The days when the San Francisco 49ers could switch quarterbacks at midseason and still reach the Super Bowl feel increasingly distant with each Blaine Gabbert misfire during the 2014 preseason. Gabbert averaged 2.4 yards per attempt on 25 passes through two preseason games, making the stat line for fellow backup Josh Johnson appear dynamic by comparison.

Gabbert's struggles, compounded by dropped passes, provide an opportunity to size up where the 49ers fit among other contending teams in perceived ability to win without their starter. Conversations with two NFL general managers, one coordinator and a position coach produced a range of opinions. I've drawn from those conversations in putting together a 1-10 ranking for the teams Las Vegas has assigned the best odds for winning the Super Bowl this season.

1. Seattle Seahawks (6-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Russell Wilson

Backups: Tarvaris Jackson, Terrelle Pryor

Teams can win while minimizing the QB position if they play great defense and/or run the ball effectively. The Seahawks can do both as well as any team. Jackson grew up in the offensive system while playing under current Seattle coordinator Darrell Bevell in Minnesota. He went 7-7 as the Seahawks' starter in 2011, when the team had less of a supporting cast.

"Seattle has a great supporting cast with playmakers on both sides of the ball," one GM said. "Look at the Patriots or Broncos and you see average teams with phenomenal quarterbacks."

2. San Francisco 49ers (8-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Colin Kaepernick

Backups: Blaine Gabbert, Josh Johnson

I wasn't expecting to rank the 49ers this high based on what we've seen from Gabbert, but placing them in the No. 2 spot shows just how QB-dependent the other contenders have become.

"The 49ers would be in trouble," one GM said, "but what they would do is rally around really running the ball and tell their guys, 'This is what we do anyway. We gotta really play D and steal possessions.'"

This GM thought the 49ers could weather an injury to Kaepernick for a few games if they were above .500 and rolling at the time.

3. Philadephia Eagles (30-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Nick Foles

Backup: Mark Sanchez

Both GMs and both coaches gave the Eagles a decent shot at weathering an injury to Foles.

"Chip Kelly would get creative with the short passing game and running 'Shady' [LeSean McCoy]," one of the GMs said.

The position coach noted that the Eagles' offense is simple, featuring one primary personnel group and about seven formations. But he still wasn't sure Sanchez could succeed in it. The defensive coordinator had more faith, noting that the Jets reached two AFC Championship Games with Sanchez buoyed up by a strong supporting cast.

"Which Sanchez are you going to get?" the coordinator asked. "Is his mind OK?"

4. Green Bay Packers (14-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Aaron Rodgers

Backup: Matt Flynn

I'm a little bit on my own here. Both GMs and the position coach thought the Packers would be doomed without Rodgers. They didn't like Flynn much, and they questioned whether Green Bay would have the defense to compete. The Packers were certainly lost without Rodgers in 2013.

My relative faith in the Packers stems from the fact that the circumstances are different this year. Flynn grew up in the Green Bay system and has had at least some success running it. McCarthy has always had a great QB in Green Bay, but he's won with more than one configuration on offense. He's also had a full offseason to absorb what happened in 2013, and he enters this season knowing Eddie Lacy can carry quite a bit of the offense.

"I'm questioning myself for listing the Packers so low," one of the GMs said. "They have a good team, and Flynn has done it before. But their division is tough, and if Aaron is out, everyone who plays them is a little more confident. He is almost on that Manning level where you just feel good if he is not playing."

5. Indianapolis Colts (25-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Andrew Luck

Backup: Matt Hasselbeck

The Colts probably have the best backup QB on the list. Hasselbeck’s presence on the Colts' roster led me to rank Indy higher on this list initially. However, one of the GMs was adamant that Indy is relevant only because Luck is a special player. This GM gave the Colts zero shot without Luck and said they should rank 10th on this list without question.

The Colts are perceived by some in the league as a team that gets away with dubious personnel moves -- drafting Bjorn Werner in the first round, trading a first-round pick for Trent Richardson -- simply because Luck is so good. There's probably a jealously factor at work because every GM would love to have Luck, but I do think few QBs could prop up Indy the way Luck has done it.

The position coach said he thought Hasselbeck's smarts would allow the team to get by within a revised game plan. Also, Hasselbeck might be the second-best QB in the AFC South.

6. New Orleans Saints (15-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Drew Brees

Backups: Luke McCown, Ryan Griffin

Brees wasn't the same without Sean Payton, and the reverse would be true -- but to what degree? Payton commands respect across the league for his innovative scheming. The Saints' defense under Rob Ryan is also difficult to play.

"The Saints would be OK because of their defense and because of Sean Payton," the defensive coordinator said. "He is the backup QB there. He will control it and understand how to do it."

7. New England Patriots (8-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Tom Brady

Backups: Ryan Mallett, Jimmy Garoppolo

"Never underestimate Bill [Belichick]," the assistant coach warned.

Yes, the Patriots once went 10-5 with Matt Cassel as their starter when Brady was injured, but Cassel is not on their roster. What could Mallett accomplish? One GM thought the Patriots would be better off going with Garoppolo based on what he's seen in preseason. Even Brady struggled holding together the offense in 2013 when injuries wiped out his top weaponry. There's no way a lesser QB could so expertly manage the challenges that await if/when Rob Gronkowski is injured again.

8. Chicago Bears (20-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Jay Cutler

Backup: Jordan Palmer, Jimmy Clausen

The Bears went 3-2 without Cutler in the lineup last season, but backup Josh McCown is gone. Can coach Marc Trestman turn any backup into a viable starter for at least short periods of time? The feeling among the people I polled was that the current backups could not approximate what McCown pulled off. Also, it's tough to trust the Bears' defense until we see how veteran additions perform.

9. Denver Broncos (6-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Peyton Manning

Backup: Brock Osweiler

The position coach lobbied hard for placing the Broncos higher on this list based on what coordinator Adam Gase accomplished as QB coach when Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow were in Denver. That seemed like a valid point, particularly after watching the offense hum along with Osweiler during the preseason. The Broncos could have a strong defense, too.

"Osweiler is the type of guy who comes in and proves you wrong," one GM said. "But the reason I would bet against the Broncos without Peyton is because it is pretty much his offense. The opponents' confidence would [rise] and it would be, 'Wow, it's almost like we're playing 20 guys instead of 53.'"

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (26-1 Super Bowl odds)

Starter: Ben Roethlisberger

Backup: Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones

The Steelers rank last here, but don't be misled. It wasn't as though anyone pointed to them as being far worse off than the others. As the coordinator put it after getting through the first several teams on his list, "After that, good luck."

One of the GMs said a team such as Pittsburgh could outperform expectations without its starter if it turned to an obscure home-grown backup instead of a journeyman such as Gradkowski.

"If a guy has been in a system and groomed in it and gets his chance, sometimes the next thing you know he is functioning well -- like Matt Flynn did," the GM said, alluding to Landry Jones.

Notes

Chiefs' line implications: The Chiefs' massive turnover on their offensive line raises questions about the group's short-term outlook. I'm thinking quarterback Alex Smith might be smart to accept a contract extension before risking injury behind an unproven line heading into games against Tennessee, Denver, Miami, New England and San Francisco to open the season.

Six of the 10 offensive linemen who played for the Chiefs last season are gone. Some of the turnover was by design. KC wasn't going to pay retail prices to keep Branden Albert, Jon Asamoah or Geoff Schwartz. But with Donald Stephenson incurring a four-game suspension, Rishaw Johnson getting traded and Rok Watkins getting suspended and cut, the outlook for Smith is trending downward. The team is also without suspended receiver Dwayne Bowe for the opener. This is also the year Kansas City gets paired with the rugged NFC West in the scheduling rotation.

Playing with backup QBs: Following up on our lead item, I was curious to see how many teams qualified for the playoffs recently after starting more than one QB during the regular season. The Packers and Eagles were the only ones last season. The 49ers and Washington Redskins did it in 2012. Pittsburgh and Green Bay were the only ones in 2011, and that Packers team was simply resting Rodgers in Week 17 after clinching the playoffs. Several teams did it in 2010, a strange season that saw Seattle reach the playoffs at 7-9 after starting both Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst.

Speaking of backups, here's an unsolicited comment from a GM this week: "The one guy I'm most excited about is Kirk Cousins, and he might be better than the starter." Robert Griffin III has become accustomed to the criticism. Not everyone is down on him, but watching Griffin take unnecessary punishment while scrambling in the Redskins' preseason game against Cleveland was concerning.

Angst in 49ers land: A week or so ago, I was all set to make the 49ers my pick to win the Super Bowl as a protest vote against overly vigorous preseason hand-wringing. I figured San Francisco would get stronger as the season progressed because NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith were more likely to be available on defense. That will probably still happen, but after Antoine Bethea suffered a concussion to give the 49ers two safeties with concerns over head injuries, it's feeling like this might not be the year for San Francisco. Is that an overreaction?

"The 49ers are still going to be good," a rival GM said. "This is a huge test because they have had a lot of adversity this offseason. The mark of a great team is overcoming that. If they show early in the season that they can, they will be OK. They still have a lot of good players. They are physical. Everyone has certain things happening to them."

Two-QB system in Cleveland: Browns coach Mike Pettine made headlines by suggesting the team could use two quarterbacks by implementing a package of plays for future starter Johnny Manziel. Reading between the lines, it's clear Pettine knows the odds are against Hoyer staying healthy enough and productive enough to start all 16 games.

The last Browns QB to start every game in a season was Tim Couch in 2001. Hoyer (3-0 last season), Derek Anderson (10-5 in 2007) and Couch (8-6 in 2002) are the only Browns QBs to post winning records as starters during a season.