QB Index, Week 13: Seven players with most to prove down the stretch

Young's career in Carolina was all but over when coach Dave Canales benched him for Andy Dalton in Week 3. Young had failed to prove he was worthy of further investment at that time because he hadn't shown significant signs of growth over his first 18 games of his career. Then, Dalton was involved in a car accident that caused a thumb injury, forcing Young back into the lineup. He's capitalized, showing improvement over the last month and posting a 5:3 TD-to-INT ratio. More importantly, Young is finally using the athletic tools that sold the Panthers on him as the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft, extending plays and appearing much more comfortable amid the chaos of a pass drop. He's throwing with confidence and inspiring the Panthers, who are playing with much more energy with Young in the lineup. For the first time, it's possible to envision a future with Young, who nearly led the Panthers to a massive upset win over the Chiefs in Week 12. He can solidify his standing with the organization by continuing to perform as such for the remainder of the season, regardless of individual game result.

Richardson's numbers have been more up and down than a roller coaster, so much that he was benched after a rough outing in a close loss to Houston, in which he infamously asked to take a play off due to being exhausted. Since then, the Colts learned they aren't any better off with Joe Flacco and have reverted back to Richardson for their last two games, going 1-1. Richardson has been similarly inconsistent, completing 66.7 percent of his passes and scoring three total touchdowns in a Week 11 victory before completing just 11 of 28 passes for 172 yards in a 24-6 loss to Detroit -- which was admittedly not as ugly as the numbers suggest. Richardson's outlook received a boost when Flacco flopped, but in order to properly secure his future as the franchise quarterback of the Colts, he'll need to prove himself as a reliable starter. He has five games to do so to send the Colts into the offseason with less worry -- and perhaps mount a late playoff push, too.

Let me get this out of the way first: Cousins is playing well enough to justify Atlanta's decision to pay him $45 million per season over four years. He's brought stability to a position that lacked it since the twilight of the Matt Ryan era. But the Falcons' selection of Michael Penix Jr. in April's draft started a clock on Cousins' tenure with the team, and this season's conclusion may factor into it. At 6-5, the Falcons are seated atop the NFC South, but own a narrow one-game lead over the feisty Buccaneers and have lost two straight games, with Cousins posting a 0:2 TD-INT ratio in those losses. He's also remarkably immobile, to the point that Atlanta has all but abandoned play action in its offensive approach -- though, we could see more of it out of the bye week. Though he can still rip it, signs of his age are slowly emerging, and with Penix seated behind him, Cousins needs to finish this season on a positive note, which might require reaching the playoffs to cement his status as the Falcons' starter entering 2025. Otherwise, don't be surprised if the Falcons open up a competition in training camp next summer.

There was, at minimum, a decent chance Darnold might not begin the 2024 season as the Vikings' starter -- that is, until rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury. There was an even slimmer chance Darnold would enjoy as much success as he has, starting the campaign by routinely lighting up defenses with a level of comfort previously unseen in his NFL career. Gone were the ghosts that once haunted him in New York, and in their place was a confidence that propelled Darnold to new heights. He descended some after a hot start, though, producing a couple of clunkers (14-of-31, one INT in a win over the Jets; 24-of-38, three INTs in a win over the Jaguars), leading some to wonder whether he's playing on borrowed time. To Darnold's credit, he's steadied the ship of late, completing 42 of 66 passes for four touchdowns in Minnesota's last two wins. But with McCarthy in line to return in 2025, we're likely headed toward at least a consideration of a camp competition next summer -- unless Darnold catches fire again down the stretch and leads the Vikings on a deep playoff run.

Stafford has been incredibly difficult to pin down in 2024, producing performances in which he has single-handedly thrown the Rams to wins in some weeks, and hurting them by trying to play hero in others. Los Angeles' recent run of difficulties worries me about his future, too. He was magnificent in a win over the lowly Patriots but bookended that game with a struggle-filled loss to Miami, in which he was surprisingly inconsistent, and a dispiriting loss to the Eagles in Week 12. Stafford clearly still has the talent to lead a team to victory in this league, but he's also had his fair share of injuries over the last five or so years, turns 37 in February and isn't being protected all that well this season. His future is tied to the Rams' general outlook, and because they don't have a replacement on the roster, I feel as though he'll be with them in 2025. But if they choose to move him while he still has value, there would be interested parties (and associated cap relief). I wonder whether general manager Les Snead might be tempted to pick up the phone, especially if the Rams come to realize they're not quite in a position to chase a title next season.

Before I can dive into Stroud's 2024 season, I must first make this clear: Houston has done him a disservice in the pass protection department. Stroud is constantly under pressure, and the lack of effective pass blocking has undercut the Texans' entire offensive approach. He's trying to overcome it and has at times, but his recent outings indicate he might be trying too hard to be the hero and is stuck in his own head. His interceptions thrown in the Texans' loss to the Titans were a prime example, and they weren't the first such instances this season. What we know about Stroud is that when protected, he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, utilizing laser-like accuracy and a quick release to shred defenses. He just hasn't found that rhythm consistently this season, and time is starting to run out. His job is not at risk; the Texans' playoff aspirations, however, are.

Levis plays with an immense amount of passion and desire, two qualities every team will seek in a quarterback. Those qualities have also driven him to make some mind-numbing mistakes that have cost the Titans wins this season. Levis also is a fearless runner, occasionally to his own detriment (see: the shoulder injury suffered on a scramble in Tennessee's win over Miami). Since he's returned from injury, Levis has largely reined himself in, avoiding crushing mistakes in most outings. His pick-six against Houston in Week 12 was admittedly ugly, but that unsightly play was outweighed by a few gorgeous deep passes to Calvin Ridley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in a wild affair that led to an upset road win. The deep balls have become more common for Levis, and frankly, he was very sharp last week. He just needs to do it consistently, because if he's going to convince the Titans to continue investing in him beyond 2024, it has to happen in these final six games.