NFL Week 3: 5 NFL Quarterbacks with Something to Prove

Heading into Week 3 of NFL action, there are several teams needing better quarterback play if they are going to contend for the playoffs.

But contending for the playoffs probably isn’t the only thing on the minds of some quarterbacks.

Guys like Donovan McNabb and Tarvaris Jackson need to worry about keeping their jobs, while guys like Matt Schaub and Sam Bradford need to prove they can take their teams to the next level.

Here are five NFL quarterbacks with something to prove in Week 3.

Sam Bradford—St. Louis Rams

Sam Bradford is going to be a good NFL quarterback for many, many years.

But this year, the Rams need to win the weak NFC West to inspire confidence for the future.

They’ve already dropped their first two games against the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants and have another tough test in the Baltimore Ravens this week.

This team needs to start beating good teams if they want to be a playoff threat, and Bradford needs to start winning games and making the players around him better.

Tarvaris Jackson—Seattle Seahawks

Tarvaris Jackson finally is a starting quarterback again.

But he hasn’t exactly earned the right to continue starting with the way he’s played this season. If he doesn’t pick up his game soon, the Seahawks will probably have to give Charlie Whitehurst a shot.

And if they continue to get bad play from the quarterback position, they’ll be in a good position to land Andrew Luck next year, meaning Jackson’s starting job will be gone once again.

Matt Schaub—Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a very talented team on paper, but they haven’t been able translate that talent into a winning season, let alone a playoff appearance.

This year is a make-or-break year for the Texans. The Colts are without Peyton Manning, so the AFC South is up for grabs.

If the Texans don’t grab a playoff spot this year, Schaub and the Texans will have to look at the season as a major failure.

They play the New Orleans Saints this weekend, so that will be a good measure of just how far the Texans have come.

Matt Cassel—Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs have been decimated by injuries this year—they have already lost safety Eric Berry on defense and Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki on offense.

But this team made the playoffs in 2010 and their fans have high expectations.

Cassel needs to prove he has what it takes to keep the Chiefs competitive in 2011. He’s not off to a good start though—the Chiefs have been outscored 89-10 through two games.

Donovan McNabb—Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings insist Donovan McNabb is their starting quarterback, but I don’t see how they can stick with him much longer with the numbers he’s put up this season.

He’s completed just over 55 percent of his passes and has only thrown for one touchdown and 267 yards in two games.

The NFL has become a quarterback’s league, so the Vikings won’t win very much if they don’t start getting better production from that position.