J.J. McCarthy to Dak Prescott: What Could Go Right, Wrong for Every NFC QB in 2025

A tipped pass can turn into an interception — or a touchdown. There’s always a way for things to go right and for things to go wrong in the NFL, especially at the quarterback position.

The beauty of the NFL is how these sorts of moments surprise us. No one saw the San Francisco 49ers‘ season coming last year. After Bryce Young’s early career struggles, few saw his second-half resurgence coming. No one saw Derek Carr’s retirement coming — nor did anyone anticipate Tyler Shough essentially getting a QB1 job to start the year.

After breaking down the AFC quarterbacks, let’s take a look at the ways the NFL could surprise the NFC QBs this year, for better and for worse.

What could go right: Trey McBride becomes a safety valve in the red zone.

Last year, McBride announced himself as one of the NFL’s best tight ends. At least … to those who were paying attention. He finished with 111 catches and 1,146 receiving yards. By those measurements, he was elite. 

But here’s the problem: McBride scored just two touchdowns last season. In 2023, despite a solid year, he had only three touchdowns. Sometimes guys can’t figure out that area of the field, particularly when they face double teams. Julio Jones never put up huge TD totals, for example. More recently, Jakobi Meyers has struggled in that area despite his high volume of catches. But for Murray’s sake, McBride needs to turn a corner and score more. Murray has never posted more than 26 passing TDs, which was back in 2020.

What could go wrong: Murray could get traded.

His contract is movable, and he’s proven to the league that he absolutely has the talent to be a QB1. But the Cardinals are likely expecting big things from this offense. Now entering his seventh season, Murray has never really exceeded expectations. That might finally be a problem this year.

What could go right: Bijan Robinson generates bigger plays in the passing game.

The running back had just 431 receiving yards and one touchdown last season. Given that Robinson has quickly emerged as one of the top three backs in the league, he can do better there. He averaged 7.1 yards per catch. If he boosted that number into the range of Saquon Barkley (8.4) or even Josh Jacobs (9.5), Penix’s life would get a whole lot easier.

What could go wrong: Penix can’t live up to his pro comparison (Tua Tagovailoa).

Coming into the NFL, Penix looked like a QB who would need to find the exact right situation to succeed. In his final year of college, he had a live arm and the requisite amount of touch, but he was reliant on elite receivers at Washington. And so he earned a comparison to Tagovailoa. In Tua’s best NFL season, he owned the intermediate passing game. In the small sample size, we didn’t see Penix win that part of the field last season. If the Falcons want their offense and young QB to take a step forward, that’s where they need to improve the most.

What could go right: All that progress Young showed is legit.

In the second half of last season, Young looked like a player worthy of going in the top picks of the draft. That’s where he needs to stay.

What could go wrong: All those early issues Young showed were real.

In the first half of last season, Young looked like a player worthy of getting benched. That’s what he needs to avoid.

What could go right: Every offseason move by the Bears looks brilliant.

Chicago kicked off the offseason with the acquisition of Ben Johnson, former Lions OC and a much-hyped offensive guru. Things were immediately looking up for Williams. Then the Bears rebuilt their interior offensive line with guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman. Things were looking way up. To put the cherry on top, the Bears drafted explosive receiver Luther Burden III at the top of the second round. Maybe something special is happening around Williams.

What could go wrong: Every offseason move looks like a disaster.

Johnson is a first-time head coach, and we have no idea what the fruits look like from the Dan Campbell Coaching Tree. We have no idea, either, what this revamped offensive line will look like as a unit. It’s not always easy to make an offensive line equal the sum of its parts. Maybe this is just a rerun of all the other rebuilds we’ve seen in Chicago.

What could go right: Dak Prescott looks like 2021 Dak Prescott.

Remember when he threw for 4,902 yards, 30 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions? Honestly, me neither. Even if that feels distant, it’s possible with this offensive unit.

What could go wrong: “With the first-overall pick, the Dallas Cowboys select Arch Manning.”

There’s basically a 1% chance of it happening. But yes, I’m saying there’s a chance.

What could go right: The rookies instantly make a difference.

On offense, the Lions drafted receiver Isaac TeSlaa and center Tate Ratledge. Both players could make an impact due to a mix of opportunity and draft position. Ratledge, a second-rounder, will be tasked with replacing retired star Frank Ragnow. And TeSlaa is an interesting prospect, in part because of what the Lions gave up to get him. To move up to the 70th overall pick, Detroit traded the 102nd pick and two 2026 third-rounders. That’s three third-rounders for TeSlaa, a big slot receiver whose athleticism is through the roof. Jared Goff will be a happy man if both players can surprise people.

What could go wrong: Ben Johnson’s absence disrupts the offense.

Now in Chicago, Johnson served as Detroit’s OC for three seasons and had been with the team since 2019. Dan Campbell is an offensive-minded coach, so it’s not like the Lions will wholly lose their identity. But they filled the OC position with an out-of-house candidate, John Morton, who had been the passing game coordinator for the Broncos. And while there’s no saying what Johnson will do as a head coach, there’s little debate about whether he was the best OC in the NFL last year. It’s likely the Lions will stumble at least a little without him. It’s possible they stumble a lot.

What could go right: Now fully healthy, Love shows more consistency in his play.

Love was erratic as a thrower and decision-maker in 2024. And for now, it’s fair to chalk up those inconsistencies to the knee, groin and elbow injuries he sustained. So if he can get healthy and stay healthy, Love should go back to the 2023 version of himself. It should help that first-round receiver Matthew Golden is jumping into the lineup as a vertical field-stretcher, opening things up for the deep group of wideouts.

What could go wrong: Love’s inconsistencies weren’t because of his injuries.

No quarterback stays healthy for 17 games. Every great quarterback has played through issues and remained largely consistent despite the bumps and bruises. What if Love’s play was representative of who he is? And not just a product of the injuries?

What could go right: Stafford and Sean McVay could win another Super Bowl.

I picked the Rams to make it to the Super Bowl in my way-too-early playoff bracket prediction. At this point, the Rams should be shooting for a Lombardi Trophy every season until Stafford retires. Yes, they dumped Cooper Kupp, but they’ve brought in a different weapon in Davante Adams. And yes, they were dealt a huge blow when Aaron Donald retired in 2024, but they drafted two special linemen in Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.  

What could go wrong: The 37-year-old Stafford begins to look old.

This offseason, Stafford was initially noncommittal about returning before making it clear that he wanted a raise and more guaranteed money in his contract. Will his mindset change now that he’s started considering the end of his career? And while there is no shortage of young talent on this Rams roster, Stafford is at the center of it all. Father Time is coming for him.

What could go right: 4,500 yards, 30 touchdowns, 12 interceptions.

This is the average stat line that we’ve seen QBs post under Kevin O’Connell. Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins had terrific production under Minnesota’s offensive guru. McCarthy is entering this super-powered offense with an elite offensive line and the NFL’s best receiver in Justin Jefferson. To round things out, T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison are pretty great, too. So McCarthy could have a huge year on the way to the playoffs.

What could go wrong: His film could look like that of former Vikings QB Nick Mullins.

The Vikings are going to throw the ball a lot — and aggressively. So if a QB isn’t up for it, he’s going to put the ball in harm’s way. We saw that when Mullins got on the field for the Vikings in 2022 and 2023. In three starts in 2023, he posted a 5.4 interception percentage. He threw seven touchdowns and eight interceptions that year. He is the exception to the rule that O’Connell can’t do wrong with a QB. McCarthy should be fine. But it’s worth noting that Mullins wasn’t.

What could go right: This is the beginning of something special.

Shough is 26 years old, so in some ways, he’s most comparable to Justin Fields. They both have value attached to their names by way of the draft. They’re the same age. But in their early 20s, things didn’t go according to plan. For Shough, it was in college. For Fields, it was in the NFL. It’s hard to know what to expect from Shough after a long, up-and-down college career. But I can say this about the New Orleans offense: It’s young and it’s talented. And the Saints have invested aggressively at premium positions in the draft. If center Cesar Ruiz, receiver Chris Olave and tackles Taliese Fuaga and Kelvin Banks — all former first-round picks — play to their potential, then the offense might be too good for Shough to mess up.

What could go wrong: Shough is Brandon Weeden.

The NFL’s opinion on old-for-the-draft quarterbacks seems to shift fairly regularly. With the transfer portal and NIL, quarterback draft prospects are getting older. But it’s fair to wonder if we shouldn’t think back to Weeden, who had success late in his college career and entered the draft at 28 years old. Once he had to start picking on people his own age, he couldn’t hack it. I could see that happening with the 26-year-old Shough.

What could go right: He saves Brian Daboll’s job.

If Dart really is going to save Daboll, I’m not sure exactly what it would look like statistically. Nor do I know how many games he will have to play to keep Daboll in place. But I know that Daboll bet big on Dart in Round 1 because that’s what he was hoping the Ole Miss product could do. 

What could go wrong: All the concerns about Lane Kiffin’s offense not translating to the NFL show up in Dart’s game.

Kiffin runs a unique scheme that conceptually reminds me of Herb Brooks’ offense from the 1980 Olympic men’s hockey team. It’s free-flowing and it’s about attacking empty space. And yes, it’s rare to compare hockey to football, which is why some wonder if Dart’s skills will translate to an NFL system.

What could go right: Let’s see him repeat last season (but without Weeks 1 through 4).

Starting Week 5 through the Super Bowl, Hurts might have been the NFL’s most efficient player, with a rare low-volume and high-efficiency passing game and fantastic contributions in the rushing game (including the tush push). The Eagles won the championship because Hurts was precious with every throw. He had to be, exceeding 30 pass attempts in only one game after Week 5.

What could go wrong: Nick Sirianni and Hurts stop getting along (again).

You know that couple that breaks up and you have to pretend you’re sad for them — but really, you just know they’re going to get back together again? That’s how I feel about Hurts and Sirianni. Their relationship gets weird. And things get sour and bitter. It won’t spell the end of things for either guy in Philly. But it could spell an early exit from the playoffs, like we saw back in 2023. 

What could go right: Purdy plays like 2023 Brock Purdy.

He was sure of what he needed to do within Kyle Shanahan’s system, and he enabled his teammates to generate offense and play at their best.

What could go wrong: Purdy plays like 2024 Brock Purdy.

He looked lost at what he needed to do within Shanahan’s system, and he couldn’t enable his teammates to generate offense or play at their best.

What could go right: John Schneider is right again. 

The Seahawks GM drafted Russell Wilson. Then he let Wilson go. Then he added Geno Smith. Now he’s let Smith go. Schneider’s history of adding and subtracting QB talent isn’t exactly long. But he does seem to have an eye for talent and a knack for timing. So will he be right again with Darnold? On the surface, the Seahawks are transitioning from a steady, conservative, accurate passer (in Smith) to a gunslinger (in Darnold). Schneider must have an idea of how to build around his new QB’s style.

What could go wrong: Darnold was a (Vikings) system QB after all.

We saw Kirk Cousins struggle to match the expectations that he set for himself in Minnesota. After throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in arguably the best offensive situation in the NFL in 2024, Darnold is looking at a lot less enticing spot in Seattle, which just traded DK Metcalf and released Tyler Lockett. Darnold might’ve been a one-hit wonder. 

What could go right: Baker Mayfield starts breaking passing records.

This offense could be that good. Not only is Chris Godwin coming back from injury, but the Buccaneers have brought in Emeka Egbuka to add more firepower with Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan. Bucky Irving should only be better in Year 2. There’s so much to like about the talent at every position on this offense.

What could go wrong: The Buccaneers show signs of brain drain.

Tampa lost former OC Dave Canales to the Panthers in 2023 and former OC Liam Coen to the Jaguars in 2024. So now what does their staff look like? Many of their top offensive minds are moving into roles they’ve never had before. And if they’re not ready, Mayfield could suffer from it.

What could go right: Daniels takes Washington to the Super Bowl.

There were plenty of individual achievements for Daniels as a rookie — and team achievements for the Commanders. And now everyone is afraid Daniels & Co. will regress, because that’s often what happens to teams that punch above their weight class. But sometimes a surprisingly good team finds a way to hold onto the ground it’s gained, particularly with big offseason additions (LT Laremy Tunsil and WR Deebo Samuel). Given what Daniels did in Year 1, we’d be foolish to doubt that a Super Bowl is at least possible.

What could go wrong: The C.J. Stroud effect.

After seeing what happened to Stroud in Year 2, there’s a growing sense of anxiety for sophomore quarterbacks. So could Daniels be the latest QB to fall prey to that sophomore slump? Well, yeah, absolutely. Remember that star receiver Terry McLaurin is locked in a contract battle with Washington. We’ve seen negotiations influence training camp reps — and, in turn, negatively impact QB-WR rapport. It’s hard to sustain success in the NFL. Daniels’ second year might be yet another example of that.

Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna. 

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