It's a tough road for
all of the quarterbacks, let alone the guys who haven't won a
Super Bowl. There are a lot of hot teams still in the mix, and perhaps the most complete team is the
Kansas City Chiefs. They don't have a lot of holes. However, I don't see
Alex Smith and Co. beating New England. And I'm not so sure they can beat the
Steelers
on Sunday. In the NFC,
Matt Ryan has a pretty good shot, since there is no real dominant team. But again, I just don't think the
Falcons will end up with the Lombardi Trophy.
The four playoff teams that have won titles in the last 15 years not only have great, experienced quarterbacks, but fine coordinators. It's going to be tough for any of the newcomers to get past these teams.
Absolutely. I think
Dak Prescott has the best chance, even as a rookie. He is in a perfect situation with
Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield running behind a great offensive line. Prescott plays like a veteran and the size of the stage hasn't thrown him yet. From what I've seen this season, he's not affected by pressure or adversity and he's embraced every moment of leading this
Cowboys team. Dallas has played well enough to go deep in the playoffs, and I think we'll see Prescott take a big step forward in the coming weeks.
Never say never ... but it's hard to go against any of the previous winners, from what I'm seeing. This time of year is all about which teams are peaking, which teams prepare the best and which teams know how to play in the postseason. When I look at these eight teams, Green Bay, New England and Pittsburgh are playing some of the best football
right now. The Divisional Round is much more intense than Wild Card Weekend, and these three franchises and their QBs know what it takes to keep moving forward.
Not a chance.
Aaron Rodgers and
Tom Brady are playing too well right now, and the one NFC team that threatened the
Packers the most was the
Giants. Well, now they're out. Atlanta and Dallas have played well at times this season, but I'll never trust the deficiencies of their defenses. The
Cowboys could give the
Packers or
Patriots fits, but
Dak Prescott will see new things he didn't face in the regular season. I doubt he's going to be able to carry the
Cowboys to a title.
I don't think there will be a first-time winner this year. No matter how hard you try, you can't get ready for playoff football if you're not used to it. The atmosphere is unlike any other, and the quarterbacks who have won the
Super Bowl in previous years -- Rodgers, Brady, Roethlisberger and Wilson -- all know how to handle the magnitude of the next few weeks.
