Young Black Quarterbacks Remain After Setting Historic Passing Records In The NFL Wildcard Games
HOUSTON - Six black starting quarterbacks entered the 2024 NFL Playoffs. The four veteran signal-callers were Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Jalen Hurts (Eagles), and Dak Prescott (Cowboys).
They were good, depending of what Eagles and Cowboys fans consider good, but C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love were better. The postseason newcomers were expected to enter and exit early in the AFC and NFC Wildcard games. It doesn't look like they read the memo for their early demise.
Credit: © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports and © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
YOUNG GUNSLINGERS: CJ STROUD AND JORDAN LOVE
Instead, Stroud and the Texans soundly defeated a Joe Flacco-led Cleveland Browns team, 45-14. Stroud ended his day having 16/21 passes for 274 yards, and three touchdowns without an interception and a 157.2 passer rating. His leadership and composure as a quarterback was a thing of beauty in his historic playoff debut.
Love and the Green Bay Packers barely made an appearance to the Big Dance. However, when they finally arrived in Big D to face Dak Prescott and the NFC East Division champions, nobody expected a lopsided upset at Jerry's World. But it happened anyway.
Love, like Stroud, tossed a 16/21 passing game for 272 yards, three downs, and a quarterback rating of 157.2. The young field general had a better performance in his first playoff game than legendary Green Bay NFL MVPs Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
Jan 13, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in a 2024 AFC wild card game against the Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
During the NFL Wildcard weekend, C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love achieved a passer rating of 157.2, which is the third-best rating in the NFL Playoff history.
It is worth noting that two young black quarterbacks have been able to achieve such a feat, with Peyton Manning and Josh Allen holding the top two positions in the record books.
Unfortunately, Jordan Love's final incompletion led to a deflation of his perfect passer rating to 157.2.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) looks for a receiver during the first quarter of the wild card playoff game Sunday, January 14, 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys 48-32.
The upcoming AFC and NFC Divisional Round games will be affected by football weather. Stroud will be playing in Baltimore where it will be partly cloudy and windy with a kickoff temperature of 25 degrees.
Meanwhile, Love and the Packers will be playing in a rainy weather forecast of 70% chance of rainfall and a temperature of 59 degrees at the start of the game.
Despite negative narratives about black quarterbacks, the presence of Stroud and Love, along with Mahomes and Jackson, dispels such connotations in today's NFL.
