The quarterback position is by far the most important on the football field. As we’ve seen with about a dozen NFL teams, losing a quarterback could mean the end of the season. Some teams have rallied but there still remains that question mark.
The NFL is home to a select number of elite quarterbacks. Guys like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow (injured) come to mind but even Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, and potential future greats like Trevor Lawrence could lead their teams to greatness. However, if the situation is right, a team could still take home the Lombardi Trophy with a quarterback not among the elites…yet.
4 Non-Elite Quarterbacks Who Could Win the Super Bowl
Brock Purdy
Quite possibly the quarterback with the most around him, Brock Purdy could certainly win the Super Bowl with his San Francisco 49ers. Despite being the final pick of his draft, the best sportsbook promotions have him as one of the MVP candidates for the year. However, he doesn’t have much that sets him apart from the crowd.
Purdy has played very well this year. Statistically, he’s among those aforementioned elite players. However, he is a member of, arguably, the best roster in the NFL. With weapons like Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle on offense and one of the league’s best defenses on the other side, the 49ers can sleepwalk their way to the NFC Championship…as they did last year.
It cannot be understated that Purdy is a very good quarterback. However, as with the rest of this list, his team doesn’t win because of Purdy, they win with him. San Francisco could like McCaffrey up at quarterback and just run wildcat and would still manage to win the NFC West.
Tua Tagovailoa
The former fifth-overall pick has been at his best in 2023. As with Purdy, Tagovailoa has been playing well but he’s surrounded by some of the best weapons in all of football. Tyreek Hill has been having an MVP-type of season and is on pace to smash records at receiver. Even though he has missed time, Jaylen Waddle has stepped up and Miami didn’t even miss a step.
In the backfield, the Dolphins have a pair of elite track stars in Devon Achane and Raheem Mostert. Seriously, this team could at the very least compete at the highest level in track and field. Tagovailoa has thrown for 3,921 yards through 14 games. He’s second in the NFL in yards after the catch with 1,787. Hill, Waddle, Achane, and Mostert have just as much claim to fame as Tagovailoa.
It should be commended that Tagovailoa has had to overcome a middle-of-the-road defense but when you’re scoring 31.5 points per game (28.5 if you take out that 70-point thrashing), it makes things significantly easier.
Still, with that offense, Miami has a great chance of getting out of the AFC and competing in the Super Bowl.
Joe Flacco
Usually when Joe Flacco and Elite are in the same sentence, it’s mocking him for saying that he was elite as a member of the Ravens. All these years later, it’s safe to say he’s still not among the elites despite winning Super Bowl XLVII with Baltimore.
In Week 15, the Browns got a taste of who they are with Flacco. And, while he was able to get the job done against a bottom-five team in the NFL, it was a grind. That grind was also rewarded by multiple drops by the Bears against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
If Flacco were to win the Super Bowl with this Browns team, it would be the most impressive feat. Cleveland is dealing with injuries left and right but they are still getting it done. Flacco is the ideal game manager but he also still has a cannon for an arm to take the top off of the defense.
With that elite defense, Flacco and the Browns will be able to comfortably get into the playoffs. Defense wins championships, as they say, and Flacco has one of the best to lean on.
Geno Smith
Geno Smith may not have written the NFL back after it wrote him off but despite how he’s played of late, he’s not among the elites. However, he has been playing quite well and that can’t be ignored.
Through 14 games (12 games played), Smith has thrown for 2,918 yards and 15 touchdowns. He’s been able to do great things with this Seattle offense with D.K. Metcalf out wide and Jaxon Smith-Njigba starting to grow into his own.
Getting to the playoffs has to be the most important thing on Smith’s mind after taking care of the Eagles in Week 15. With three games against bad or faltering teams remaining, Smith has a prime opportunity to get hot. Sometimes the Super Bowl winner isn’t the best team but rather the hottest. With Smith at the helm, the Seahawks can get hot, pull a couple of upsets on the road, and hoist the Lombardi.
Main Image: Jim Rassol / USA TODAY NETWORK
