If you are watching the NFL in 2025, you are watching two quarterbacks take over the league. Jalen Hurts has turned winning into a habit. Baker Mayfield has turned comebacks into an art form. Both are 3-0. Both are playing some of the best football of their careers. And both are demanding your attention every Sunday. And yet, when the conversation turns to trust, to who you want with the ball in their hands, season on the line, one name keeps coming up first.

NFL analyst Ryan Clark revealed his stance on the QB competition during the September 26 episode of First Take. “Well, answer is Jalen Hurts and at some point we all just have to acknowledge,” he said. “All he does is win games, last 20 games, he is 18 and 2. He is 17 and 0 in games he started and finished.” Well, no doubt, Hurts is a phenomenal athlete. However, Clark then snubbed Mayfield, choosing Hurts for his Super Bowl pedigree.

“Cool, Baker Mayfield has three comebacks this year,” he continued. “It ain’t my fault they always put him in a bad position. It ain’t my fault that you got to do it more.” And then came the real separator. “The point is, when you have to do it, do you do it? Do you do it well? Do you do it at the highest level? And can you do it in the biggest moments? All I know, I have seen Jalen Hurts two times in Super Bowls be the best player in the world. That matters to me.” The numbers back it up.

Baker Mayfield is off to a scorching start. 61 completions on 99 attempts for 615 yards, six touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 99.5 passer rating. He has led three straight close wins, including a 29-27 thriller over the Jets. Add in 116 rushing yards at 12 rushing attempts, and he has been the definition of clutch for Tampa Bay. But Jalen Hurts is right there with him.

55 of 77 passing attempts for 479 yards, three touchdowns, no picks, and a 100.5 rating. And he has been even more dangerous on the ground. 32 rushes for 117 yards, along with four rushing touchdowns, consistently turning red zone trips into points. The difference? Baker is proving he belongs among the league’s elite. Jalen has already proved it on the biggest stage, thanks to his Super Bowl win and appearances.

“Baker Mayfield is an absolute baller playing at an All-Pro level, playing at an MVP level,” Clark further added. “And you give me a fourth quarter opportunity with a team that has to win the game, I’m taking Jalen Hurts first.” Jalen Hurts is a notch above the rest. As per Clark, the only QB better than him is Patrick Mahomes. “And the only person I take above him is Patrick Mahomes….Even if you love Josh Allen, even if you love Lamar Jackson, I take Jalen Hurts in the biggest, most important moments to be his best self because I’ve seen it over and over again.”

So, Mayfield and others need to work hard. However, for now, he is happy that the team won against the Jets, recalling a personal incident.

Baker Mayfield still isn’t over the Carolina snub

It’s not just always gamesmanship; sometimes, your emotions also get involved. Tampa Bay’s 29-27 thriller over the Jets wasn’t just another win. Baker Mayfield harbored many feelings from his past. After the game, Baker didn’t hold back. He called the win “personal,” a clear nod to Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, the man who was Carolina’s interim head coach when Mayfield was waived in 2022. He said, “Their D-coordinator was the one that cut me in Carolina.”

At that time in 2022, Mayfield suffered a high ankle sprain and was waived by Carolina after going 1-5. Two days later, he led the Rams to a miracle 98-yard game-winning drive on Thursday Night Football. That was the start of his redemption arc. Fast forward to now, this week, Wilks fired back politely but pointedly. “A lot of respect for Baker,” he said. “Tremendous football player and he’s doing a hell of a job with those guys down there.” Then came the reminder.

“I don’t really think an interim coach has that much authority over personnel. If that was the case, I would’ve never gotten rid of our best player, Christian McCaffrey.” Steve Wilks stepped in after Matt Rhule was fired just five games into the season, and within days, the Panthers made the stunning move to send Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers. Ten days into his interim role, Wilks also had to make another tough call, benching Baker Mayfield.

At the time, he admitted it wasn’t easy. “This is a tough business. Sitting in this seat, it was a tough decision on my part, but something I felt like was the best move for the team moving forward.” Since then, Baker has worked on his play and now has led Tampa Bay undefeated at 3-0. Sunday wasn’t just a win. It was closure. And maybe, the start of something even bigger.