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Zay Flowers’ TD Surge: Why His Scores Will Skyrocket This Season
Lamar Jackson’s Low NFL Top 100 Ranking Shows a Double Standard for Quarterbacks
What Is the "NFL Top 100" Anyway?
Imagine all the players in the NFL get together and vote on who the best 100 players are right now. That’s the “NFL Top 100.” It’s like a giant popularity contest, but the voters are the players themselves—not fans, not coaches, not reporters.
This year, the list is being revealed in chunks. So far, we’ve seen spots 100 down to 41.
What Happened to Lamar Jackson?
Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, was ranked No. 69.
Important Point:
Jackson is a two-time MVP (Most Valuable Player)—only a handful of players in history have won that award twice. Last year, he was ranked No. 2.
He dropped 67 spots in one year.
Jackson said he doesn’t care about the ranking—and honestly, he shouldn’t. But Ravens fans? They’re frustrated.
The Joe Burrow Comparison: Why It Feels Unfair
This week, Joe Burrow (quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals) was announced at No. 44.
Let’s put them side by side:
| Stat | Lamar Jackson | Joe Burrow |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Rank | No. 69 | No. 44 |
| 2024 Rank | No. 2 | No. 6 |
| Drop | 67 spots | 38 spots |
| Games Played in 2025 | 13 | 8 |
| Passer Rating | Higher | Lower |
| Deep Ball Rating (20+ yards) | League-best 132.4 | Not league-best |
| Team Defense Rank | 24th (near bottom) | Better |
| Injury | Played on bad hamstring since Week 3 | Injury-hampered season |
Key Takeaway:
Jackson played 5 more games, had better stats, led the league in deep-throw accuracy, dragged a team with a bottom-tier defense to the edge of the playoffs—and did it on one leg.
Yet Burrow, who played half a season, barely dropped.
Other Quarterbacks Ranked Ahead of Jackson (So Far)
As of now, these QBs are ranked higher than Jackson:
- Caleb Williams – No. 51 (Rookie)
- Jalen Hurts – No. 56
- Bo Nix – No. 59 (Rookie)
- Trevor Lawrence – No. 62
- Joe Burrow – No. 44
There are still 40 players left to reveal, and experts guess about 8 more quarterbacks will be on the list. That would push Jackson to roughly QB14—the 14th-best quarterback in the league.
Important Point:
That means players vote that 68 players in the entire NFL are better than Lamar Jackson.
As Ravens defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said:“There may not even be one other player in the league better than Lamar, let alone 68.”
Why Does This Keep Happening to Lamar?
Connor Burke from Ebony Bird put it perfectly:
“When you’re a two-time MVP like Jackson, you can expect to be held to this standard, but that doesn’t mean that it’s fair. It seems that one year of injuries and upsetting results from the team makes people completely forget about what the 29-year-old is capable of.”
Translation: Jackson is judged on a curve.
- Other QBs get credit for potential or past greatness even after bad/injured years.
- Jackson gets punished for one down year—even when his numbers say otherwise.
Summary
- Lamar Jackson ranked No. 69 in the player-voted NFL Top 100—a 67-spot drop from No. 2 last year.
- Joe Burrow ranked No. 44 despite playing only 8 games (vs. Jackson’s 13) and a smaller drop from No. 6.
- Jackson outperformed Burrow in nearly every key stat last season, including best deep-ball rating in the league, while playing on a bad hamstring and carrying a team with a bottom-5 defense.
- Four other QBs (Williams, Hurts, Nix, Lawrence) are already ranked ahead of him.
- With ~8 QBs left to be revealed, Jackson may land around QB14—which many call “laughable.”
- Ravens coach Jesse Minter says there might not be a single player better than Jackson in the whole league.
- The pattern suggests Jackson is held to a harsher standard than other elite quarterbacks.
FAQ
Q: What is the NFL Top 100?
A: It’s an annual list where NFL players vote on the 100 best players in the league right now. It’s released in chunks over several weeks.
Q: Why did Lamar Jackson drop so far?
A: The voting reflects recency bias—players weigh last season heavily. Jackson’s team underperformed, he missed time, and he played hurt. But his actual stats were still elite.
Q: Is Joe Burrow better than Lamar Jackson?
A: Not based on 2025 performance. Jackson played more games, had better efficiency, led the league in deep-ball accuracy, and did it with a worse defense and a lingering injury.
Q: Do these rankings matter?
A: Not officially—they don’t affect contracts, playoffs, or awards. But they shape narratives, respect, and how players are perceived around the league.
Q: Will Jackson use this as motivation?
A: He says he doesn’t care. But if history tells us anything, great competitors remember slights—and Jackson has a long track record of proving doubters wrong.
