It feels like the 2024 season just started, yet here we are in Week 18. Three of the four NFC North teams are headed to the playoffs, and the Chicago Bears just need to suffer through one final week.
Week 18 is one of the rare times when all four NFC North teams face each other, as designed by the NFL.
After 17 weeks, with one final regular-season game to go, we take a look at how the division's quarterbacks stack up against each other.
NFC North quarterback rankings entering Week 18
4. Caleb Williams, Bears
Yeah, this one is a no-brainer. Williams had already played when last week's rankings came out, a lackluster 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Williams was 16-of-28 for 122 yards, an interception, and was sacked seven times to lose 46 yards.
After the game, Williams spoke with the media and took no accountability for the team's struggles, saying that the fans had been booing since before he got there. If he can't show substantial growth, they'll be booing him out of town and long after he is gone.
3. Jordan Love, Packers
Love stays put at No. 3 after the Packers fell to Minnesota, 27-25. Love and Co. started slow before a second-half burst gave Green Bay a chance at a comeback after being down 20-3. For the game, Love completed 19 of 30 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown while taking three sacks.
I have had a consistent rule through these power rankings all season: if you lose, you can't climb the rankings, barring disastrous play across the division. Love wasn't bad, but the Packers struggled early and once again spotted the Vikings with a big lead.
This may not have been up to "Toyotathon Love" standards, but credit to the Vikings' defense, who showed up big against the Packers and set themselves up for a matchup against the Lions with the NFC North and No. 1 seed on the line.
2. Jared Goff, Lions
Goff falls to the No. 2 spot this week after leading the Lions to a shootout win on Monday Night Football against the 49ers. Goff was pretty good in the game, completing 26 of 34 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns.
His play did not necessarily bump him down to the No. 2 spot, as his stat line was actually really good. He answered the call at every turn, but it was out of necessity as his defense put the Lions behind the eight-ball. Goff has a chance to go into the playoffs as the top QB in the division if the Lions can return to Detroit and take down the Vikings in the regular season finale.
1. Sam Darnold, Vikings
Well, here we are once again, and I need to eat my words. At the beginning of the season, I had incredibly low expectations for Sam Darnold and the Vikings, but this team proved me wrong at nearly every turn. Darnold led Minnesota past the Packers in Week 17, completing 33 of 43 passes for three touchdowns and one interception.
The interception led to Packers points as Green Bay furiously attempted a comeback. That said, a division win elevates Darnold to the No. 1 spot, especially given the implications that put Minnesota in a position to potentially win the division and claim the No. 1 seed.