With one weekend of NFL playoff football under our belts, the true competitors for the 50th Lombardi Trophy are coming into greater focus. Separating the contenders from the pretenders should be no more difficult than it was during Wild Card weekend: Just look at the quarterbacks.
No one really should have been surprised by Wild Card weekend’s outcomes, as playoff veteran quarterbacks (who entered with a collective 37 postseason starts) knocked off first-time playoff starters by a decisive 4-0 margin. Sure there were bad penalties and missed field goals, but ultimately playoff experience triumphed in the first round.
Of the eight teams remaining, every single quarterback has playoff experience. Four have Super Bowl experience (with one who was a backup), including a total of 15 Super Bowl starts, nine Super Bowl wins, and five Super Bowl MVPs.
These playoffs are stacked with defensive stalwarts. (Even Pittsburgh, the perceived “weakest” defense still remaining, was 11th in the league in scoring defense; Green Bay is actually 12th.) Advancing past juggernauts like Seattle, Kansas City and Denver (not to mention the rest) is going to come down to which quarterbacks can handle the pressure when its at its highest. And that may come down to playoff experience. Here’s a rundown of who brings the best experience to the party.
