NFC North 2011 Season-in-Review: Final Rankings for Division's Top QBs

The Super Bowl is over and there's no more football for six months, which that means we can put together some accurate year-end ratings for every position. Here are my final grades for each quarterback who started in the NFC North in 2011.

Minnesota Vikings (3-13)

Donovan McNabb started the year for the Minnesota Vikings while the team's 2011 first-round draft pick, Christian Ponder was supposed to sit on the bench and learn the pro game without the risk of being on the field.

We all know how that worked out: a combination of questions about his work ethic and his poor on-field performance saw McNabb first benched and then waived on December 1st. In six games, McNabb completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 1,026 yards, five total touchdowns and two interceptions as the Vikings went 1-5.

Replacing him with Ponder didn't go much better, at least where wins and losses are concerned. With the rookie under center, the Vikings won just two more of their games. However, Ponder was the NFL's best red-zone quarterback, with an eight-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Still, in 11 games, Ponder completed just 54.3 percent of his passes for 1,853 yards, 13 scores and 13 interceptions, with two lost fumbles. He's the team's quarterback of the future, but he will need to put in a lot of offseason work.

Final grades: McNabb, D; Ponder, C-

Chicago Bears (8-8)

Things started out rocky for the Chicago Bears' Jay Cutler, with the play-calling and offensive line protection again holding down his production. Things improved as the season wore on and the Bears looked like serious playoff contenders. However, Cutler suffered a thumb injury in Week 11, which ultimately ended his—and the Bears'—season.

Before the injury, Cutler had a 58.0 completion percentage and threw for 2,319 yards for 13 scores and seven interceptions. He also notched one rushing touchdown and lost three fumbles. There's room for improvement, and he should see that with Mike Tice as the team's new offensive coordinator.

When Cutler went down, the offense had to rely on running back Matt Forte and backup quarterback Caleb Hanie. Unfortunately for Hanie, Forte also ended up lost to injury and Hanie's tenure as starter went from bad to terrible.

Hanie completed just 50 percent of his passes in six games for just 613 yards, three scores and a dismal nine interceptions. He's earned himself a goodbye from the Bears roster and it's going to be hard for any other team to find it in their hearts to add him this offseason.

Final grades: Cutler, B-; Hanie, F

Detroit Lions (10-6)

With a full, healthy season, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford finally had a chance to live up to his potential. If anything, Stafford exceeded expectations, ending the year as one of three quarterbacks to throw for over 5,000 yards.

The 24-year-old third-year passer had a 63.5 completion percentage, 5,038 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions this year. He had the benefit of the NFL's best wideout, Calvin Johnson, catching his passes, but a great deal of Stafford's success was his alone.

While it's too soon to put Stafford in the elite category at the moment, another season with similar success will confirm he's one of the top passers in the league. Considering his age, he could be another Peyton Manning in the making.

Final grade: A+

Green Bay Packers (15-1)

Without quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center, the Green Bay Packers would not have gone 15-1 in the 2011 regular season. Unfortunately, the team found out what happens when Rodgers has an off-day when they lost to the New York Giants in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Rodgers completed an impressive 68.3 percent of his passes this season for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also had six rushing touchdowns without losing a single fumble.

As a result of his spectacular year and the way he was able to direct his team to such great success, he was named the Associated Press' Most Valuable Player. In the NFC North, no quarterback performed as consistently well, week after week.

A mention should go to backup Packers quarterback Matt Flynn, who had an incredible Week 17 performance, going 33-of-49 for 518 yards, seven total scores and two interceptions. However, one game is not a large enough sample size to grade.

Final grade (Rodgers): A+