3. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans exploded onto the scene in the 2023 season. Stroud enjoyed an electric rookie season and appeared to be on track to cement himself as an elite passer in this league, but he's been thoroughly average the past two seasons, and he's not been given a long-term deal, which is one of the goals here.
Had Stroud played well, the Texans surely would have backed up the money truck to sign him to a long-term deal, so for financial reasons, Stroud is under a mountain of pressure, but with how good the Texans roster is, this team could be playing in February, but the biggest question will continue to be Stroud's performance until he puts those concerns to bed.
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson is a future Hall of Fame QB and the best dual-threat QB of all-time with all the regular season accomplishments you could possibly want, but his production craters in the playoffs, and with Jackson slowly getting up there in age, coupled with his dual-threat style of play, each year becomes that much more important.
He's a generational talent with virtually zero playoff success, and until Baltimore can get over the hump, we'll keep having the same conversations. Jackson may go down as an all-time talent of any position, but it'll continue to be a dark cloud of 'what if' if he can't lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl.
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Much of the same arguments for Jackson being on this list apply to Josh Allen, who tops our power rankings. Believe it or not, Allen has the most wins of any QB in the history of the league to have not also appeared in the Super Bowl.
Buffalo's playoff heartbreaks are well-documented, and while most of them have come against Kansas City, the latest one was at the hands of the Denver Broncos. It's almost unbelievable how much the Bills have choked in the playoffs, and with Allen having accomplished virtually everything else possible, the only remaining accomplishment Allen and the Bills do not have is that Super Bowl.
And with Allen slowly beginning to get up there in age, the years are becoming more and more urgent.
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