AFC QB Satisfaction Index: Bills, Dolphins pumped, but what teams are wincing?

No position in sports is more important than NFL quarterback. A star can keep a team in the playoff hunt for a decade or more. A solid backup, meanwhile, can keep a team on course for the postseason after a starter goes down for a short period. Bad QBs, on the other hand, can cripple a team's season ... and beyond.

As compiled by Yardbarker NFL writers, here's the QB Satisfaction Index for all 16 AFC teams. A "1" score denotes a superb situation while a "5" denotes "we have one eye looking elsewhere." A "10" equals disaster area.

AFC East

BUFFALO BILLS | QBs: Josh Allen, Kyle Allen | Satisfaction Index: 2. Despite having the second-most turnovers among quarterbacks (18), Josh Allen continues to be one of the NFL's best QBs, ranking first at the position in total touchdowns (40) and fourth in yards (4,191). Buffalo has miraculously turned its season around and could play spoiler in the postseason if Allen takes care of the ball. He  averages the most total yards per game in playoff history (329.5) among QBs with at least two wins. 

MIAMI DOLPHINS | QBs: Tua Tagovailoa, Mike White, Skylar Thompson | Satisfaction Index: 1. Tagovailoa entered the season under the microscope due to injury concerns, but he has yet to miss a game in 2023 and provided Miami with its best quarterback play since Dan Marino in the 1980s and '90s. The 25-year-old leads the league in passing yards (4,214), and as long as his success carries into his first trip to the playoffs, he should be the next young QB to earn a massive extension. 

NEW YORK JETS | QBs: Trevor Siemian, Zach Wilson, Brett Rypien, Aaron Rodgers | Satisfaction Index: 9. The Jets clearly have had the worst quarterbacking in the league this season. Three different quarterbacks started after Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury four plays into Week 1. None of them could effectively run the offense for New York, which averages the fewest yards per game (263.5) and has an NFL-low 16 offensive touchdowns. 

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | QBs: Bailey Zappe, Mac Jones, Nathan Rourke | Satisfaction Index: 8. The offense isn't ideally suited for a quarterback to flourish, but it's clear the team must reset at the position and could do so with its projected top-five 2024 first-round pick. Even so, if Zappe (975 yards, six TD passes, four interceptions) continues to play well down the stretch, he could compete for the backup job next season. — Colum Dell

AFC West

DENVER BRONCOS | QBs: Russell Wilson, Jarrett Stidham | Satisfaction Index: 7. Wilson’s play has improved over the 2022 disaster — he has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,070 yards and 26 TD passes in 15 games — but that wasn't enough to keep him from getting benched for the final two games of the season. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Broncos (7-8) move on from the 35-year-old, who has a five-year, $242.5M contract with $161M guaranteed.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | QBs: Patrick Mahomes, Blaine Gabbert | Satisfaction Index: 1. The Super Bowl hopes for the Chiefs (9-6) are dwindling, but Mahomes — a two-time league MVP — isn’t the problem. He’s fourth in the league in passing yards (3,938), seventh in QBR (63.1) and tied for sixth in passing TDs (26).

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | QBs: Aidan O’Connell, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer | Satisfaction Index: 8. In six games, Garoppolo flopped, throwing more interceptions (nine) than TD passes (seven). O’Connell replaced him following a Week 8 loss. The rookie hasn’t looked like the answer, though, completing 61.5 percent of his passes for eight TDs, tossing seven picks and posting a below-average 31.9 QBR in nine games.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | QBs: Justin Herbert, Easton Stick, Will Grier | Satisfaction Index: 4. Before he suffered a fractured right index finger in a Week 14 loss to the Broncos, Herbert excelled, throwing for 20 TDs and posting an above-average 64 QBR in 13 games. Stick — a fifth-round pick out of North Dakota State — is a serviceable backup, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for three TDs and one interception in three games. — Clark Dalton

AFC North

BALTIMORE RAVENS | QBs: Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Josh Johnson, Malik Cunningham | Satisfaction Index: 2. Jackson is putting together another MVP-caliber season with 3,357 yards passing and 24 total TDs (19 passing). He has the Ravens (12-3) sitting atop the AFC with just two weeks left in the regular season and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon after signing a five-year, $260M contract in the offseason.

CLEVELAND BROWNS | QBs: Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker | Satisfaction Index: 5. Flacco has given the Browns (10-5) new life, throwing for 1,307 yards and 10 touchdowns over the past four games. However, the 38-year-old is not the long-term answer. Meanwhile, Watson — who is in just the second year of his five-year, $230M fully guaranteed contract — has yet to look like his 2020 version, when he led the league in passing yards with Houston. He played in only six games before a season-ending shoulder injury sidelined him.

CINCINNATI BENGALS | QBs: Joe Burrow, Jake Browning, A.J. McCarron | Satisfaction Index: 3. Browning has filled in nicely (1,583 yards passing and eight TD passes) for Burrow, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury in Week 11, but the Bengals (8-7) are surely counting down the days until their No. 1 pick in 2020 is back in the starting lineup. When healthy, he's among the league's best — and wealthiest (five-year, $275M contract) — QBs.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS | QBs: Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Trubisky | Satisfaction Index: 7. The Steelers (8-7) have big decisions to make at quarterback in the offseason after watching the mediocre play of this group. Rudolph has looked like the best of the bunch following his 290-yard, two-touchdown performance in Week 16. Pickett, meanwhile, has struggled to stay healthy, and Trubisky was benched during the team’s Week 15 loss to the Colts. — Aaron Becker

AFC South 

HOUSTON TEXANS | QBs: C.J. Stroud, Case Keenum, Davis Mills | Satisfaction Index: 1. Stroud was a home-run selection with the No. 2 overall draft pick and likely Houston’s franchise quarterback for the next decade-plus. Keenum and Mills both have double-digit games of starting experience under their belts, and both are more than capable of running the offense should Stroud not be available. 

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | QBs: Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew, Sam Ehlinger, Kellen Mond | Satisfaction Index: 3. There’s no question Richardson is Indy’s starter when healthy, but free-agent-to-be Minshew has made a case to contend for a starting job elsewhere next season. Ehlinger is a decent backup, but the Colts may want to sign another veteran QB this offseason (Tyrod Taylor or Marcus Mariota?) as insurance in case Richardson misses significant time again next season. 

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | QBs: Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Beathard, Matt Barkley | Satisfaction Index: 3. Though he’s only in his third year and he’s just 24, Lawrence hasn’t taken the step forward in his development this season that many were expecting. While he’s still a good QB, the Jags may have to accept that Lawrence is in the very-good-but-not-elite category of QBs if he doesn’t improve next season. Beathard and Barkley are free agents following the season.

TENNESSEE TITANS | QBs: Will Levis, Ryan Tannehill, Malik Willis | Satisfaction index: 2. The offense almost seemed like a different unit in Levis’ eight starts compared to Tannehill’s seven. The 24-year-old rookie has shown enough (1,792 yards passing, eight touchdowns, four interceptions) to convince the front office he’s the QB it should build around. However, Tennessee must find a solid backup next season with Tannehill set to hit free agency and Willis likely to be traded. — Michael Gallagher