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NFL playoffs 2014 results: More evidence a good QB is necessary

The NFL's Wild Card weekend has concluded and more than ever the games showed why a good quarterback is necessary to a team's success when it matters. SB Nation 2014 NFL Playoff Coverage

John Grieshop

The NFL's wildcard weekend came to a close with three out of four road teams winning, and for the most part the team's with the better quarterback winning. It was another stamp on the belief that all the success in the NFL stems from the ability of the quarterback that the team has in place.

This isn't to say that Colin Kaepernick is better than Aaron Rodgers, as in that particular case I think the San Francisco 49ers happen to have the better overall team, plus a really good quarterback.

But again, it emphasized the necessity of the quarterback position.

I'm not trying to pile on Andy Dalton, because I know he'll catch enough grief from Cincinnati Bengals fans as is, but he's the prime case of how you can get yourself stuck in QB purgatory by settling on the position. Dalton isn't necessarily a bad quarterback, he's just a quarterback who's "not good enough" and will float you around 8-11 wins nearly every season, putting you in a tough spot to actually land a top tier quarterback.

He's a quarterback who can get you to the playoffs, but once he's there and it's on him to get the job done, he simply cannot do it. He's limited, physically as a player, and when the game calls for a transcendent player, he just doesn't measure up.

There still are not many cases of teams finding even good quarterbacks beyond the first round, but even on that end it's exceedingly rare to find that transcendent one beyond the first round.

This isn't to say the Jaguars have to draft a quarterback with the third overall pick, just more of a display at how important the quarterback position is, in general. You have to have that guy who can take the team on his back.

TL;DR -- You have to have a transcendent quarterback to win in the NFL. This weekend was more evidence of that.