One QB’s career will change forever — unless Matthew Stafford wins Super Bowl

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has played like a guy who has already bagged a Lombardi Trophy. The rest of the field is a lot younger, including Caleb Williams. But if Stafford doesn’t win this year’s Super Bowl, one quarterback’s career will change forever.

The 37-year-old Stafford still has a great shot. If the Rams beat the Bears on the road in the Divisional Round, you have to give them a strong chance to knock off the 49ers or Seahawks. And if Stafford gets to the Super Bowl again, it’s hard not to see him leading his team to the title.

But if he doesn’t, man oh man, the opportunity is there. Allen is 29, Sam Darnold is 28, and Brock Purdy is 26. They’ve all been around for a minute, but none of them has broken through the Super Bowl barrier.

The rest of the bunch? Young guns who don’t seem ready. Let’s take a look at how there’s a big chance to chart a new and unchangeable course for everybody but Stafford.

Is Bills QB Josh Allen destined to be Dan Marino 2.0?

There’s nothing similar about their games, but Marino didn’t win the big one. Marino was great at his position, but simply couldn’t find a path to a title.

Allen has been awesome. The 2024 MVP is a four-time Pro Bowler. But he has been knocking at the door for so long that he looks a little pathetic on the wrong side.

If he gets a title this year, the narrative changes for good. Look at Aaron Rodgers. One title. And yet he’s considered one of the best to ever play quarterback.

Allen could silence all of the doubters, for good.

Is Seahawks QB Sam Darnold a lifetime journeyman?

It’s hard not to look at him that way. He played with the Jets (3 years), Panthers (2 years), 49ers (1 year), Vikings (1 year), and now the Seahawks. Darnold is such a journeyman that it seems almost impossible he could win the Super Bowl.

But he’s in a great position. He may never get to this spot again. It’s now or never to change his NFL perspective.

The good news for Darnold is that he has plenty of help from that Seahawks’ defense. And that defense is the reason he actually has a chance.

Can Brock Purdy get over the hump?

He’s different from the other young quarterbacks on this list. He has been to the Super Bowl and played great when he got there. Against the Chiefs, he went 24 of 39 for 272 yards with two touchdowns in an overtime loss.

Unfortunately, the 49ers may not be healthy enough to get Purdy back to the Super Bowl this year. If they do, with a victory, Purdy elevates to a level that will likely stay with him. He’s already 5-2 in the playoffs. A mark of 8-2 would be an other worldly start to his career.

So who is the best of the young guns?

Probably the youngest guy, at least in terms of readiness to play well enough on this stage. Drake Maye of the Patriots just has the look of a steady postseason performer.

Of the four young guys, he’s the one who would be the least surprising to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Here’s the ranking, in terms of who would be least shocking:

• 1. Maye (23 years old)
• 2. Williams (24)
• 3. Bo Nix (24)
• 4. C.J. Stroud (25)

Stroud’s mistakes in the playoff opener against the Steelers make him a shaky bet to come up big time this postseason.

Meanwhile, Nix hasn’t played a playoff game this year. But he was “ick” worthy in his first playoff appearance in 2024. He completed just 13 passes and threw for 144 yards. He looks more poised this year, but there’s still a lot to prove.

As for Williams, he looked the part against the Packers. And he also didn’t look the part. Yes, he threw for 361 yards with two touchdowns. But he also had as many incomplete passes, and he had completions. Also, he threw a pair of interceptions.

And you can make a case that his fourth-down completion to Rome Odunze in the fourth quarter was little more than luck. He was falling backwards and threw a dime with an accuracy he simply doesn’t possess regularly. And his next two passes after that game-changing toss were incomplete.

Still, winning it all in his second season is something that would be his calling card throughout his career.

Perhaps the most entertaining Super Bowl would be Stafford versus Allen. But if neither of those guys makes it, somebody is going to shock the NFL world.

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