The AFC North has never lacked quarterback talent, and that remains true in 2026. Through two weeks, the division features two former MVPs and future Hall of Famers. One's a former Pro Bowler attempting a resurgence, and the other is one of the NFL's most accomplished quarterbacks. Truth be told, you could apply all those descriptions to Baltimore Ravens
star Lamar Jackson and his divisional rivals.Not every quarterback is trending in the same direction, however. Some are helping their teams stack victories. Others are still searching for consistency as September unfolds. All are worth a discussion. Here's how the AFC North signal-callers stack up after Week 2.
1. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
A healthy Joe Burrow has always been one of the NFL's most dangerous quarterbacks,
and through two weeks, he looks every bit like the player Bengals fans have grown accustomed to seeing.
Burrow has guided Cincinnati to a 2-0 start, the best record in the AFC North. He's completed 68.2% of his passes while throwing three touchdowns against just one interception. As always, the ball comes out quickly, the decision-making remains sharp, and he continues to make difficult throws look routine.
The one concern remains pass protection. Burrow has already absorbed six sacks, and history says that isn't a sustainable formula over a 17-game season. Still, if he stays upright, he remains the quarterback everyone else in the division is chasing.
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
The gap between Burrow and Lamar Jackson is razor-thin. Jackson followed a strong Week 1 performance with another relatively productive outing against the New Orleans Saints, completing 21 of 31 passes for 235 yards while adding 34 rushing yards. His final interception will receive most of the attention because it effectively ended Baltimore's comeback attempt, but one throw shouldn't erase some of the solid things that he accomplished.
There are issues. Baltimore's offensive line has struggled in pass protection, and the Ravens are still navigating injuries at wide receiver. It's hard to ignore three second-half points at home.
Still, Jackson remains one of the league's most dynamic playmakers, but the Ravens need more consistency if they're going to keep pace with Cincinnati early.
3. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
This ranking would have sounded absurd a few years ago, or even a few weeks ago, but credit is due. Who would have ever thought we'd place Deshaun Watson ahead of Aaron Rodgers in anything?
Watson put together one of his better performances in recent memory during Week 2 and showed signs that he may finally be settling into Cleveland's offense. Consistency remains the question, but the flashes were impossible to ignore. The Browns don't need Watson to be the player he was in Houston.
They need him to be efficient, limit mistakes, and occasionally elevate the offense. For at least one week, he checked those boxes. Whether he can sustain that level of play is the much bigger question.
4. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Few storylines in the division are more surprising than Aaron Rodgers finding himself at the bottom of this list. The future Hall of Famer still shows flashes of elite arm talent, but the overall results haven't matched the reputation through two weeks. Pittsburgh's offense has lacked rhythm, explosive plays have been limited, and the Steelers are still searching for consistency.
It's far too early to talk about drastic changes. Imagine Mike McCarthy benching Rodgers in his final season. Then again, who else would the Steelers go with? Rodgers has earned more benefit of the doubt than almost any quarterback in football. Still, expectations weren't modest when he arrived in Pittsburgh. The Steelers expected a difference-maker. Through two weeks, that version of Rodgers hasn't consistently appeared.
With Burrow and Jackson continuing to perform at a high level and Watson showing signs of life, Rodgers enters Week 3 with perhaps the most to prove among the AFC North's starting quarterbacks.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ranking every AFC North quarterback after their Week 2 performances
