Week 15 of the NFL brought a sobering shock for many of the young QBs who had been flying high before landing hard – some of them face-first – on week 15. The New York Jets, The Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens all needed wins to a varying degree to take another all-important step towards the playoffs. They all missed their chance and while QB woes were not the sole factor to blame for their shortfalls, it was definitely a central factor in the equation. Mark Sanchez was quite probably the one who disappointed the most. The Jets do not have a proper run game to protect him and thus his shortcomings are more obvious than they could be under different circumstances. He makes truly abysmal decisions from time to time and he even fumbles the ball every now and then, usually in do or die situations, kind of like he did against the Eagles in the second quarter when his side was down 21-0.
TJ Yates of the Houston Texans also flashed signs of weakness in his team’s loss against the Carolina Panthers. His stat line looked positively awful after the game and if that’s all he can produce against a Panthers-caliber team, he’s unlikely to make any significant damage in the playoffs. Tim Tebow lost control of the game too against the New England Patriots, and those waiting for the last minute explosion had to settle for a disappointing fizzle. The Broncos deficits grew too big in the game and completing only about half of his passes, Tebow failed to provide the spark. With a QB like Brady staring him down on the other end, Tebow simply couldn’t afford to turn the ball over, which is exactly what he did.
Joe Flacco who usually enjoys the benefits of one of the best defenses in the league couldn’t get things going either on Sunday. Given the poker rakeback – like edge Roethlisberger and Brady possess over the above said QBs, and the fact that this edge seems to be expanding every week, chances are we will once again have to settle for some familiar faces come crunch-time.
