It’s a quarterback bonanza on semifinals weekend of the NFL playoffs.
Dream match-ups and chances to cement their places are featured in the divisional rounds in the AFC and NFC, where the four starting QBs in each conference are deeply divided by age.
For example, the youngest guns are all in the AFC, with Josh Allen of the Bills facing off against Lamar Jackson of the Ravens, and the Browns’ Baker Mayfield challenging the current young king Patrick Mahomes of the defending NFL champion Chiefs.
Their averaged age is between 24 and 25 years old, and all four of are trying establish long-term legacies. If Mayfield and the Browns would upset Mahomes and the Chiefs, that would be a major blip in path to greatness for both the Kansas City team and its superstar.
The Bills and Ravens are both coming off breaking long playoff droughts, and Allen has actually surpassed Jackson in the league’s QB rankings. Allen has the best two-year pass percentage improvement in NFL history and is a contender for the MVP. Jackson has already won that award only to see his stock drop among his peers.
In the NFC, Aaron Rogers and Drew Brees are already bound for the Hall of Fame, but each has only one Super Bowl ring. So, neither can climb into the same ionosphere with multiples like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger until they win another.
Rogers, who is 37, and his Packers are heavily favored over the LA Rams and their 26-year-old QB Jared Goff, who has a chance to build his resume significantly by pulling the upset in Green Bay. If the Pack wins, Rogers will be guaranteed a classic duel in the NFC final.
That’s because the 43-year-old Brady and the 42-year-old Brees tangle in the other game, and last of the weekend, Sunday night. Brady’s Buccaneers are the wild card and fifth seed and will need to win three games on the road if TB12 is to reach a tenth Super Bowl.
And they’ve already lost twice to Brees and the Saints. But the Bucs are playing their best football while Brees has been banged up since they last met. So, with no fans, Tampa Bay is really the favorite.
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