Quarterback matchups will steal spotlight in thrilling NFL divisional round
What we have in front of us as sports fans this weekend is a genuine treat.
Much like the Sweet 16 is for the NCAA Tournament, the divisional playoff weekend represents the sweet spot to the entire NFL season. And in this case, all four games provide delicious quarterback matchups.
Among the features to these games include the top rookie in the league (C.J. Stroud), a two-time Super Bowl champion and MVP (Patrick Mahomes), former No. 1 draft picks who became castoffs (Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff), an heir apparent who sat behind a legend before starting (Jordan Love), two of the most dynamic playmakers of this generation (Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson) and a former NFL draft Mr. Irrelevant (Brock Purdy).
Heres a look at the four games and the eight quarterbacks:
Game 1: Texans at Ravens
The Texans at the Ravens on Saturday afternoon features Stroud from Houston and Jackson from Baltimore.
8C.J. Stroud could win NFL Rookie of the Year after his first season with the Texans. APBoth quarterbacks are highly likely to be receiving significant awards for their respective 2023 seasons, with Stroud a mortal lock as the NFL Rookie of the Year and Jackson a heavy favorite as the leagues MVP.
All the pressure is on Jackson, who had a remarkable regular season 67.2 completion percentage, 3,678 yards, 24 TDs, seven INTs along with 821 rushing yards and five TDs. He led the Ravens to a 13-3 record in his 16 games this season and has a 58-19 career record in the regular season.
But Jackson has lost three of the four playoff games hes started and has a pedestrian 55.9 completion percentage with only three TDs and five INTs.
Stroud is playing with house money after finishing the regular season with a 63.9 completion percentage, 23 TDs and only five INTs. His 4,108 yards ranked eighth in the league despite missing two games with an injury. His five INTs were the fewest of any quarterback who played more than 12 games.
Prediction: Even though Stroud has looked unflappable and wonderfully seasoned for being a rookie, Jackson is rested, has a stronger team around him, is playing at home and has a score to settle in the playoffs.
8Lamar Jackson has lost three of his last four playoff games entering Saturday. Getty Images## Game 2: Packers at 49ers
The Packers at the 49ers on Saturday night features Green Bays Love and San Franciscos Purdy.
Purdy, 24, led the league in passer rating (113.0) in his first full season as a starter. Love, 25, ranked second in the NFL in TD passes (32) in his first season as a starter.
Purdy completed 69.4 percent of his passes this season for 4,280 yards, 31 TDs and 11 INTs.
For Love, this is all new, this being his first year as a starter. Hes coming off a magical performance in last weeks rout of Dallas in the wild-card game on the road, where he completed 16 of 21 passes for 272 yards and three TDs.
8Jordan Love has led the Packers to seven wins in their last nine games. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConThose numbers came after a regular season in which he threw for 4,159 yards, 32 TDs and 11 INTs. Since the Packers 3-6 start, Love has led them to seven wins in the last nine games and 21 TDs to only one INT in that span.
Prediction: As hot as Love is, Purdy has the better supporting cast of skill-position players, he has a little more postseason experience and hes at home. Purdy prevails, but Loves time to go deep into the playoffs will come.
8Brock Purdy led the NFL in passer rating during his first season as a starter. Getty Images## Game 3: Buccaneers at Lions
The Buccaneers at the Lions on Sunday afternoon features Mayfield for Tampa Bay and Goff for Detroit.
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Check out more newslettersGoff was the No. 1 overall pick in 2016 by the Rams and Mayfield was picked No. 1 overall in 2018 by the Browns. Both players probably feel like those drafts were a lifetime ago, with the Rams having given up on Goff and shipping him to Detroit and Mayfield working his way from Cleveland to Carolina to LA and finally to Tampa, where he thrived this season.
Goff set a new career high in completion percentage during the regular season at 67.3 percent and threw for 4,575 yards, 30 TDs and 12 INTs the second-most TDs in his career and the third-most yards.
More importantly, in a full-circle game last week in a 24-23 wild-card victory over the Rams and Matthew Stafford, for whom the Rams discarded him, Goff completed 22 of 27 passes (81.5 percent), with 277 yards and a TD.
Mayfield, playing in all 17 regular-season games, posted career highs in passing yards (4,044) and TD passes (28) in what has been a renaissance to his career.
8Baker Mayfield compiled career-best numbers for passing yards and touchdowns with the Buccaneers in 2023. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConPrediction: Mayfields run has been impressive, but Goff and the Lions are riding an incredible emotional wave right now and this feels a lot like Detroits year. The Lions wild-card win over the Rams ended a nine-game postseason losing streak and was only the second playoff win in team history first in 32 years.
8Jared Goff threw the second-most touchdowns in his career during the regular season. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con## Game 4: Chiefs at Bills
The Chiefs at the Bills on Sunday night features Mahomes against Allen.
This has become a modern-day version of the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning postseason battles, with Mahomes on the better end at the moment, having eliminated Allen and the Bills in 2020 and 2021 and owning two Super Bowl titles and two Super Bowl MVPs.
Those playoff games, however, took place in Kansas City, where Mahomes has played all of his postseason contests other than the Super Bowls. This time, he has to do it at Buffalo, where Allen and the Bills are a tough out.
8Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs eliminated the Bills from the postseason in 2020 and 2021. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConMahomes and Allen have met six times in their NFL careers four regular-season games and two playoff games and each has won three times, though Mahomes is 2-0 in the playoffs.
In the past four years, Mahomes and Allen rank Nos. 1 and 2 in QB wins (Mahomes 50, Allen 48), total TDs (Allen 174, Mahomes 151) and yards from scrimmage (Mahomes 20,454, Allen 20,001).
8Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have met six times during their careers. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConIn the postseason, Mahomes is tied with Brady for the most QB playoff wins before turning 30 (12) and Allen is the only QB to average 250 yards passing per game and 50 yards rushing per game in playoff history.
Prediction: This is Allens postseason time because he and his team are the hottest in the league right now and because this game is being played in his house not Mahomes for a change.
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