Ranking the NFL's Playoff Quarterback Performances

21) Jalen Hurts, PHI vs SF (168 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs; 5 carries, 14 yards)

While other QBs had more disastrous moments, Hurts had almost no impact on the team’s loss to San Francisco—a defeat that looked infinitely worse when the 49ers were blown out by Seattle six days later. The Eagles were largely healthy facing an injury-depleted Niners defense. With all that talent, scoring 19 points was an abject failure.

20) Brock Purdy, SF vs SEA (140 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT; 5 carries, 37 yards, 1 lost fumble)

Everything went wrong for the 49ers in Seattle, and their short-handed offense absorbed even more injuries during the game. It’s hard to pin much of this on Purdy, who was constantly under duress, even though he did turn the ball over twice in the loss. 

19) Sam Darnold, SEA vs SF (124 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT)

With Seattle up 17-0 after the first quarter, Darnold was asked to do very little, completing just a dozen passes in a 35-point rout.

18) Justin Herbert, LAC vs NE (159 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; 10 carries, 57 yards)

The asterisk to Herbert’s inclusion among the NFL’s top quarterbacks has been a lack of success in the playoffs. What happened versus New England did nothing to change that. LA’s patchwork line bears some of the blame, allowing a half-dozen sacks and numerous pressures, but when you’re considered a superstar and your top weapons are all available, more is expected.

17) C.J. Stroud, HOU vs PIT (250 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 5 fumbles, 2 lost)

Given that the final score of Houston’s Wild Card win over Pittsburgh was 30-6, it’s easy to forget that it was a one-point game entering the fourth quarter, in large part because of Stroud’s struggles. That included five fumbles. It was the Texans’ defense that won that game, while Stroud played even worse the following week in a loss to the Pats.

16) Drake Maye, NE vs DEN (86 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; 10 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD)

You could argue that Maye’s work in the AFC Championship Game belongs lower on the list—he was the only quarterback to pass for less than 100 yards in the playoffs. He made two huge plays with his legs, though, rushing for the team’s only score and breaking off a 28-yard run to set up what proved to be the game-winning field goal.

15) Matthew Stafford, LAR vs CHI (258 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; 2 fumbles, 0 lost)

Without question, Stafford’s worst performance in the playoffs came on a frigid night in Soldier Field. Facing a shaky Bears defense, the presumptive NFL MVP completed just 20 of 42 passes and went without a touchdown for the only time all year. He led the team on a 91-yard TD drive to put them up in the fourth quarter, however, and he delivered clutch throws to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in overtime to set up LA for the game-winning kick.

14) Drake Maye, NE vs LAC (268 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 10 carries, 66 yards)

Under fire from LA’s pass rush, Maye got off to a tough start, including an interception on the team’s second drive. He was able to shake off those early struggles and make enough plays to take the first step in New England’s march to the Super Bowl. Still, this was more what the Pats were able to do on defense than anything the team’s offense mustered.

13) Trevor Lawrence, JAC vs BUF (207 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs; 6 carries, 31 yards)

Lawrence entered the playoffs on a heater. Over his final six regular-season games (all wins), the Clemson alum threw for 1,600 yards and accounted for 19 combined TDs while tossing just one INT. He made some big plays against the Bills in the Wild Card round, including leading two TD drives in the fourth quarter, but trailing by three, his first pass of the final drive was intercepted, ending Jacksonville’s season.

12) Drake Maye, NE vs HOU (179 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 4 fumbles, 2 lost)

Facing an elite Texans defense, Maye had his fair share of negative plays, absorbing five sacks, fumbling four times, and ending the day with three turnovers. Despite that, Maye also hit some big-time throws, including a 28-yard touchdown on fourth down, and a 32-yarder early in the fourth quarter that essentially sealed the game.

11) Bryce Young, CAR vs LAR (264 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 3 carries, 24 yards, 1 TD)

Nobody expected the Panthers to hang with the Rams, and when they fell behind 14-0 following an interception, it was easy to envision a blowout. Instead, Carolina rallied, making it a three-point game before the half on a 16-yard TD run from Young. He’d lead two more scoring drives in the fourth before Carolina’s final possession consisted of four consecutive incompletions.

10) Caleb Williams, CHI vs LAR (257 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs; 5 carries, 40 yards)

Williams’ performances were the toughest to rank. Each one had highlight-reel plays that will be shown for years to come. They also included poor decisions and extended struggles with his accuracy. That was certainly the case versus the Rams. Williams’ first and last drives ended with interceptions, and LA scored half of their 20 points off of them, including the game-winning field goal. In between, the USC product threw a remarkable fourth-down touchdown to Cole Kmet after retreating 30-plus yards. To paraphrase Stannis Baratheon, a good play does not wash out the bad, nor a bad play the good.

9) Josh Allen, BUF vs DEN (283 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs; 12 carries, 66 yards; 3 fumbles, 2 lost)

As with Williams above, Allen’s effort in the Divisional Round was all over the map. All three of his fourth-quarter drives ended in points, and at times he seemed to be single-handedly carrying Buffalo’s offense against a tough Denver D. That’s only half the story. Allen was sloppy with the football, turning it over four times, including an inexplicable fumble before halftime that gifted the Broncos three points. He also had the ball in his hands needing only a field goal to advance, and his deep shot to Brandin Cooks was picked off.

8) Matthew Stafford, LAR vs CAR (304 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)

There were some definite lulls from Stafford and company in the playoff opener that allowed the underdog Panthers to hang around. He came up big when he had to, though, leading a pair of fourth-quarter TD drives, including connecting with Colby Parkinson for the game-winner with just 38 seconds remaining.

7) Caleb Williams, CHI vs GB (361 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs)

For three quarters, Williams had few answers for Green Bay’s banged-up defense. Chicago’s seven drives covering the game’s first 47 minutes, resulted in three field goals, two turnovers on downs, and a pair of interceptions—one of those scoring “drives” was seven plays for two yards. Williams was locked in over the final 13 minutes, however, leading three straight touchdown drives that included an amazing throw to Rome Odunze on fourth and eight. It gave the Bears their first playoff win since 2010 at the expense of their oldest rival.

6) Brock Purdy, SF vs PHI (262 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs; 9 carries, 24 yards)

Injuries were a huge issue for the 49ers throughout the season, and they lost George Kittle (Achilles) early on. The ground game found little room, turning 16 runs into 51 yards. Despite all of it, Purdy found a way to lead the upset. He leaned on seldom-used options Demarcus Robinson and Kyle Juszczyk, authoring two go-ahead touchdown drives in the final quarter.

5) Bo Nix, DEN vs BUF (279 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 12 carries, 29 yards)

As a rookie, Nix was on the wrong side of a 31-7 beatdown in Buffalo in which he threw for just 144 yards. This time, he hit Marvin Mims for 26 yards to put Denver up three with less than a minute remaining. The game-winning drive was heavily aided by penalties, but give Nix credit for playing through what turned out to be a season-ending ankle injury. It was a gutsy effort.

4) Jordan Love, GB vs CHI (323 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT)

Love came into the playoffs having missed the previous two-plus games while recovering from a concussion. There were no signs of rust. He led the Packers to touchdowns on their first three drives, and his final drive of the first half ended in a missed field goal. Things bogged down after halftime, but Love righted the ship in the fourth, hitting Matthew Golden to put Green Bay up 11 with 6:36 remaining. The Packers ultimately fell as Brandon McManus missed three kicks, but Love put together one of the postseason’s best individual efforts—one that could’ve been even better if Christian Watson had hauled in Love’s dot in the final 20 seconds.

3) Josh Allen, BUF vs JAC (273 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; 11 carries, 33 yards, 2 TDs)

If you’re thinking Allen is too high here, you’re missing the boat on how good the Jags were over the second half of the season. Jacksonville won their final eight games, including knocking off the top-seeded Broncos in Denver in Week 16. Even with the Jags’ confidence sky high, Allen stood tall, absorbing a beating but still leading the Bills on back-to-back TD drives in the fourth quarter to give Buffalo its first road playoff victory in 33 years.

2) Matthew Stafford, LAR vs SEA (374 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT)

For as good as Seattle’s defense was this season, they had no answers for Stafford in his final two visits to the Emerald City. In Week 16, Stafford threw for 457 yards and 3 TDs. In the NFC Championship Game, it was 374 yards and 3 TDs without a turnover. While the Rams will rue missing three chances to pull ahead from the 6-yard line, it’s hard to offer anything other than praise for what the veteran did in that heartbreaking loss.

1) Sam Darnold, SEA vs LAR (346 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT)

Despite how decisive Seattle’s NFC Divisional Round win was, questions remained about what Darnold would do in a big spot after he attempted just 17 passes versus San Francisco. Adding another layer of concern, the Rams had baited Darnold into five interceptions during the regular season. With a Super Bowl berth on the line, Darnold changed the narrative arc of his career, playing decisive, clean football, including making some key conversions as the Seahawks effectively ran out the clock on LA.