NFL Power Rankings: 5 Contenders Who Will Be Undone by Their Quarterbacks

They say that the quarterback position is the most important position in all sports.

That's probably because it is. And if you're lucky enough to have a good one, odds are he's going to take you far. Most Super Bowl-winning teams can vouch.

At the same time, a given team need not have won a Super Bowl in order to vouch for that. That's because there have been numerous teams throughout NFL history who were good, but just not quite good enough thanks to the fact they were headed by a subpar quarterback.

It's going to happen this year. And if I had to take a guess—and I do—my guess is that the five teams listed below will be the ones who are undone by their quarterbacks.

5. Seattle Seahawks, Tarvaris Jackson

I was hesitant to even include the Seahawks on their list because I'm not to sure they are a contender. But because they are the defending NFC West champs, I guess they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

For some reason, the Seahawks decided to give former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson the benefit of the doubt this offseason. After they did that, they gave him a contract worth $8 million over two years.

For that, they got a guy with a career QB rating of 76.6. And in the preseason, Jackson has looked like anything but the answer at quarterback.

The Seahawks are about to find that out in the regular season too.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars, David Garrard/Blaine Gabbert

Like the Seahawks, it may seem foolish to label the Jaguars as contenders. After all, they haven't made the playoffs since 2007.

Ah yes, they had a shot to win the AFC South late last year, but ended up losing each of their final three games. Until further notice, they're in the division picture.

But thanks to Jacksonville's quarterback situation, that's probably not going to last. David Garrard has had the job for a couple of years now, but he's suddenly on shaky ground thanks to the presence of rookie QB Blaine Gabbert.

Moreover, you have to worry about Garrard's health. He's experienced back issues in the last month, and those might just crop up during the regular season. That will be Gabbert's chance to play a starring role.

Either way, it's hard to imagine the Jaguars coming out on top.

3. Chicago Bears, Jay Cutler

I'll be the first to admit it: Jay Cutler gets a bad rap. His reputation suggests he's a terrible quarterback with the pain tolerance of a three-year-old girl, but he's actually pretty decent.

But Cutler is just that. Decent. He's had some good years in his young career, but no great years.

With a tough schedule ahead of them this season, the Bears could certainly use a great season. One of those would also come in terms of beating out the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North crown as well.

But alas, it's just not gonna happen.

2. New York Giants, Eli Manning

Eli Manning is another guy who gets a bad rap. Apparently, a Super Bowl victory is not a good answer to the question, "What have you done for me lately?"

This year, though, Manning is going to be charged with doing a lot of things for the Giants. They saw some key players walk away in free agency, and they saw several more go down with injuries during the preseason.

In order to save face and make the playoffs, the Giants need Manning to make good on his insistence that he is in the same class as Tom Brady.

But he isn't, so he won't.

1. New York Jets, Mark Sanchez

There are times when Mark Sanchez can truly amaze you, and there are times when he can totally befuddle you.

Unfortunately for the Jets, the latter occurrence has happened far too often in the first two years of Sanchez's career. The hope, obviously, is that he can put his inconsistencies aside in his third season, which is when young quarterbacks typically find their stride.

He might... but I'll believe it when I see it. And because the Jets are due to play a very tough schedule this year, I have a feeling I won't see it.