Often regarded as the most important position in all of sport, any starting NFL quarterback has to quickly get used to the pressure.

Whilst some seem immune to the pitfalls that the position can hold, there are some quarterbacks within the league who started the season with plenty to prove but have so far failed to live up to the hype.

With some teams already facing an uphill task to qualify for the playoffs, here are three quarterbacks who need big Week 4 performances if they are to reignite their teams chances of reaching the post season.

Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings

Ever since Kevin O'Connell rolled into town, many questioned whether Kirk Cousins was the man who would be able to lead his offense. Those questions were put to bed last season as Cousins led the Vikings to the NFC North title.

With Aaron Rodgers departing from the Packers, many believed that the Vikings were a lock for a second successive division title. Instead, the Vikings now sit at 3-0 following defeats to the Buccaneers, Vikings and Chargers.

In a team that boasts the talents of Justin Jefferson, that simply isn't good enough and the wolves are starting to circle around Cousins.

In the final year of his deal, Cousins has plenty to prove if he is to convince the Vikings hierarchy that he is the man to take them forward. Next week's matchup against the Carolina Panthers is simply a game Cousins can ill afford to lose.

Zach Wilson - New York Jets 

How quickly things in the NFL can change. Before a ball had been thrown, many of the best betting sites believed that with the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers the Jets had a legitimate chance to win their first Super Bowl crown since 1969.

However the script was cruelly flipped when Rodgers went down with a season ending injury in his first series as a Jet. In his absence, Zach Wilson has once again been thrust into the limelight.

Since taking the reins, Wilson has led Gang Green to a win over the Bills but has been insipid in defeats to the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots.

It's the defeat to the Patriots that is the most concerning. The Jets defense swarmed and stymied the Patriots holding them to just fifteen points but it was Wilson and the offence who simply couldn't get it going.

Limited to just ten points, it's clear that Wilson isn't the answer and any serious hopes that the Jets have in reaching the Playoffs will be over unless he smartens up his play quickly.

Russell Wilson - Denver Broncos

Rarely has a quarterback acquisition soured so quickly as it has for Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos.

Hailed as the man who would be able to lead the Broncos back to the Super Bowl, Wilson had a disastrous first year with the team, with both the standards of his play and leadership being severely questioned.

Managing just five wins in his debut season, many believed that the hiring of Sean Payton would breathe new life into Wilson and the stuttering Broncos offense, but so far those hopes have failed to materialise.

Wilson still looks wildly out of sync and is yet to lead his side to a win this season. Sitting at 0-3, any hopes Denver had in reaching the playoffs already look over and Wilson's future in Denver looks incredibly murky.