The Top Three Unlike Any We Have Ever Seen

How Black quarterbacks have taken over the NFL

The cream of the crop for NFL quarterbacks has been Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees and while they are still showing that they have something left in the tank, there is no question that they have all taken a step back. Brees missed 6 weeks with a thumb injury, Brady has only averaged 7.3 YPA this season which is below the league average, and while Rodgers has been his usual impressive self, he is no longer a top three quarterback. That honor is now beholden three Black quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Deshuan Watson whose play have been incredible beyond measure, and whose importance off the field matters more.

At this point Mahomes is universally recognized as being the top quarterback in the league. As he became just the second Quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns last season, and even though he is currently out with a dislocated knee Mahomes leads the league in yards per game, and has only thrown one interception compared to 16 touchdowns. Mahomes put up these numbers despite only having receivers Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill both available in just one game, and battling a sprained ankle the entire season that limited his mobility.

Wilson is a player whose name has historically been left off of the elite quarterback tier, in spite of the fact he and Tom Brady are the only current starting quarterbacks to have gotten their teams to multiple Super Bowls. Wilson played brilliantly to start the season, and threw for 15 touchdowns before being intercepted for the first time in week 7. Wilson now sits at 20 total touchdowns through week 8, which leads the NFL, as well as leading in passer rating. Wilson’s played smarter and better than any quarterback in the NFL this season, and has posted his impressive stats despite playing on a team that runs on nearly half of their plays which is 29th in the NFL

Then there is Deshaun Watson, who has been described as being Michael Jordan by Jon Gruden following a week 8 matchup against Gruden’s Raiders. The game saw Watson manage to throw a touchdown after getting kicked in the face. Watson showed the ability to beat teams long as he did against the Atlanta Falcons, or beat them with underneath routes like he did against the Chiefs. Watson is also accomplishing all of this despite playing behind an offensive line ranked 22nd in pass protection.

What these quarterbacks mean transcends the confines of a football field as it is an inspiration off of it. In every walk of life Black people have to be better to even be considered in the same breath as their white counterparts, what these men have done has elevated them to be even beyond that. None of them were the first quarterbacks taken in their drafts, and only Wilson was a starter in his first career game. The doubts were high but the production was higher, and these quarterbacks have changed history.

There has never been another time when the top three quarterbacks in the NFL were Black, when Steve Mcnair won the MVP he had to split it with Peyton Manning, and when Cam Newton won he was the only Black quarterback in the top 20 in passing yards. The numbers and the greatness seen by Watson, Mahomes, and Wilson have changed the conversation forever, and Black quarterbacks are now officially the Gold Standard.