Power Ranking the 2024 NFL Playoff quarterbacks

Playoff football is a different beast to the regular season, with the best teams in the league all competing to secure the ultimate prize, the Super Bowl. Mistakes are punished, and every big moment highlighted by the extra pressure that comes with post-season football. At the center of all of that, are the quarterbacks, so we’ve decided to rank them.

It’s tough to rank NFL quarterbacks at the best of times, let alone when we are down to the best of the best. So we have decided to use playoff experience and success as one of our ‘metrics’. There has never been a rookie QB starting in the Super Bowl, for instance, so that hopefully will explain some of our decisions.

Nick Shook for Around the NFL wrote that Wilson has, “had chances to propel the Steelers in key spots in his last two games and has either come up short or thrown away possession.” Which is a good summation of his recent performances which seem to be getting worse, not better.

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This isn’t a knock on Nix at all, as he had a much better rookie year than anyone expected from him, probably even the Broncos. Still, he has no NFL playoff experience and his advanced metrics aren’t in the same league as some others on this list. His On Target throw percentage is 18th in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference, for instance. We like Nix, but it’s still very early.

We were blown away by Stroud in his rookie year, and it looked like more of the same to start 2024. Unfortunately for the Texans, their wide receiving corps hasn't been able to stay healthy and Stroud has regressed somewhat. It’s always hard dealing with injuries, but we were hoping for a little more from Stroud this season.

Since the Rams beat the Bills 44-42 in December, Matthew Stafford hasn’t led his offense to more than 19 points. Some may say that it’s only a three-game sample size, but we think it could be something to worry about. Stafford’s talent and experience is among the best in the playoffs, but his recent performances leave a lot to be desired.

Like Nix, we have nothing but admiration for how Jayden Daniels played in his rookie year, but given the other QBs left, it’s hard to rank him much higher than this. We have seen that he doesn’t get flustered in the biggest moments, which is encouraging heading into the playoffs. He could easily outperform this ranking and make us look a little silly.

We are trying to not be overly reactionary in our coverage, but Darnold’s week 18 performance against the Lions has left us with plenty to worry about. Darnold has played some great football this season but even then is still ranked 20th in EPA/Play, per NFELO. Darnold faces a tough test against a Rams defense that has been playing lights out in recent weeks.

Jordan Love had a very good year, but we don’t think he has hit the heights we saw from him in 2023 and last season’s playoffs. He has the potential to be elite, but hasn’t always performed at that level.

Quietly, Jalen Hurts put up exceptional numbers this season, throwing for just under 3,000 yards, with 18 TDs to just 5 picks, while adding 630 yards and 14 TDs on the ground, per ESPN. Hurts is never going to be a truly elite quarterback, but he isn’t as far off as some believe, and has that ability to rise to the occasion in the biggest moments. If the Eagles want to win the Super Bowl, Hurts will have to play his best football.

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Herbert has played better than his numbers suggest this season, operating in a relatively conservative offense. Still, when needed, he can find the explosive play as well as almost anyone in football. His arm talent is among the best in the league, and his mistake-free brand of football is the perfect complement to the Chargers’ shutdown defense.

Who would’ve thought four or five years ago that Jared Goff would be performing like one of the best QBs in football and led the Lions to the number one seed? Not us, that’s for sure. What he has done is incredible and he deserves all the credit. Admittedly, it may be the best-designed offensive scheme in football, but Goff operates it almost perfectly.

Rinse and repeat, the same sentiment for Mayfield as we had for Goff. Baker’s resurgence has been fun to watch given his early-career struggles. The Browns and the Panthers are probably kicking themselves that they let him walk out of the building. Per Fox Sports, Mayfield has put up 8,544 passing yards, 69 touchdowns and 26 interceptions since joining the Bucs two years ago.

Mahomes had a relatively quiet year for him, yet still threw for nearly 4,000 yards with 26 TDs and just 11 picks. He also hasn’t thrown an interception since November 17th against the Bills. We have written that the Chiefs are our Super Bowl favorites as it stands, and Mahomes’ ability in the playoffs and Super Bowl to find another level is one of the big reasons why.

The knock on Allen throughout his career has been the number of turnovers he causes. Well this season, he has only turned the ball over six times, per ESPN. He has also accounted for just under 4,300 total yards and 40 total touchdowns. He’s been his usual electric self, creating explosive plays out of nothing with a receiving corps that lacks elite talent.

Lamar Jackson put together one of the best statistical seasons we have ever seen from an NFL quarterback in 2024. Just let these numbers sink in. 4,172 passing yards, 41 passing TDs with just four (4!) picks plus, 915 rushing yards and another 4 TDs. His rushing total is top-20 in the NFL including all running backs. If he plays at his full potential in the playoffs, the Ravens could well hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

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