Ranking starting QBs in AFC, NFC Championship Game
We're just a few hours away from who will be the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game, and the Washington Commanders versus the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. ) takes over. Both games presented numerous storylines.
Will Score Quarterback Josh Allen at last Passing Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs? Does the Commander defense have enough to stop Eagles running back Saquon Barkley? Is this the end of Jayden Daniels' magical rookie season, or will he solidify himself as the sport's next big star?
NBC News' Rohan Nadkarni and NBC Sports' Patrick Daugherty's Rohan Nadkarni and Andrew Greif answer these questions ahead of Sunday's conference championship game.
Ranked quarterbacks.
Nadkar: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts
When doubting Mahomes, I'd rather be behind the curve than the curve. So even if he and the Chiefs have relatively high pedestrian numbers this year, in the biggest moments of the game, there's no doubt in my mind: I want Mahomes.
Allen has been great this year, especially protecting the football. Some of the best plays he made in the Bills' win over the Ravens were the plays he didn't make — no forced throws, no ill-advised laterals. Couple his newfound risk avoidance with his running and throwing talents and it's a no-brainer for me.
Daniels gets interesting with Hurts. I'll take the Eagles offense overall, but quarterback vs. quarterback? If one of Daniels or Pain needs to win a shootout, I would trust Daniels more in a pure passing situation.
Griff: Daniels, Mahomes, Allen
Not an inmate at the time, but Daniels currently has one oops moment. Among remaining quarterbacks, the rookie play-caller completed the second-most passes, accounted for the fewest sacks, the most yards per game, and had the best touchdown rate. One rating was ESPN's “QBR” where he was nearly perfect on third and fourth downs. On top of that, Daniels also leads the “player you least want to see right now” category.
Mahomes' statistics slumped during the regular season — he graded worse than nursing average, passed for touchdowns and interceptions in percentage for the first time as a starter, and threw for less than 4,000 yards in touchdown and interception percentages for the first time. Previously – continued in the playoffs. However, try watching his impromptu touchdown pass last week, which was played perfectly into Houston's zone as Mahomes fell, and believe he won't find a way to win. Mahomes has won his last six home playoff games and 11 of his last 12 dating back to 2019.
That's nothing to take away from Allen, who can mold the gears into whatever Bills needs to get the job done, whether as a passer or runner. In the playoffs, half of his 18 goals resulted in Game 1.
Daugherty: Mahomes, Allen, Daniels, injured
No. 1 is Mahomes until proven otherwise. Even though Mahomes' game has gone from flash to worker amid the Chiefs' receiver shortage, it's still effective at winning football games. Not even Tom Brady reached this high level during his peak. Ultimately, the Chiefs' lack of big plays got them down, but Mahomes' impact will continue to cover every inch of KC.
Second has to be Allen. Allen cuts turnovers and deep shots in 2024 and focuses more on game-to-game productivity. The results so far include his first AFC Championship Game appearance in four years. Allen has essentially become Cam Newton, only with the efficiency dial turned to 11. He was probably the only reason they won.
The third – the famous last word – was Daniels. natural calm any Quarterback, Daniels is his supernatural Rookie balance and execution. Daniels appears to have converted his fourth straight 100-game possession with the entire Commander franchise. Which brings us to the two main problems with the rookie: It's all on him, and no one can run forever. Commander might be a year early. But, at this point, no one would be surprised since before the Internet if Daniels never calmed down at all.
Finally, the most incredible thing is the damage, they seemed to have entered the divisional rounds at less than 100% health. Now, he seems closer to 50%. After struggling to threaten downfield for much of the second half of the season, Hurts has become a game-winning one-man threat in his own right. The beautiful part about the Eagles is he has a lot of help. Right now, he needs more than the other three-down backs on this list.
Radar storyline
Nadkar: The Commander's fourth-down aggression is about to fly under the radar, but I think their coaching strategy has been on point in the playoffs. After attempting five fourth-down conversions in the Wild Card, Washington converted four times against the Detroit Lions in the divisional round. If the Commanders are going to hit the road this week as important underdogs, continuing with a bold fourth-down strategy will go a long way.
This will be especially important for the Eagles, who love to play football. Philadelphia's rushing attack would take possession quickly. If Washington stays aggressive and can get an extra boost or two, that will go a long way against another team with a frustrating general manager.
Griff: Buffalo's best chance to break its three-game playoff losing streak to Kansas City is on a historic level. According to NFL Research, this is the first team in NFL history to play four consecutive postseason games (dating back to last season) without a turnover and has a chance to become the first team ever to play in the Super Bowl, both at the same time Less than 10 turnovers all season. If it can play clean football, it will give itself more chances to ultimately beat the Chiefs.
Daugherty: Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco isn't 100 percent healthy for the Chiefs. That's bad news for a team that's committed to polishing its game until it can get back to free agency and the draft and throw more darts at its corps of receivers.
At some point, someone other than Mahomes and Travis Kelce will have to excel for the Chiefs. It doesn't look like it's going to be possible to come out of the backfield right now, even with the best player in the league against the best player on a Bills team that won't do the charity work the Chiefs are used to. got this season from an overly disgusted opponent.
Which non-QB (other than Saquon Barkley) will have the biggest impact this weekend?
Nadkar: Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones may not be the most popular name associated with the Kansas City dynasty, but he is one of the most important parts of the team's overall success. Don't let the lack of insurance ads or podcast clips fool you; Jones' connection with Mahomes to Kelce was part of the Chiefs' win.
Jones prepared for a monster performance against Buffalo on Sunday. At the very least, Kansas City will need someone to move up. The Bills' offensive line is solid, which contributes to their running success against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. Jones will not only play a role in slowing down the run. If he can generate pressure down the middle, that could eliminate some of Allen's ability to scramble.
Griff: Jalen Carter, Philadelphia defensive tackle. Carter, who had a third sack and fourth down on the Rams' Matthew Stafford to help the Eagles seal a divisional win in the playoffs Also defended three passes. Carter now faces a commanding offensive line without starting guard Sam Cosmi, who suffered a knee injury last week. Part of the Eagles' victory hinges on getting Daniels the play-caller, which will allow their linebackers to spy Daniels or get into coverage if the Eagles can only apply pressure with the defensive front.
Daugherty: The answer is always Kells. All he needs to look back in Hall of Fame form is a playoff light. The question is, will that be enough for the Chiefs. The team was resigned and Kelce moved the chains and absorbed the red zone. If so, the Bills might still win only Kelce tries to tie up Mahomes for his third straight game.
Who does the Super Bowl?
Nadkar: Chiefs and Eagles. Mahomes remains king of the AFC. Philadelphia's experience in big games has finally caught up with the generals.
grif: Philadelphia will beat Washington in the NFC because the Commander's defense has been leaking (allowing 25.5 points per game in the playoffs, 9.5 points more than Philadelphia) and the Eagles have ranked among the league's elite defenses all season. By one metric, they stand among the league's leading margins, allowing for the lowest success rate.
Picking the AFC feels like splitting hairs. But until the Chiefs pursue an unprecedented third Super Bowl title, Kansas City remains the option to win in Las Vegas. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's unit sacked Texas QB C.J. eight times in last week's divisional round, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Stroud eight times and put pressure on him. Can Josh Allen make life difficult, too?
Daugherty: I have become the dead chief. Even during last year's lowest tide, I remained confident in their Super Bowl preference. They are 16-1 in games attempted this season. I just don't think this is their year. This may be the last opening game the Chiefs ever sign. I hope Allen and Co. wear it.
In the NFC, I believe the Commanders are finally on their game. You don't have to go back to find the last time Daniels got hit by Philly. As impressive as Washington is, as injured as it was, the Commander just couldn't compete with the Eagles on a 1-to-53 basis, even if they had the No. 1 pick with Daniels. I like the Eagles deciding that Tampa Bay and Detroit can't, while Philly gets to face Buffalo in New Orleans.