The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks had the bye weeks in their respective conferences this postseason, meaning this weekend will be our first chance to see them in action. Both teams boast strong defenses that should give them a chance against any opponent, but also have big questions at quarterback that could hold them back.
Sam Darnold needs to show he can shine on biggest stage
In Darnold’s case, there is no denying what he has been able to do over the past two regular seasons in leading the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings into surprising 14-win seasons. He completely re-invented his career after washing out with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, and has taken advantage of some good situations with talented pass-catchers around him.
Now he just needs to show he can get the job done in the playoffs. It might be even more difficult given the injury news regarding him on Thursday.
The two biggest games Darnold has played in so far in his career were the Vikings’ Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions that decided the NFC North and the NFC’s top-seed, and then the playoff game that followed. They were his two worst games of the season as the Vikings were blown out in both of them.
He cannot have a repeat of that on Sunday against a San Francisco 49ers defense that has had very little pass-rush this season and is extremely vulnerable.
A big performance and a Seahawks win can help re-write Darnold’s narrative.
A bad performance and a loss will keep the questions regarding whether he is good enough to win a Super Bowl with lingering around.
Broncos will need Bo Nix to step up
If you were to rank the remaining eight quarterbacks in the playoffs it would probably be a popular consensus to put Nix at the bottom of the rankings.
He has held his own over his first two years in the NFL and looks to be a solid starting NFL quarterback. When he is good, he can be really good. But when he is bad, he can become a liability for the Broncos.
That level of inconsistency can create some concern going into the playoffs, especially when a league MVP — and arguably the best quarterback still in the playoffs — is lining up on the other side in Buffalo Bills starter Josh Allen.
Nix finished the regular season averaging just 6.4 yards per pass attempt and only an 87.8 passer rating, both numbers are the lowest among the playoff quarterbacks still remaining. Denver’s defense can take the Broncos a long way, but if they are going to outscore what Allen can do and get back to the Super Bowl they are going to need a lot more from their offense and their quarterback.
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