Kyler Murray could crash the party should he return full strength after an ankle injury that’s kept him out a month, but as of now, the NFC representative in the Super Bowl could be determined by a rematch between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.
Brady survived three interceptions a year ago in Green Bay as the Buccaneers beat the Packers 31-26, winning the right to face (and beat) the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl LV. Rodgers was 33 of 48 for 346 yards but couldn’t overcome a 28-10 deficit early in the third quarter, getting Green Bay as close as 28-23.
In terms of conference seedings, here are the quarterbacks aligned with postseason berths heading into Week 13.
NFC: Murray (Arizona), Rodgers (Green Bay), Brady (Tampa Bay), Dak Prescott (Dallas), Matthew Stafford (LA Rams), Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers), Taylor Heineke (Washington).
AFC: Lamar Jackson (Baltimore), Mac Jones (New England), Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City), Josh Allen (Buffalo), Justin Herbert (LA Chargers).
Here’s how I rank them individually, as well as those outside the playoff picture:
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay (bye) Last week: 2
Rodgers let Matthew Stafford make the big mistakes (pick six, lost fumble) while he went about his business as usual (28 of 45 for 307 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) in a 36-28 win over the Rams. Davante Adams had eight catches for 104 yards but Rodgers found eight different targets. If Rodgers’ toe injury worsens, the Packers are sunk.
2. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay (at Atlanta) Last week: 4
Down 24-14 in the second quarter? For the 32nd time in his career, Brady led his team from a double-digit deficit to a win — this time 38-31 against Indianapolis. Was 25 of 34 for 226 yards. Mostly nickels and dimes other than a 32-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski.
3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City (vs. Denver) Last week: 3
Had a week off to ponder running the AFC West gauntlet over the next three weeks with a chance to seize the division for good. The Chiefs host the Broncos and Raiders, then visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 16.
4. Dak Prescott, Dallas (at New Orleans) Last week: 5
Prescott was 32 of 47 for 375 yards and two touchdowns in a three-point overtime loss to the Raiders. Playing without Amari Cooper (COVID) and CeeDee Lamb, Prescott still threw some absolute dimes on deep sideline throws and acquitted himself as a top-level quarterback.
5. Josh Allen, Buffalo (vs. New England) Last week: 7
Allen won’t be happy about the two interceptions, but it hardly mattered. Buffalo dominated New Orleans, and Allen was 23 of 28 for 260 yards and four touchdowns. He also had eight rushes for 43 yards.
6. Mac Jones, New England (at Buffalo) Last week: 14
The Patriots have won six straight and outscored their opponents by nearly 25 points per game during that stretch. And Mac Jones is their quarterback. And a pretty good one. Was 23 of 32 for 310 yards, two touchdowns, no picks in a 36-13 win over Tennessee.
7. Kyler Murray, Arizona (at Chicago) Last week: 9
The assumption is Murray will be back following a bye after Colt McCoy led Arizona to two wins in three games, performing his job as a backup beautifully. The Cardinals face the Rams after the Bears and then get Detroit on the road. Could have the division in the bag after three wins. If Murray is his usual self, he moves up next week.
8. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati (vs. LA Chargers) Last week: 10
The way the Bengals are running the ball (38 carries, 198 yards, including 168 by Joe Mixon), life is good or Burrow. He was 20 of 24 for 190 yards and no interceptions in a blowout win against the Steelers.
9. Justin Herbert, LA Chargers (at Cincinnati) Last week: 1
Life is precarious at the top. Herbert slumped in a 28-13 loss to Denver. The Chargers’ first eight possessions included three punts, two interceptions, a missed field goal attempt and one touchdown. They added one too-little, too-late touchdown. A 70-yard pick-six given up to Patrick Surtain sealed the Chargers’ doom.
10. Derek Carr, Las Vegas (vs. Washington) Last week: 16
Nice rebound (24 of 39 for 373 yards, one TD, zero turnovers) in a 36-33 overtime win at Dallas following three straight losses and sub-par performances. Raiders are 6-5, and for the anti-Carr portion of the fan base, the Raiders QB was citing Teddy Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” quote on his Twitter feed. Not that he pays attention to the criticism or anything.
11. JIMMY GAROPPOLO, 49ERS (at Seattle) Last week: 12
Had a bad interception early that led to a Minnesota touchdown but recovered and made some clutch third-down throws in a 34-26 win over the Vikings. Was 17 of 26 for 230 yards and a touchdown. In a three-game winning streak, the 49ers have run the ball 125 times and thrown it 67.
12. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota (at Detroit) Last week: 6
Had a late interception to Azeez Al-Shaair that was costly. Cousins was 20 of 32 for 238 yards and touchdowns of 2 and 20 yards to Adam Thielen. Minnesota point total was padded with a 99-yard kickoff return in the second half.
13. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore (at Pittsburgh) Last week: 8
Jackson has led the Ravens to just 26 points over the last two games and has seven interceptions over his last three. Was 20 of 32 for 165 yards, one touchdown and four picks as defense bailed him out in a 16-10 win over Cleveland.
14. Matt Stafford, LA Rams (vs. Jacksonville) Last week: 11
That is three straight losses for the Rams after falling to Green Bay. And not coincidentally, three straight games with Stafford having an interception returned for a touchdown. This one went to Rasul Douglas, putting Los Angeles behind 36-17. Game over.
15. Taylor Heineke, Washington (at Las Vegas) Last week: 24
At this time last year, Henieke was sitting on a couch, believing his career was over. Too early to say he’s the WFT quarterback of the future, but Heineke has played well enough to ensure he can be a quality backup for years to come. Was 27 of 35 for 223 yards, a touchdown and one interception in Monday night win over Seattle.
16. Tua Tagovaiola, Miami (vs. NY Giants) Last week: 23
Not a lot of downfield stuff but Tagovaiola’s accuracy of late has been interesting. He was 27 of 31 for a touchdown and no interceptions in a 33-10 win over Carolina. He’s 54 of 64 in his last two games — both Miami wins. Plus he’s developing a nice chemistry with former Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle.
Can confirm.
#FinsUp https://t.co/Y9IcC8Sjtv
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 28, 2021
17. Matt Ryan (vs. Tampa Bay) Last week: 21
Not particularly dynamic but didn’t need to be in a 21-14 win over Jacksonville. Ryan was 19 of 29 for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Has struggled against good teams.
18. Russell Wilson, Seattle (vs. 49ers) Last week: 15
The final stats (20 of 31, 247 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) were deceiving. Until the final drive, Taylor Heineke looked more like Russell Wilson than Russell Wilson did. Not even close to the same guy since his return from surgery on a finger on his throwing hand.
19. Carson Wentz, Indianapolis (at Houston) Last week: 17
Threw a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble in the Colts’ last four possessions in a seven-point loss to Tampa Bay. Wentz was 27 of 44 for 306 yards and three touchdowns. Indianapolis had a 10-point lead in the second quarter.
20. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh (vs. Baltimore) Last week: 13
The Steelers were awful against Cincinnati and Roethlisberger was a big reason why. Was 24 of 41 for 263 yards and one touchdown but had two interceptions. He threw a pick six that Mike Hilton returned 24 yards for a touchdown that had the Steelers down 31-3.
21. Andy Dalton, Chicago (vs. Arizona) Last week: 22 (Justin Fields)
Rookie Justin Fields is out with cracked ribs. In the meantime, Dalton has passed for 517 yards in six quarters but produced only two touchdowns. Interesting call by beleaguered coach Matt Nagy when Fields is good to go.
22. Teddy Bridgewater, Denver (at Kansas City) Last week: 26
Bridgewater left temporarily in the first half with a leg injury but returned to finish up a 15-point win against the Chargers. Was 11 of 18 for 129 yards and a touchdown as Denver rushed for 147 yards on 33 carries. The Broncos and Chargers (and the Raiders) are 6-5.
23. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee (bye) Last week: 18
Even in a game where the Titans rushed for 270 yards and put two backs over 100 without Derrick Henry, Tannehill looked lost in a 23-point loss to New England. Was 11 of 21 for 93 yards, one touchdown, one interception.
24. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia (at N.Y. Jets) Last week: 19
As a quarterback, Hurts (14 of 31, 129 yards, three interceptions) made for a pretty nice running back (eight rushes, 77 yards). In 10 possessions, the Eagles had one touchdown, three interceptions, three punts, a lost fumble and twice turned it over on downs.
25. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland (bye) Last week: 25
Browns may have to consider pulling the plug on Mayfield, who is a physical mess. Completed 18 of 37 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown in a 16-10 loss to Ravens. One touchdown in 12 possessions — on a night where the Browns had four takeaways.
26. Daniel Jones, NY Giants (at Miami) Last week: 28
With Freddie Kitchens taking over for Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator, Jones (19 of 30, 202 yards, one touchdown) and the Giants exploded for a touchdown and two field goals in a 13-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
27. Cam Newton, Carolina (bye) Last week: 20
What a nightmare. Newton was 5-for-21 for 92 yards and two interceptions before he was finally given the hook in favor of P.J. Walker in the fourth quarter. It gets worse. Christian McCaffrey went on injured reserve Monday with an ankle injury. He’s done for the year.
28. Trevor Siemian, New Orleans (vs. Dallas) Last week: 27
Drew Brees could have come out of the broadcast booth cold at age 42 and been an infinite upgrade over Siemian, who was 17 of 29 for 163 yards, a touchdown and an interception. By the time he got anything going at all, the Saints were down 24-0 to Buffalo and fans were taking turkey-induced Thanksgiving naps. Taysom Hill is expected to start this week.
29. Zach Wilson, NY Jets (vs. Philadelphia) Last week: 32
The No. 2 overall pick in the draft, Wilson rallied the Jets from a 14-3 deficit to a 21-14 win on the road. It was against the Texans, but when you’re the quarterback of the Jets, you take anything you can get. Was 14 of 24 for 145 yards and one interception.
30. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville (at L.A. Rams) Last week: 29
Obviously has the arm talent, but not the supporting cast to get the ball downfield in this offense. Was 23 of 42 for only 228 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Hard to tell if Lawrence is getting any better but all the snaps should pay off at some point.
31. Jared Goff, Detroit (vs. Minnesota) Last week: 30
Give Goff credit for getting on the field with an oblique strain in a short week for a winless team. Going 21 of 25 for 171 yards with no picks isn’t bad either. Lost to the Bears anyway 16-14 because he plays for the Lions.
32. Tyrod Taylor, Houston (vs. Indianapolis) Last week: 31
Up 14-3 on the Jets, Taylor’s last seven possessions against one of the NFL’s worst teams went like this: punt, punt, punt, punt, missed field goal, downs, end of game. Davis Mills is warming up in the bullpen.
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