If preseason Week 4 were a dress rehearsal, at least three emperors would have no clothes.

Instead of wrapping up preparation for the regular season, three AFC franchises are facing more questions than solutions at the all-important quarterback position. The Jets went from a two-quarterback battle to disaster Saturday night. Kevin Kolb's fragile nature leaves the Buffalo Bills in a quarterback bind. Matt Flynn played so poorly that the Oakland Raiders now have a quarterback battle.

The New York Jets' situation is pure and simple mismanagement. The organization made a mistake letting Geno Smith rush back to the practice field too quickly from an ankle injury after the first preseason game. That cost him a critical week of development and forced him to sit out the second preseason game.

Putting Mark Sanchez in for the fourth quarter of Saturday night's game against the New York Giants was another bad call, even if it turns out his shoulder injury isn't serious. Smith's three interceptions all but gave the starting job to Sanchez. By risking their potential starter behind a backup offensive line that had three inexperienced blockers, the Jets ended up getting Sanchez hurt.

Mark Sanchez didn't get much protection playing behind the Jets' backup offensive linemen. Al Bello/Getty Images

Smith's not ready to start at the moment. That was clear Saturday night. Like it or not, the choice was to give the job to Sanchez, but that is in question for the moment. The whole predicament is embarrassing.

The Bills' situation is purely bad luck, not mismanagement. EJ Manuel was winning the starting job before needing a knee procedure that shut him down for the final two preseason games. What the Bills didn't know was how fragile Kolb had become.

Kolb missed eight days of practice when he tripped on a slippery mat and injured a knee. On Saturday afternoon, Washington Redskins linebacker Brandon Jenkins accidentally brushed a knee against Kolb's helmet, leaving the veteran quarterback with concussion-like symptoms.

That left the Bills with only undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel available and no guarantee Manuel will be ready for the regular-season opener. (On Sunday, the Bills added more QB depth when they signed free-agent quarterback Matt Leinart and added Thad Lewis in a trade that sent linebacker Chris White to Detroit.)

Oakland's problem goes more to a bad offensive line than it does th)e quarterback. Flynn is a system quarterback with only two starts. System quarterbacks can't operate behind lines that can't block. The Raiders' line is woeful. Flynn took a pounding all through the preseason, and he looked awful in Friday's game against the Chicago Bears.

Dennis Allen opened the job to Terrelle Pryor, who can at least run around and avoid some of the blocking breakdowns.

Listen, I know I've been saying the AFC is in trouble compared to the more talented NFC. But if the Jets, Bills and Raiders cost themselves more losses by what happened this weekend at the quarterback position, the competitive difference between the two conferences has grown only wider.

From the inbox

Q: It's really great to see the excitement that Chip Kelly has brought to the Philadelphia Eagles. The new offense looks dynamic, and even Michael Vick looks rejuvenated. But here's what baffles me: In Week 2's preseason game, Vick looked sharp. But the two plays in the red zone where Vick scrambled (and almost scored) worried me. I've been asking for years why someone doesn't teach Vick how to slide. It's infuriating. Wouldn't you think that would be on top of Kelly's list of things to impart to Vick? It seems to me many of his injuries can be directly connected to diving headfirst instead of sliding (and allowing defenders to legally hit him).

C. Kissam in Santa Rosa, Calif.

A: At this stage of his career, it's hard to change a quarterback's style. Vick is a great competitor. He gives everything he can to finish a play and make yardage. That does lead to injuries, but it just has to be accepted. He can be applauded for his competitiveness and criticized for his lack of durability. As much as Kelly might teach him some sliding techniques, Vick is probably going to ignore them and go for the extra yards. But he's a good quarterback for this system. His numbers could be monstrous this season. As long as he can stay healthy, he should create a lot of excitement for Eagles fans.