Ranking the 2025 NFL Playoff Field’s 14 Starting Quarterbacks

Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford max out in experience points, but a handful of young signal-callers enter the postseason with something to prove.

Matthew Stafford is among the favorites to win the MVP award and will lead the Rams against the Panthers on Saturday. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

This isn’t about who is going to win NFL MVP honors, or who threw for the most yards in 2025. We ranked quarterbacks throughout the season based on stats and play combined, with Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye ending the season first and second, respectively. 

However, while both Stafford and Maye will be high on the list, this ranking is centered around one question: Who would you want to be your quarterback in a single-elimination game?

There are a ton of factors—ranging from 2025 play, past performance, experience and hardware—to consider. With that in mind, let’s get to the rankings.

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14. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

Young advanced to the playoffs for the first time in his three-year career. The 2023 No. 1 pick helped the Panthers win the NFC South for the first time since ’15, when Carolina went to the Super Bowl behind Cam Newton’s MVP season. 

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Young isn’t Newton. He threw for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns against 11 interceptions across 16 games. The good news? He had a career year, posting bests in completion rate, passing yards, touchdowns and quarterback rating. 

13. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Nix is capable of having terrific games. In Week 15, he lit up the Packers for 302 yards and four touchdowns in a 34–26 victory. Against the Chiefs in November, Nix threw for 295 yards in a 22–19 win. 

However, Nix also has horrid games. In 17 contests this season, Nix has only had six games of at least 7.0 yards per attempt. He also had seven games with a QBR below 50.0. It hasn’t always mattered because the Broncos have one of the league’s top defenses, as evidenced by their 311 points allowed, third-best in the league. But if Denver is going to win a Super Bowl, Nix can’t be a passenger.

12. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

By the basic metrics, Williams had a good season. He just missed on posting the Bears’ first 4,000-yard passing campaign, notching 3,942 yards with 27 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. 

However, Williams also misses a ton of easy throws. His CPOE (completion percentage over expectation) is -6.9%, the worst of any qualifying quarterback. The Bears need Williams to play as he did in San Francisco in Week 17, when he threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

11. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

The four-time MVP and Super Bowl champion mostly checks down these days to running back Kenneth Gainwell and tight end Pat Freiermuth, as evidenced by them having 85 and 54 targets, respectively, eclipsed only by receiver DK Metcalf.

Still, Rodgers needs to be respected. He has started 21 playoff games, more than anybody else in the tournament. The Steelers don’t have the most talented quarterback at this point in his career, but they have someone who won’t panic in a big moment.

10. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Lawrence is playing some of the best football we’ve seen since he entered the league in 2021 as the No. 1 pick in the draft. Thriving under coach Liam Coen, Lawrence has thrown 15 touchdowns and only one interception over the past six weeks, helping Jacksonville win eight consecutive games to close the season. 

While Lawrence is still young, he’s had some postseason experience. The 26-year-old advanced to the playoffs in 2022 and beat the Chargers after throwing four first-half interceptions, rallying from a 27–0 deficit to win 31–30. It’s one game, but Lawrence has something to draw from should he face adversity in the coming weeks.

9. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

Darnold is two wins away from the Super Bowl. For much of his career with the Jets, Panthers, Vikings and Seahawks, Darnold has been doubted as either a bust or a quarterback incapable of meeting the moment. Last year, he was sacked nine times in a 27–9 wild-card loss to the Rams in his only postseason appearance.  

This season, he’s thrown for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Can Darnold help the Seahawks reach their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history, or will he be responsible for the NFC’s top seed falling short?

8. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Love has been inconsistent, much in the same way the Packers have been. Through 15 games, he threw for 3,381 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions while averaging 7.7 yards per attempt. 

In the playoffs, Love has a 1–2 record with losses to the 49ers and Eagles. He’s also thrown five interceptions in those games, with his numbers buoyed by 272 yards and three touchdowns in a wild-card win over the Cowboys in 2023. 

7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Herbert has been thrust into an impossible spot this year. Both star tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, have been out for the season with lower-body injuries, and first-round running back Omarion Hampton has played only nine games. 

Still, Herbert led the Chargers to 11 wins while throwing for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns in 16 games. However, Herbert’s two playoff games have been nightmares. Last year, he threw four interceptions in a wild-card loss to the Texans. In 2022, the Chargers blew a 27–0 lead to the Jaguars in the same round. He could use a signature victory. 

6. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Stroud doesn’t have much around him outside of receiver Nico Collins, the only 1,000-yard gainer on the team. However, the offensive line has been much better than expected despite the Texans trading away Laremy Tunsil this offseason. In 2025, Stroud was sacked 23 times compared to 52 a year ago. 

Still, if Houston makes a deep run, it’ll be because of its league-leading defense. Stroud has won a pair of playoff games in his career, both in the wild-card round. This year, it’s his job to avoid mistakes while sprinkling in splash plays.

Brock Purdy & Co. will face off against the Eagles on Sunday. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Purdy might seem like he’s ranked high on the list, but consider his experience. In the playoffs, he has won four games while posting a 96.2 quarterback rating with six touchdown passes and one interception. 

This season, Purdy was limited to nine games due to turf toe but has come on strong. Over his past four games, he’s logged 11 touchdowns against three interceptions. If he continues playing at that level, the 49ers can make a deep run.  

4. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

This has been a maddening campaign for Hurts and the Eagles. They’re NFC East champions and have a real chance to defend their crown, but the offense has been a mess, with only six games scoring more than 24 points. 

Still, Hurts has been fantastic in the playoffs. He’s a champion, a two-time Super Bowl participant, with 20 total touchdowns and four turnovers. Last year, Hurts primarily handed off to Saquon Barkley and took a secondary role, throwing for only 726 yards across four playoff games. Don’t expect that to be the case this year with Barkley rushing for 4.1 yards per carry.

3. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

Maye has a shot to win the MVP award, and deservedly so. Maye compiled an elite season with 31 touchdown passes and 4,394 passing yards. Only in his second year, Maye helped lead the Patriots to 14 wins, an AFC East title and the second seed, giving New England its first real chance at a title since the days of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Maye should only ascend in the coming years with coach Mike Vrabel and coordinator Josh McDaniels. Additionally, New England has a projected $45 million in cap space, allowing it to sign skill-position talent alongside receiver Stefon Diggs and running back TreVeyon Henderson. 

2. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams 

Stafford is once again the betting favorite to win MVP honors after the Rams took care of the Cardinals, 37–20, on Sunday. The 37-year-old threw for 259 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns on the year to pace the NFL in both categories. 

Stafford didn’t lead Los Angeles to the NFC’s top seed or even the divisional crown, but his numbers are far and away the best in the league. While Maye was spectacular in his second season, it’s tough to argue against Stafford, even with his superior supporting cast. 

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Allen has a wealth of playoff experience, an MVP award on his mantle and the comfort of knowing that his personal postseason bogeyman, Patrick Mahomes, can’t hurt him this year. 

This season has been uneven for Allen, who threw for 3,668 yards and 25 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. In his playoff career, Allen has a 7–6 record with two conference title game appearances. His splits are significant in wild-card round play compared to every other round, though, as evidenced below:

Wild card games (6): 287.1 passing yards/game, 8.5 YPA, 67.1% comp., 15 TDs, two INTs

Other games (7): 244.0 passing yards/game, 6.3 YPA, 64.4% comp., 10 TDs, two INTs

Allen needs to sustain his wild-card round form if the Bills are finally going to win a title.

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