Who is going to beat the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes?
That is how you should start every quarterback debate heading into the 2025 NFL playoffs. Nine quarterbacks are back from last postseason, when we put Baltimore's Lamar Jackson at No. 1 in the rankings. Jackson is back, along with Buffalo's Josh Allen and Houston's C.J. Stroud this season. The NFC has five returning playoff quarterbacks in Detroit's Jared Goff, the Rams' Matthew Stafford, Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield, Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts, and Green Bay's Jordan Love.
Who are the new quarterbacks this year? Stafford and Pittsburgh's Russell Wilson are the only other QBs other than Mahomes to win a Super Bowl in this year's field, and they are the two oldest QBs in the playoffs. Denver's Bo Nix and Washington's Jayden Daniels are the rookie quarterbacks in the field. The Chargers' Justin Herbert is looking for his first win, and Minnesota's Sam Darnold is making his first playoff start.
There are three quarterbacks who are 24 and younger, and three who are 30 and older. A total of 12 of the 14 quarterbacks were taken in the first round. How do you rank those quarterbacks? Sporting News chose to rank them by who we would take in the playoffs right now. How do you balance their performance this season, their playoff experience, and how they look in the present tense?
That is the almost-scientific criteria we use every year. Here is our list.
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NFL playoff QB power rankings 2025
- 1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
2024 stats: 3,928 yards, 26 TDs, 11 INTs
Mahomes has fewer passing yards and TDs than he did entering the playoffs last season, and we do not care one bit. Kanas City's QB is 15-3 all-time in the postseason, and that includes three Super Bowl runs. He is the boss at the end of the video game you have to beat to reach the next level. Mahomes also was 15-1 as a starter this year, and he had a 100.2 passer rating with just one interception in the fourth quarter.
- 2. Lamar Jackson, Ravens
2024 stats: 4,172 yards, 41 TDs, 4 INTs
Jackson might be on track to win his third NFL MVP Award this season, but the Ravens have a tough playoff road that starts with division rival Pittsburgh in the AFC wild-card round. What's different this year? Derrick Henry rushed for 1,926 yards and 16 TDs. That made Jackson more dynamic in the running game, where had 915 yards and four TDs on 6.6 yards per carry. All that is missing is a Super Bowl run, and Jackson is in position to do that once and for all.
- 3. Josh Allen, Bills
2024 stats: 3,731 yards, 28 TDs, 6 INTs
Allen added 531 yards and 12 TDs rushing for Buffalo this season, and the Bills were the only team to beat the Chiefs when Mahomes was the starting quarterback. Buffalo also lost to Baltimore in one of two starts where Allen failed to throw a TD pass. Allen has 21 TDs, four interceptions, and a 100 passer rating in 10 career postseason starts. That includes three postseason losses to Kansas City. Is this the year Allen finally breaks through with a Super Bowl run? He was No. 4 on this list last season.
- 4. Jared Goff, Lions
2024 stats: 4,629 passing yards, 37 TDs, 12 INTs
Goff enjoyed career highs in passing yards and passer rating this season, but he had just a few blips with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The Lions have home-field advantage in their bid to get back to the NFC championship game, and Goff has stayed in control throughout the season. Goff had 21 TDs and six interceptions at Ford Field this year, and his 72.4% completion percentage is hard to top. Goff is on track to make his second Super Bowl appearance as a quarterback.
2024 stats: 2,903 yards, 18 TDs, 5 INTs
Hurts remains in concussion protocol, as he did not play in the Eagles' final two regular-season games. That is a concern, but we are going to rank him as if he will play against the Packers on Sunday. Hurts had a 68.7% completion percentage this year, the best of his career. He also had 630 rushing yards and 14 TDs paired with 2,000-yard running back Saquon Barkley. Hurts led Philadelphia to 10 straight victories before suffering the injury against Washington on Dec. 22. Can he recapture that and lead a second NFC championship run in three seasons?
- 6. Jayden Daniels, Commanders
2024 stats: 3,568 yards, 25 TDs, 9 INTs
Is this too high for a first-time starter in the playoffs, let alone a rookie? Maybe, but Daniels added 891 yards and six TDs on the ground. He formed a wonderful match with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in Washington, and the Commanders won their last five games heading into the postseason. Will it work on the road? Daniels was better on the road this season with a 108.2 passer rating, and the matchup with Tampa Bay could be the best game of the weekend. We are comfortable putting Daniels here given the blend of play-making skills and 69% completion percentage, which is the third highest among playoff QBs.
- 7. Matthew Stafford, Rams
2024 stats: 3,762 yards, 20 TDs, 8 INTs
Stafford is the oldest quarterback in these playoffs, but he has won a Super Bowl with his current team. Stafford threw just one interception in his last seven games, and the connection with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua combined with a strong running game from Kyren Williams has been a good combination. Stafford has a good rhythm with this group, but the Rams were 1-3 against other NFC playoff teams this season. Fortunately, the one they beat, Minnesota, is the same as their first-round matchup.
- 8. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers
2024 stats: 4,500 yards, 41 TDs, 16 INTs
Mayfield ranked second in the NFL in TD passes, but he also was tied for the league lead in interceptions. That gives the former No. 1 pick a boom-or-bust feel, but he led the Bucs to the NFC divisional playoffs last season and had four games with at least 300 yards and three TD passes. Mayfield has taken 40 sacks each of the past two seasons. Mayfield has paired well with offensive coordinator Liam Coen despite the mistakes. The Commanders ranked third in the NFL in pass defense (189.5 ypg.). That will be a challenge.
- 9. Justin Herbert, Chargers
2024 stats: 3,870 yards, 23 TDs, 3 INTs
Call it the Jim Harbaugh effect. Herbert did not pass for 4,000 — or even 5,000 yards — but he had the lowest interception percentage of his career and led Los Angeles back to the postseason. Herbert did take a career-high 41 sacks this season, and he had just two games with 300 passing yards or more. At some point, he will be asked to do more in the playoffs. Can he lead the Chargers to a road victory at Houston? That is the first step for the fifth-year quarterback.
- 10. Sam Darnold, Vikings
2024 stats: 4,319 yards, 35 TDs, 12 INTs
Darnold enjoyed a career year with the Vikings. He led Minnesota to 14 victories, had six games with three or more TD passes, and established an immediate connection with Justin Jefferson, who had 1,533 yards and 10 TDs. Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, has sifted through four teams to get to his first playoff start. A Week 18 dud against Detroit was not good, but Darnold has been solid on the road this season. How will he respond at Los Angeles, where he had 240 yards and two TDs in a 30-20 loss on Oct. 24?
- 11. Jordan Love, Packers
2024 stats: 3,389 yards, 25 TDs, 11 INTs
It's been an up-and-down year for Love in his second season as the Packers' starter. Green Bay won 11 games, and there were flashes of brilliance in six games when he had a passer rating of 100 or higher. Yet Love dealt with injuries, including an elbow injury in Week 18 against the Bears. He did not have an interception in his last seven games, and that will be the key if Green Bay wants to pull an upset at Philadelphia on Sunday.
- 12. C.J. Stroud, Texans
2024 stats: 3,727 yards, 24 TDs, 10 INTs
Stroud is a tough one because his passer rating dropped from 100.8 in 2023 to 87.8 this season, but the Texans lost Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to season-ending injuries at various points throughout the year. Stroud still led Houston to a second straight AFC South division title, and his passer rating is 89.6 at home. The problem? Stroud has taken 52 sacks this season, the most of any playoff quarterback. He was sacked four or more times in eight games.
- 13. Bo Nix, Broncos
2024 stats: 3,775 yards, 29 TDs, 12 INTs
Nix is hot at the right time. He led the Broncos to the playoffs and in a three-game stretch against the Chargers, Bengals, and Chiefs he had a 79% completion percentage. He has a bright future with Sean Payton in Denver, but his passer rating drops to 85.9 on the road this season. Can he stay efficient in a hostile environment at Buffalo? The Bills ranked third in the NFL with 32 takeaways this season.
- 14. Russell Wilson, Steelers
2024 stats: 2,482 yards, 16 TDs, 5 INTs
Wilson does have a Super Bowl victory, and he has nine career playoff victories. That experience could pay off in the matchup against the Ravens, but a Super Bowl run seems unlikely unless Wilson turns it up a few notches. He averages 174.5 passing yards with four TDs and two interceptions through Pittsburgh's current four-game losing streak. Justin Fields was the starter at the beginning of the season for Pittsburgh and would be an option if Wilson continues to struggle.
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