Uncharted Waters: Playoffs New Experience For Many AFC QBs

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We are just hours away from the beginning of the NFL playoffs with Super Wild Card Weekend. In total, it feels like at least a handful of teams have a tremendous shot at winning Super Bowl LVII. The depth of the playoff field will certainly make for some fascinating matchups and finishes. On the other hand, there are going to be many new faces making their NFL playoff debut. This is especially true in the AFC at the quarterback position.

Which AFC playoff quarterbacks have found success during past trips to the postseason? Will they possibly feel more pressure than the AFC quarterbacks that have yet to experience the playoffs? Let’s kick it off.

Been There, Done That

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It is likely no coincidence that the top three seeds in the AFC have quarterbacks that have appeared in the playoffs already. Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs has started the most playoff games of AFC quarterbacks in this year’s playoff field. Overall, Mahomes is a combined 8-3 in the postseason, while appearing in two Super Bowls and winning one of them.

Meanwhile, Josh Allen has appeared in six playoff games. He and the Buffalo Bills have split those contests, going a combined 3-3. Two of those three losses were simply improbable victories for the opposing team. The Houston Texans overcame a 16-0 deficit to beat the Bills in the Wild Card round in Allen’s first ever playoff game. Of course, Buffalo had that wild finish against Kansas City last year. The Chiefs somehow got a game-tying field goal when their last drive of regulation began with just 13 seconds left. Kansas City eventually won in overtime, to boot.

Finally, Joe Burrow has gone a combined 3-1 in the playoffs. All four contests happened last season. Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and the Chiefs to reach Super Bowl LVI. While they were unsuccessful in that Super Bowl matchup, the Bengals, and especially Burrow, put themselves on the map as extremely versatile and dangerous competitors.

First Of Many?

If Chargers at Jaguars is not the most exciting matchup on Super Wild Card Weekend, it is extremely close. There are many reasons as to why that could be the case. Both teams have a chance to be playoff contenders year in and year out, despite enduring many years of suffering and heartbreak. Each team finished the regular season about as hot as any team out there. But most of all, this quarterback matchup is the most tantalizing of the entire weekend, far and away. That is especially thrilling, given that neither quarterback has appeared in the playoffs yet. Perhaps, this is the first of many playoff appearances for Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence.

It certainly has not been all positive for both of these quarterbacks. Yet, they each have some unique numbers to point towards during the early portion of their careers. According to CBS Sports, Herbert ranks first or second respectively in passing yards, completions, passing yards per game and passing touchdowns in all-time NFL history for a player’s first three seasons of their career. As for Lawrence, he is just the second quarterback since 1950 to double his wins and passing touchdowns, while cutting his interceptions in half from one season to another. That other quarterback was Drew Brees in 2004, courtesy of @NFLResearch on Twitter. Lawrence has also never lost a game on a Saturday, including in high school, college and the NFL.

Understudies Take Center Stage

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There are a couple of AFC playoff teams that will be rolling with understudies at quarterback on Super Wild Card Weekend. Both the Baltimore Ravens (Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Anthony Brown) and the Miami Dolphins (Tua Tagovailoa, Teddy Bridgewater, Skylar Thompson) have used three quarterbacks this year. Thompson has already been confirmed as the starter for Miami this weekend. Whereas with Baltimore, all signs point to Huntley get the starting nod. He has dealt with his own ailments as of late, however. If not for injuries and it was Jackson and Tagovailoa starting this weekend, every AFC playoff team’s starting QB would be a former first-round pick.

Like the aforementioned Herbert and Lawrence, this will be the first ever NFL playoff appearance for Thompson. A rookie seventh-round pick out of Kansas State, the Dolphins selected Thompson with the 247th overall pick last spring.

But for those that may not remember, Huntley has actually appeared in one playoff game previously. He was not the starter for that contest, though. That means that Sunday night would be his first ever playoff start, if he is indeed good to go. That lone appearance came in a matchup where the Ravens were in Buffalo. Jackson had suffered an injury against the Bills, allowing Huntley to step up. He went just six for 13 passing back in that playoff appearance a few years ago.

Different Levels Of Pressure

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Obviously, every AFC playoff quarterback wants to go out and do well, while leading his team to victory. Yet, there are surely different levels of pressure amongst these team’s signal callers. You could argue that certain passers will be more pressured to come through and reach or win the Super Bowl, compared to others. Namely, Allen and the Bills have been so close in the last couple of years. Allen needs to get that monkey off of his back of reaching the Super Bowl, something Mahomes and Burrow have already done over the last few years. Buffalo is also still searching for that elusive first Super Bowl win.

As for Mahomes and Burrow, they are looking to prove points. There is still pressure surrounding them this postseason. Nevertheless, it feels like their pressure is much lower than Allen’s, so to speak. Mahomes is looking to prove that he can win with a much different supporting cast. Furthermore, Burrow is looking to prove that he could be a top two quarterback in the AFC each year, if not the top one. So many people have already crowned Mahomes and Allen as the top two if the AFC already, nonetheless.

Names like Herbert and Lawrence still face pressure. Though, each passer is only scratching the surface of how good they can truly be. Los Angeles and Jacksonville both appear to be entering the early stages of their prime, to boot. Lastly, names like Huntley and Thompson are looking to perform adequately enough that they may still see a future opportunity come their way.

Be on the lookout for more NFL playoff articles and analysis at Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.