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Super Wild Card Weekend always features some of the best games of the season. But this year, many games fell short of those expectations. The Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Green Bay Packers rolled from the start, and all those contests weren't competitive in the fourth quarter.
We now turn our attention to the Divisional Round which will feature plenty of great quarterback play. Patrick Mahomes will face off against Josh Allen on the road, and rookie sensation C.J. Stroud will travel to Baltimore to take on the likely MVP in Lamar Jackson.
Last week, I ranked all 14 quarterbacks entering the postseason based on their play this year. Now, I will rank the remaining eight quarterbacks that will play in the Divisional Round. Will Jackson be at the top? Where does Jordan Love rank after his brilliant performance against the Dallas Cowboys? Let's dive in.
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8. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield continues to surprise people this season. Many people wrote him off heading into the playoffs because of his play in Week 18 against the Carolina Panthers. But Mayfield put up big numbers against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round. He threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions.
Mayfield has had a career year in his first season with the Buccaneers, throwing for both a career-high 4,044 pass yards and 28 pass touchdowns. His 94.6 quarterback rating and 0.63 interceptions thrown per game in the regular season were also the second-best of his career. He now gets a favorable Detroit Lions defense in the Divisional Round with a chance to punch the Buccaneers' ticket to the NFC Championship with a win.
7. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has played well in his third season with the team. More importantly, he's the quarterback to finally lead the Lions to a home playoff game and a playoff victory for the first time in 32 years. Goff's stats in Sunday's playoff win don't reveal just how well he played in that contest, throwing for 277 yards and one touchdown.
But when it came down to end the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell put the ball in the quarterback's hands, and he delivered by throwing a first down to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to seal the game. It's been a consistent year for Goff, who totaled his best season in a Detroit uniform. He threw for 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns in the regular season, his most in both categories over his last three years.
6. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Making his first career postseason start, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love looked cool, calm, and collected in carrying the team to a blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Love was almost perfect on Sunday, throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns. I wanted to put him higher on this list but felt the other quarterbacks had a better year than the 25-year-old.
Still, his year shouldn't go unnoticed. In his first year as a full-time starter, Love threw for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with an impressive 96.1 rating. His 32 pass touchdowns were also the second-most in the NFL this season and were key for this Packers' team down the stretch. The young quarterback has totaled 23 touchdowns with just one interception since Week 11 (including the Wild Card Round win).
5. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Many doubted Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud heading into his first career postseason game. But the rookie continued his spectacular season by blowing out the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round. In that game, Stroud looked like a poised veteran in the pocket, throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns.
That playoff debut shouldn't have surprised anyone, though, as that's what Stroud has been doing all year. He finished with 4,108 pass yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions in the regular season. The former Ohio State product also became just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to reach the 4,000-yard passing mark as a rookie. He surely has a bright future ahead of him.
4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
It hasn't been the elite season from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes that we all expected. But when the playoffs hit, Mahomes turns it into another gear. That's what we saw against the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card Round when the All-Pro quarterback looked the best he has since the middle of the season. While his 262 pass yards and one touchdown won't look like much on paper, Mahomes controlled that entire game.
The regular season wasn't the prettiest for Mahomes, who threw for just 4,183 yards and 27 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. Those 14 interceptions were a career-high, while his passing yards and touchdowns were the second-fewest in a season over his career. But, when it comes time for the playoffs, there's no one you would rather have than the two-time MVP.
3. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Many still don’t believe that the San Francisco 49ers quarterback is the real deal. Well, it’s safe to say after the 2023 regular season that he belongs with the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Purdy threw for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns with an impressive 113 rating in 16 games. He also led the league with a 72.8 QBR.
It’s hard to ignore what Purdy did in his second NFL season. Of course, Kyle Shanahan’s scheme has helped so far throughout his career. But the young quarterback still does his job and limits mistakes, which helped the 49ers land the top seed in the NFC playoffs.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen couldn't be stopped against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round and showed everyone why he's a top-three quarterback in the NFL. He completed 21-of-30 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 74 yards and one touchdown. Allen was Superman on Monday, which included a 52-yard rushing touchdown by him midway through the second quarter.
Turnovers were a big talking point about Allen's game in 2023, as he threw an interception in 14 of 17 regular season games en route to 18 on the year. But the 27-year-old superstar also led the league with 44 total touchdowns and 4,830 total yards. A big matchup against Mahomes awaits in the Divisional Round.
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
There’s no doubt who comes in atop the QB rankings. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been the best this season and deserves to be number one on this list. Jackson is likely on his way to his second MVP win after posting career-bests in several categories.
With a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken, Jackson threw for a career-high 3,678 yards while totaling his most passing touchdowns (24) since 2020. His rating of 102.7 was also the second-highest over his six-year career. The 27-year-old capped off a truly remarkable season by rushing for 821 yards and leading the Ravens to the top seed in the AFC playoffs. The MVP-favorite will enter the playoffs as the best quarterback from the 2023-2024 season.
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