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NFC South QB Power Rankings: Baker Mayfield put himself in early MVP conversations

Let Baker bake!

By Leigh Oleszczak

Sep 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) reacts after a first down against the Washington Commanders in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Sep 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) reacts after a first down against the Washington Commanders in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers put the absolute smackdown on the Washington Commanders in Week 1 while the only other NFC South team to win this weekend was the New Orleans Saints. In the two NFC South victories, the quarterback play from the winning team was superb.

As for the other two teams in the division, fans of those teams are probably feeling pretty bleak about their quarterback situations right now. Bucs fans, however, are not. Baker Mayfield tore it up against the Commanders, further proving the Cleveland Browns were wrong to move on from him, especially as Deshaun Watson struggled in his 2024 debut.

With Week 1 in the rearview mirror for the NFC South, let's rank the quarterbacks in the division.

4. Bryce Young

After an atrocious rookie season, the Carolina Panthers brought in Dave Canales to try and fix Bryce Young. While a quarterback struggling in one game isn't always cause for concern, Young played horrendous in his first game of 2024. The former number-one pick threw for 161 yards and two interceptions while completing just 13 passes.

Young's very first pass of the game was picked off by the Saints and it never got better after that. He looked atrocious and Canales will have his work cut out for him in Carolina. Of course, Bucs fans already knew that.

3. Kirk Cousins

After getting hyped up all offseason, the Atlanta Falcons proceeded to stink it up in the first game of the Kirk Cousins era. The Falcons managed to lose to a Pittsburgh Steelers team that didn't score a single touchdown and Cousins looked dreadful in his Atlanta debut.

The former Washington and Minnesota quarterback threw for 155 yards, one touchdown, and two picks in his Falcons debut, proving that maybe Atlanta shouldn't have thrown $180 million at an aging quarterback coming off an Achilles injury. It's only one game and the Steelers have a good defense but right now, it's hard not to think the Falcons are regretting their offseason decisions.

2. Derek Carr

The Saints crushed the Panthers in Week 1 to the tune of a 47-10 final and Derek Carr looked like a franchise quarterback in the victory. Carr threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns in his first game of the 2024 season and looked like a much better option for New Orleans than he did a season ago.

That being said, it's hard to gauge how much this performance was actually a reflection on Carr in 2024 and how much of it was playing against the pitiful Panthers. The jury is still out on Carr and who he'll be for the Saints this year.

1. Baker Mayfield

It feels like a lifetime ago when the Bucs first added Baker Mayfield and people thought they'd be one of the worst teams in the league. Fast forward to present day (barely over a year later) and Mayfield has proven that he's not a scrub.

Mayfield had himself a day in the Bucs' 37-20 win over Washington throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. It was Mayfield's first game without Dave Canales as his offensive coordinator and he looked perfectly fine without the now Panthers head coach. It's only one game but so far, Mayfield looks to be one of the best signal-callers in the league.

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