5 great NFL teams whose potential was wasted by poor QB play

The quarterbacks are the most important players in the NFL. Elite quarterbacks have the ability to make any team good, even when the rest of their roster is mediocre or worse.

Bad quarterbacks, on the other hand, can completely waste a team’s chances when the rest of the roster is elite. Here are five of the best teams in NFL history whose fates were doomed by poor quarterback play.

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#5 - 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles

Like many of the teams who will appear on this list, the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars were powered by a dominant defense. They were the top-ranked defense in the AFC and the second-ranked defense in the NFL during the 2017 season based on points allowed per game.

Their defense, led by Jalen Ramsey, carried them to a 10-6 record in the regular season and all the way to the AFC Championship game in the playoffs.

Blake Bortles was mediocre at best during the 2017 regular season, throwing 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He completed less than 60 percent of his passes in the playoffs. While he didn't necessarily hurt the Jaguars, he wasn't helping either. A legitimate quarterback could have resulted in a Super Bowl ring.

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#4 - 2010 New York Jets

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez

The New York Jets made it all the way to the AFC Championship game for consecutive years, in the 2009 and 2010 NFL seasons. Head coach Rex Ryan and his notoriously aggressive style of defense was their trademark.

The 2010 Jets team is one of the best in franchise history. Their only problem was a below-average quarterback, as they were solid everywhere else. Mark Sanchez completed less than 55 percent of his passes for just 17 touchdowns with 13 interceptions that season. That was, interestingly, one of his best seasons.

#3 - 2012 Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler

Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) is a statistical category that measures the overall strength of a team’s offense and defense based on their efficiency percentage against the league average.

The 2012 Chicago Bears defense had the best DVOA of the season by far and was one of the top 15 of all time. Charles "Peanut" Tillman stood out with ten forced fumbles and three interceptions that were returned for touchdowns.

The 2012 Bears also received a monstrous performance from wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who set a franchise record of 1,508 receiving yards.

The historic defense and dominant wide receiver weren't enough to overcome quarterback Jay Cutler, who completed less than 60 percent of his passes and threw 14 interceptions. The Bears didn't even make the 2012 NFL Playoffs.

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#2 - 2004 Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe

The 2004 Buffalo Bills had a historically good defense and were even better than the previously mentioned 2012 Bears based on DVOA. The 2004 Bills defense is one of the top 10 defenses of all time based on DVOA and has been in the top five since the statistics began being officially recorded.

Their defense was loaded with talent and led the NFL with a massive 39 interceptions.

While Drew Bledsoe didn't have a terrible season, he didn't do enough to help the Bills win. He completed less than 57 percent of his passes for fewer than 3,000 yards while throwing 16 interceptions that season.

With better quarterback play, they could have been true Super Bowl contenders. But instead, they missed out on the 2004 NFL Playoffs.

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#1 - 1991 Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham

The 1991 Philadelphia Eagles are the best defense in NFL history based on DVOA by a wide margin. The difference between the 1991 Eagles DVOA and the second-place 1985 Chicago Bears is greater than the difference between second place and the 25th place.

Their legendary defensive line, anchored by Reggie White, has three All-Pros who combined for a massive 37 sacks between them while the team recorded 55 sacks.

Despite starting quarterback Randall Cunningham suffering a season-ending injury in Week 1, they still went 10-6 in the regular season with poor back-up quarterbacks. The Eagles were legitimate Super Bowl contenders with a healthy Cunningham, but without him they fell short of the NFL playoffs.