Assessing QB situations from Super Wild Card Weekend: Dolphins have big decision ahead, Packers in great hands

The NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend is nearly in the books, with four different teams advancing on Saturday and Sunday, including the upstart Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. Whether close games or blowouts, each contest has added some important context to quarterback situations around the league. Who’s upped their stock? Whose future is muddier than before?

Here’s our instant assessment of each QB situation from this week’s wild-card playoff games:

The Joe Flacco experience is over, probably for good. Magical as his fearless gunslinging may have been late in the year, the 38-year-old effectively reaffirmed his backup status with a multi-turnover dud against Houston, hence coach Kevin Stefanski talking up Deshaun Watson’s rehab in post-game media availability. Watson has plenty of his own questions, but unless he has significant physical setbacks this offseason, you can forget about any kind of Flacco encore, at least in a starting role.

Jerry Jones is due to pay a bittersweet price for Dak Prescott. There are two realities at play here: 1.) Prescott was thoroughly outplayed by Jordan Love in yet another embarrassing playoff loss Sunday, exacerbating questions about his big-stage effectiveness; 2.) Prescott showcased MVP-caliber play for much of 2023, and his contract — with a ridiculous $59.5 million 2024 salary-cap hit, and a future no-tag clause — all but guarantees he’ll be extended again, unless Jones gets wild and shops him.

Detroit Lions

Jared Goff is a local hero, for now. Matthew Stafford spent 12 years gutting it out for Detroit. He’ll always be a Lion, in many fans’ eyes. But Goff needed just three seasons to do what Stafford never could: lead a playoff victory as the Lions’ QB. That’s a testament to Detroit’s roster construction and coaching, but it also speaks to Goff’s resilience, sharpening his already-accurate arm even after arriving as a perceived throwaway…

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Author : Cody Benjamin

Publish date : 2024-01-15 18:59:04

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