Ranking playoff quarterbacks, from Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen to CJ Stroud

These 14 players will have the most influence in determining who wins the Super Bowl. Quarterbacks win MVP trophies. They win Super Bowl MVP trophies. Because? Because quarterback is the most powerful position in sports and quarterbacks have the greatest influence on the outcome of a game.

Let’s take some time to celebrate the QB field for the postseason.

I’ve ranked this group as a projection of how I think they’ll do in the playoffs. This isn’t necessarily based on what they did in the regular season. You can check out my QB Stock Market to see where I rate those performances.

It’s about what’s to come and which players I anticipate will be most valuable this postseason. Let’s dive in.

LEVEL 1: THE KING

1. Patrick Mahomes, bosses

He has had the worst regular season of his career. And it doesn’t matter. He is still, without a doubt, the quarterback every team would want for this year’s postseason.

Not only did the Chiefs go 15-2 on the season, but Mahomes is 15-3 in the postseason in his career and, you’ve probably heard, he’s won the last two Super Bowls. Maybe wins aren’t a quarterback statistic. But I would argue that playoff wins are, in fact, a quarterback statistic.

He’s number one until someone knocks him down. Speaking of which…

LEVEL 2: ABLE TO DEFEAT THE KING

2. jose alen, Invoices

Let’s talk about the guy who was the last QB to beat Mahomes. Allen defeated Mahomes in Buffalo in Week 11. And it took an incredible performance, highlighted by Allen’s 26-yard rushing touchdown that converted a fourth down and turned out to be the go-ahead score. It was a crucial play in Allen’s brutal, hard-hitting style.

Allen is dangerous, with a unique ability to conjure up big plays in moments of desperation. Additionally, in a recent development, he has limited his turnovers. If he can finally surpass Mahomes in the postseason (which he has never done), then Allen will be a Super Bowl winner.

I think it’s that simple.

3. Jared Goff, lions

He’s the best pocket passer in the game in the NFL’s best system with an absolutely diabolical running game that perfectly balances Goff’s strengths. With OC Ben Johnson on the headset and designing plays, Goff is truly elite. And don’t forget, this QB has been to the Super Bowl, even if Bill Belichick cleaned the field with a 24-year-old Goff in that game. I really think that experience was valuable.

4. Lamar Jackson, crows

He is the best dual-threat quarterback in the NFL, better statistically than Allen. But Jackson’s postseason struggles (he’s 2-4 with six touchdowns and six picks) make it unusually difficult to sell such a talented player.

He’s in my top five because he could win MVP every year for the rest of his career and no one would argue with it. But that’s a regular season award. And we haven’t seen Jackson do much in this single-elimination format.

5. Matthew Stafford, rams

He still has it. So does coach Sean McVay.

The Rams remind me of the 2007 Giants. It’s not about being good in Week 1. It’s about being a championship team in January and February. Stafford has kept the Rams in the playoff hunt, and now it looks like Los Angeles has what it needs to play a decisive role in the NFC.

6. Jalen hurts, Eagles

Everyone loves the Eagles this year. and there is much to like. But not from Hurts.

He began the season with rotation problems and difficulties adapting to the new scheme. He and the offense relied heavily on Saquon Barkley. And defense is Philadelphia’s true strength. I’m not saying Hurts can’t win a Super Bowl. He can. But if the Eagles win, could Saquon be the Super Bowl MVP? Philadelphia might be a rare exception in that regard, which is why Hurts ranks low at this level.

TIER 4: ABSOLUTELY ON FIRE BUT UNTESTED IN THE POSTSEASON

7. Sam Darnold, vikings

God, I love what’s happening with Darnold.

It’s a refreshing comeback story. Perhaps his narrative is not unique. We’ve seen this happen with Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield in recent years. But Darnold is a reminder to NFL teams that they should keep trying with talented quarterbacks and not give up too soon.

As for what to expect from him in the postseason, I’m not sure. But in this level of unproven quarterbacks, he’s the one I like the most. Coach Kevin O’Connell has Darnold thinking and operating cleanly. And I don’t see how the postseason will change that.

8. baker mayfield, Bucs

Last year, Mayfield was a fun story, a novelty that I approached with both skepticism and enthusiasm. But this year, Mayfield convinced me.

It wasn’t just his second season of prolific passing stats, even after losing OC Dave Canales to the Panthers. It was Mayfield’s determination to succeed even without his best playmakers. That’s when the criticism around the QB began to dissolve. A system QB supported by his coaches? Maybe it’s the other way around. A distributor supported by its game creators? There is more than that.

He is 2-2 in the postseason. How far can a brave Mayfield take the Bucs?

9. Justin Herbert, Chargers

He has never won a playoff game. He only has one playoff appearance. But he’s playing extremely well now, even in a year in which coach Jim Harbaugh de-emphasized the passing game. Harbaugh wants to run. He wants to play good defense. That’s what he established at the beginning of taking over the Chargers. Herbert had 20 pass attempts or fewer in three of his first nine games under Harbaugh. But in seven of the last eight games he has thrown 30 or more passes. And Herbert has responded well, with big games and big shots.

The question with Herbert is whether, in a quarterback matchup against their AFC rivals in tier one and two, he can really let loose. He’s one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL, but he doesn’t always show his strengths, perhaps because he’s too worried about making mistakes. But if Mahomes, Jackson or Allen are ready to put up 30 points, Herbert will have to play with an urgency we’ve rarely seen this year.

10. jordanian love, packers

It was pretty clear earlier in the year that Love was struggling with physical limitations, likely stemming from his knee injury. I can say that with confidence because of how different he looks right now: 1) passing with power and precision, 2) making sound decisions, 3) cleaning up his turnover-worthy plays. (He hasn’t had one in six weeks.)

Matchups against the Vikings (Week 17) and Lions (Week 14) showed that Love can hold his own with the best. But can he defeat them? Both games were losses. Love may still be ascending, but I worry that it’s not there yet.

11. Jayden Daniels, Commanders

Putting it here is almost like a tax on newbies. He has been sensational this season, with a propensity to finish games. And that’s an important quality for a quarterback heading into the postseason. He’s a notch above fellow rookie Bo Nix, due to how explosive and difficult to guard Daniels is. But it’s rare to see rookie quarterbacks go far in the playoffs. I’m not sure Daniels has been consistent enough (week in and week out) to have faith that he can carry his team through a single-elimination format.

12. bo nix, Broncos

Perhaps because Nix is ​​an old-school pocket passer, he doesn’t get much love. His arm is fine. His legs don’t carry him very far. Nix’s best qualities are the ones we can’t measure, and that’s what makes him hard to get excited about in a league that features Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, the most measurable and consequential QBs (size, weight, speed, statistics). we have ever seen. And yet, Nix has done a good job finding his role in Denver’s offense and bouncing back from a poor start to two games in his pro career (0 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions). Sean Payton has done a really good job drafting and developing a guy that fits.

LEVEL 5: I’M A LITTLE AFRAID FOR THEM

13. Russell Wilson, steelmakers

It’s strange to put a Super Bowl winner in this category, but that’s the truth.

Over the final four weeks of the regular season, the Steelers suffered embarrassing beatings from three Super Bowl contenders (the Chiefs, Ravens and Eagles). Wilson was part of the problem, not the solution. He needs receiver George Pickens to perform at an elite level. And that just hasn’t happened since the wide receiver’s hamstring injury. Russ’ game is based on a moonball to Pickens. That opens up the rest of the offense. But when that’s not there? The Steelers quickly become easy to stop. It’s hard to imagine them going far in the postseason after watching them look like contenders in the final quarter of the season.

14. CJ Stroud, jeans

How can I say this nicely?

The Texans may be a playoff team, but Stroud is not a playoff quarterback.

Yes, I watched his rookie season when he threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdown passes and five interceptions in 15 games. He was very good and very deserving of the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. But he was also a totally different player than this season, when he racked up 3,727 yards for 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Statistics often don’t tell the whole story, but in this case they do. Stroud has regressed.

He recently admitted that Week 17, when Baltimore shook the Texans 31-2 on Christmas, was “probably one of the worst games of my entire career.” I would say it was he worst. And Stroud didn’t gain much momentum in Week 18.

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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