NFL Playoffs Quarterback Rankings: Patrick Mahomes Chases History

The Chiefs’ QB is in a league of his own, while Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen enter the postseason on the quest for hardware to elevate their illustrious résumés.

Allen is chasing his first ring, while Mahomes is hoping to pull off a historic Super Bowl three-peat. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The NFL playoffs are here. It’s where reputations are made and legacies are cemented. 

For 14 quarterbacks, there’s opportunity. For some, such as Patrick Mahomes, it’s about enhancing an already extraordinary résumé. For others, such as Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, this postseason is centered around finally getting the ring that would put them into a different historical stratosphere. 

And then there are the rookies. For Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels, this is a low-pressure, high-upside experience to start building a career.

For our quarterback rankings, the question isn’t just who is the best player on a macro level. It’s also about experience, poise, a knack for the big moment and an overall ability to rise to the occasion. 

Let’s go. 

14. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Playoff record: 9–7
Super Bowl appearances: 2
Super Bowl victories: 1

Wilson is one of only three quarterbacks in the field with a ring, and he was a Malcolm Butler interception away from having another. Still, he’s in the twilight of his career and has been fine for Pittsburgh this season, throwing for 16 touchdowns against five interceptions. Still, he’s no longer the star he was in Seattle. He’s a threat to win a playoff game or two, but that’s likely it.

13. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Playoff record: 0–0
Super Bowl appearances: 0
Super Bowl victories: 0

Who could have imagined the Broncos and Nix would be in this position? While Nix has never been in an NFL playoff game, he played in some huge college games, including a win in the Fiesta Bowl last season with the Oregon Ducks.

12. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Playoff record: 0–0
Super Bowl appearances: 0
Super Bowl victories: 0

Daniels has been awesome as a rookie, and now the former Heisman Trophy winner gets a chance to pull off an upset this weekend at Tampa Bay. Daniels has turned around Washington’s fortunes, totaling 4,459 yards and 31 touchdowns as a rookie. Now, he will try to win his first playoff game. 

11. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Playoff record: 0–0
Super Bowl appearances: 0
Super Bowl victories: 0

There’s a case to be made that Darnold should be much higher based on his play this season. He’s thrown for a stunning 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading Minnesota to 14 wins. If he continues to play at a high level, the Vikings can win the Super Bowl. What a story for the 2018 first-round pick who appeared to be a bust.

Can Love rise to the occasion like he did in last year’s playoff run? / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

10. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Playoff record: 1–1
Super Bowl appearances: 0
Super Bowl victories: 0

Love was spectacular in last year’s postseason. He led the Packers to a wild-card win over the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the first seventh seed to advance. Green Bay then almost took down the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers before falling just short. Still, Love threw for 466 yards and five touchdowns in those games. Can he further his stature this January on a better team? 

9. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Playoff record: 0–1
Super Bowl appearances: 0
Super Bowl victories: 0

Herbert is attempting to erase the biggest nightmare of his professional life. Leading the Jacksonville Jaguars 27–0 in the 2022 wild-card round, Herbert watched as his Chargers relinquished the lead. Now, with a solid defense and an excellent coach around him, Herbert has a chance to win his first postseason game and begin establishing himself on the same level as Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and others. 

8. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Playoff record: 1–1
Super Bowl appearances: 0
Super Bowl victories: 0

Stroud had one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history, but his sophomore campaign has been underwhelming. Part of that is Stroud’s play, some of it is injuries around him and a huge chunk has been a porous offensive line. Bottom line: Stroud isn’t having a great season and the Texans are down to one meaningful perimeter weapon in Nico Collins.

7. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Playoff record: 2–2
Super Bowl appearances: 0
Super Bowl victories: 0

Mayfield has been good in the postseason. He delivered the only playoff win for the Cleveland Browns since they became a franchise again in 1999, and had the Buccaneers knocking on the NFC title game door last year. All told, he’s thrown for 10 touchdowns against three interceptions in four postseason games.

6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

Playoff record: 2–3
Super Bowl appearances: 1
Super Bowl victories: 0

Hurts has a bizarre postseason history. On one hand, he’s reached the Super Bowl and threw for more than 300 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs while rushing for three touchdowns. On the other hand, he’s had a pair of one-and-done playoff trips in which the Buccaneers blew the Eagles out. Which version of Hurts will we get this January?

Goff helped the Lions clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed with an emphatic Week 18 win over the Vikings. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

5. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Playoff record: 4–4
Super Bowl appearances: 1
Super Bowl victories: 0

Goff’s career was seemingly on the downturn when he was dealt to Detroit a few years ago. Now? He’s playing like one of the league’s best. Already having been to a Super Bowl, Goff is now aiming to destroy old memories and win a ring on the league’s most explosive offense. Based on his output in 2024, it’s well within reach.

4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Playoff record: 2–4
Super Bowl appearances: 0
Super Bowl victories: 0

Jackson has enjoyed a brilliant career. He’s a two-time NFL MVP and is well on his way to being a Hall of Famer. And, yet, Jackson’s time in Baltimore has been littered with disappointing playoff losses, including last year’s AFC title game defeat at home to the Chiefs. For Jackson to enter another class historically, he needs a Super Bowl victory.

3. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Playoff record: 4–4
Super Bowl appearances: 1
Super Bowl victories: 1

Stafford is a deserving choice here. Jackson might be the better player with more regular-season hardware, but Stafford has a Super Bowl ring and is the better pure passer. In the postseason, Stafford has also elevated his play, averaging an NFL record 307.9 passing yards per game. 

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Playoff record: 5–5
Super Bowl appearances: 0
Super Bowl victories: 0

Allen will likely win his first NFL MVP award, and yet, there’s still plenty for him to accomplish this season. In his postseason career, he has thrown 21 touchdowns against four interceptions, and he’s never reached the Super Bowl. In three of the past four years, his hurdle has been Mahomes. Allen needs to find a way past him.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Playoff record: 15–3
Super Bowl appearances: 4
Super Bowl victories: 3

Mahomes is the easy choice. He’s the defining quarterback of his generation, already a two-time MVP, a three-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP. The only other quarterbacks who can match those accolades? Tom Brady and Joe Montana. In recent years, nobody has been more clutch in big moments.

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