No starting QB is perfect — even three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ahead of training camps opening in late July, Yardbarker NFL writers identify the chief weakness of every starting quarterback in the AFC.
AFC East
BUFFALO BILLS | Josh Allen | Playoff failures | Down 32-29 with 3:33 left in last season’s AFC Championship Game, Allen completed one of three passes for five yards on the team’s final drive before turning the ball over on downs to Kansas City. Overall, Allen’s playoff numbers are good (302-for-460, 65.7 completion %, 25 TD passes), but until the $330M QB puts the team on his shoulders and carries it to the Super Bowl, it’s fair to assume he won’t.
MIAMI DOLPHINS | Tua Tagovailoa | Injury history | Tagovailoa has missed 20 games with injuries in his first five seasons, including six in 2024. When healthy, the 27-year-old looks every bit the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but with four documented concussions since 2019 (one with Alabama), Dolphins fans should cross their fingers whenever their QB takes the field.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | Drake Maye | Turnovers | Maye fumbled nine times (losing six) and had 13 interceptions in 12 starts last season, ranking him 59th among 75 QBs, per Pro Football Focus. He also threw four interceptions in the team’s first OTA practice, something new head coach Mike Vrabel will address when New England opens camp July 22.
NEW YORK JETS | Justin Fields | Past performance | Fields has shown flashes since joining the league as the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. But few first-round picks, especially QBs, find themselves playing for three teams in their first five years, as Fields has. After three uninspiring years with the Bears, Fields threw for five touchdowns in six starts for the Steelers before being benched for Russell Wilson in 2024. — Bruce Ewing
AFC West
DENVER BRONCOS | Bo Nix | Intermediate accuracy | Nix finished third in 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, but he left meat on the bone in the intermediate passing game last season. According to PFF, in 17 regular-season starts, he completed 51.5 percent of his intermediate passes — throws that travel 10-19 yards downfield — 34th among 43 eligible QBs (minimum 105 passing attempts).
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | Patrick Mahomes | Easier to stop when he holds the ball | In a story published Feb. 3, The Athletic’s Mike Sando reported Mahomes is 2-8 in the playoffs and regular season when his average time to throw is 3.31 seconds or more (per TruMedia). In a 40-22 loss in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mahomes averaged 3.24 seconds to throw (via Pro Football Focus), his longest release time last postseason.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | Geno Smith | Interception-prone | Over his past three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Smith tossed 11 interceptions or more twice. He must be less prone to picks for the Raiders, who signed him to a two-year, $75M contract extension this offseason.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | Justin Herbert | Poor postseason play | In five seasons with the Chargers, Herbert is 0-2 in the playoffs. In his postseason losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, he completed 52 percent of his passes for two touchdown passes and tossed four interceptions. — Clark Dalton
AFC North
BALTIMORE RAVENS | Lamar Jackson | The playoff narrative | Jackson took big steps to change this narrative with a strong postseason showing in 2024, but the reality is that his performance and production in the playoffs has not matched his MVP-level regular- season performances. He is only 3-5 in eight postseason starts with an 84.6 passer rating (down from 102 in the regular season).
CINCINNATI BENGALS | Joe Burrow | He’s playing in the wrong situation | The biggest issue with Burrow has nothing to do with Burrow himself, because he’s as good as any in the NFL. It’s that he might simply be stuck in the wrong situation to win a championship. In the AFC, he must top Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Plus, he plays for a franchise that doesn’t have a top-notch defense to give him a shot in the playoffs.
CLEVELAND BROWNS | Joe Flacco | He’s not a long-term answer | In typical Browns fashion, their biggest QB issue is the reality they just don’t have a QB, from both a short- and long-term perspective. We are assuming Flacco ends up winning the starting job to open the season over Kenny Pickett and the rookies (Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel), but that can’t excite anybody in Cleveland or raise expectations beyond four or five wins.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS | Aaron Rodgers | He’s just not good anymore | The 41-year-old is one of the best and most accomplished QBs in the history of the NFL. But the harsh reality for the Steelers is that Rodgers is just a shell of the QB he once was. As a starter over his past two full seasons (and one game in 2023), he is 14-21. — Adam Gretz
AFC South
HOUSTON TEXANS | C.J. Stroud | Handling pressure | Stroud was sacked 52 times last season, the second most in the NFL behind only Chicago rookie Caleb Williams. The Texans have major offensive line questions again heading into 2025, so Stroud may be forced to improve his decision making, even if handling pressure is not necessarily a weakness. The majority of the sacks Stroud took last season were not his fault, but he must find ways to get his pass protectors in the right spots before the snap.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | Daniel Jones | Doesn’t take risks | Jones has a tendency to shy away from throwing the ball downfield, which severely limited the Giants’ offense when he was their starter. He became even more conservative after throwing 22 interceptions in his first 27 NFL games. Even with an explosive playmaker at his disposal last season in Malik Nabers, Jones still favored the short passing game.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | Trevor Lawrence | Turnovers | Lawrence has 46 interceptions and 22 lost fumbles in 60 games. Though injuries were his biggest issue last season, he still had seven interceptions in 10 games. Lawrence is entering his fifth NFL season and playing under a $275M contract, so he must do a much better job protecting the football.
TENNESSEE TITANS | Cam Ward | The rookie factor | Starting as a rookie QB in the NFL is one of the more difficult undertakings in sports. Ward is surrounded by a solid collection of skill-position players in WRs Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett and RB Tony Pollard, but the No. 1 overall pick is going to make plenty of mistakes. The way he bounces back from them will ultimately determine how he fares in his first NFL season. — Steve DelVecchio
