5 quarterbacks who could start in their first Super Bowl this year

Coming out of the AFC looks to be challenging once again. Even if Tom Brady left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there is a new king in the conference and his name is Patrick Mahomes. For the foreseeable future, the Kansas City Chiefs will be the preeminent team in the AFC. But could one of his draft classmates emerge as a formidable challenger?

It’s not likely the Houston Texans will reach their first Super Bowl in franchise history this year. In fact, they’re probably not playing in their first AFC Championship game in franchise history either this winter. However, the Texans play in a winnable AFC South, a division they’ve won four of the last five years. While head coach Bill O’Brien is a problem, quarterback Deshaun Watson is not.

Watson is the closest thing to a tractor of a quarterback in the league who is not named Mahomes or Russell Wilson. He has shown he can win behind a mediocre offensive line during his first three years in the league out of Clemson. Watson won his first career playoff game last season over the Buffalo Bills. It’s all about the matchups, but the Texans have plenty of postseason experience.

While everybody and their brother feels the AFC Championship Game will be between the Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens, Houston can’t be ruled out as a playoff contender entering this season. They may not be the favorite in the AFC South next season, but they have the best quarterback in the division and arguably a top-three one in the conference. That sort of stuff matters here.