens, and there are many quarterbacks who simply have not been as good as Darnold has been in the 2024 NFL Season.

The Vikings are among the most well-coached teams in the NFL and can keep this up for the entire season.

2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson could end up winning his third NFL MVP award. The Baltimore Ravens have now won three games in a row, and Jackson has thrown nine touchdowns against just one interception. It feels like he's never been better as a passer, and he's obviously still a huge threat with his legs.

I was truly worried that the Ravens would get into an 0-3 hole, but not only did they not do that, but having won three in a row has saved their season and has given them a ton of momentum to continue weeks down the road. Right now, the Ravens are the team to beat in the AFC North, as the Cincinnati Bengals' defense is awful, and both the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers have iffy QB situations at best.

1. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

At this point, I am not sure a single QB has been close to Joe Burrow's level this year. The Cincinnati Bengals and their issues are clear-cut. It's the defense, not the offense. End of story. Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are again forming an elite duo, and Cincy's offense is playing like they normall do.

They've always been too reliant on Burrow and should run the ball more, but Burrow is playing out of his mind and has been able to have a huge role in the passing game in prior seasons. The Bengals re 1-4 because of their defense, and they kind of feel like the 2014-2016 Saints where Sean Payton and Drew Brees were right in their primes and scoring a ton of points, but the defenses were flat-out awful.

Something major has to change on defense if the Bengals want to save their season.