Aaron Rodgers Is Still The Best Quarterback In The NFC North

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

With the acquisition of Jay Cutler, the Chicago Bears have already been dubbed by pundits as the future NFC North Division champions. On top of that, Cutler is supposedly by far the best quarterback in the NFC North.

I say no.

Aaron Rodgers, easily one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the NFL, is still the best QB in the NFC North.

Even as a Vikings fan, I feel one of the biggest stiffs this year in the Pro Bowl was Rodgers. Under tremendous pressure to fill Favre's shoes, Rodgers stepped up to the plate and posted excellent numbers.

4,038 yards, a 28/13 TD/INT ratio, and a 93.8 quarterback rating. The icing on the cake is the 63.6 percent completion percentage.

Now many would say "That's pretty good, but of course Cutler did better, right?"

Wrong.

Cutler had a good season, but Rodgers beats him in nearly every category. Cutler threw for 4,526 yards, a 25/18 TD/INT ratio, and had an 86.0 QB rating, while completing 62.3 percent of his passes. Looking at those stats, Cutler only beat Rodgers in passing yards.

Many criticized Rodgers for his failure in clutch situations, but I blame that on situations beyond his control. Rodgers nearly led the Packers to victory in Week 10 against the Vikings, orchestrating a Brett Favre-like drive to bring the Packers into field goal range. Only problem? Mason Crosby missed the kick.

It is also a well-known fact that the Packers defense is mediocre and gave up countless yardage to opponents. Rodgers isn't exactly playing cornerback, so is it really his fault if the defense can't step up to the plate?

People also forget that Rodgers is only a year older than Cutler. Cutler is being hailed as a "bright, young future star," while Rodgers is being "hailed" as "the guy who replaced Favre."

Amazingly, when you stack Rodgers' stats this season against Favre's historic 2007 campaign, they are extremely similar. Favre threw for 4,155 yards with a 28/15 TD/INT ratio and a 95.7 quarterback rating, along with a 66.5 completion percentage.

Favre threw for more picks than Rodgers in 2007, the same amount of touchdowns, and only barely edges him out in yards and rating. The real icing on the cake is that Rodgers easily did better than Favre this season, where Favre fell to a 1-3 record in December.

Cutler is a good quarterback, and could become great, but I feel Rodgers is simply better.

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