It's a tough road for all of the quarterbacks, let alone the guys who haven't won a Super Bowl. There are a lot of hot teams still in the mix, and perhaps the most complete team is the Kansas City Chiefs. They don't have a lot of holes. However, I don't see Alex Smith and Co. beating New England. And I'm not so sure they can beat the Steelers on Sunday. In the NFC, Matt Ryan has a pretty good shot, since there is no real dominant team. But again, I just don't think the Falcons will end up with the Lombardi Trophy.
The four playoff teams that have won titles in the last 15 years not only have great, experienced quarterbacks, but fine coordinators. It's going to be tough for any of the newcomers to get past these teams. Absolutely. I think Dak Prescott has the best chance, even as a rookie. He is in a perfect situation with Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield running behind a great offensive line. Prescott plays like a veteran and the size of the stage hasn't thrown him yet. From what I've seen this season, he's not affected by pressure or adversity and he's embraced every moment of leading this Cowboys team. Dallas has played well enough to go deep in the playoffs, and I think we'll see Prescott take a big step forward in the coming weeks. Never say never ... but it's hard to go against any of the previous winners, from what I'm seeing. This time of year is all about which teams are peaking, which teams prepare the best and which teams know how to play in the postseason. When I look at these eight teams, Green Bay, New England and Pittsburgh are playing some of the best football right now. The Divisional Round is much more intense than Wild Card Weekend, and these three franchises and their QBs know what it takes to keep moving forward. Not a chance. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are playing too well right now, and the one NFC team that threatened the Packers the most was the Giants. Well, now they're out. Atlanta and Dallas have played well at times this season, but I'll never trust the deficiencies of their defenses. The Cowboys could give the Packers or Patriots fits, but Dak Prescott will see new things he didn't face in the regular season. I doubt he's going to be able to carry the Cowboys to a title. I don't think there will be a first-time winner this year. No matter how hard you try, you can't get ready for playoff football if you're not used to it. The atmosphere is unlike any other, and the quarterbacks who have won the Super Bowl in previous years -- Rodgers, Brady, Roethlisberger and Wilson -- all know how to handle the magnitude of the next few weeks.