Quarterback narratives change quickly in the playoffs. 

C.J. Stroud became an afterthought in the regular season once it was clear that his second year in the NFL wasn’t going to be anywhere near as good as his rookie campaign. But playoff wins have a way of overshadowing poor stretches and lackluster numbers from the regular season. 

QB debates are silly and inconsistent, and at the same time, it’s tough to argue against playoff wins and Super Bowls. Obviously, there’s a line—one that Eli Manning tested throughout his career, but he won two Super Bowls for the New York Giants, preventing Tom Brady from having nine total rings. That’s what we remember most, not that Manning was nowhere near being a top-10 quarterback on a consistent basis, making all the nonstop debating pointless.  

Suddenly, Stroud is back to having a bright future, thrust into the conversations of elite quarterbacks due to his two playoff wins in two seasons. Again, these narratives shift often, and in strange directions. For most of the regular season, Justin Herbert was praised for making it work with a thin Los Angeles Chargers roster, throwing a league-low three interceptions and producing 11 wins. Now, many question whether Herbert is overhyped while others scream he didn’t have enough help during the wild-card loss against Stroud’s Houston Texans.    

We might reach a mindless level of quarterback debates once the divisional showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens concludes. The winner between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson will be one step closer to reaching their first Super Bowl, while the loser will be harshly criticized for not delivering in the biggest moments and talked about as if they’re not an elite signal-caller. 

There’s not much to take away from Jackson and Allen stepping up for their respective teams during the first round of the postseason. They were expected to win and avoided the wrath of public criticism for at least one week. It’s funny how high the bar is set for ringless quarterbacks who consistently play at an elite level, only for people to say they aren’t elite after a postseason loss. It sounds strange, but also fair in a sport that’s all about how many Super Bowl rings one possesses.  

Before the games get bigger and we analyze the legacy of quarterbacks, here’s what we learned from the six wild-card games with an emphasis on what occurred on the field and what it means in the short term. 

Before the postseason, we asked one giant question for each playoff team. For the Philadelphia Eagles: Will the passing game do enough to help Saquon Barkley?

Well, the Eagles barely did enough against an undermanned Green Bay Packers squad that couldn’t capitalize on Jalen Hurts’s sluggish start. But what Philly showed in the 22–10 wild-card win probably won’t be good enough against better competition moving forward in the playoffs. 

On a positive note, there was no sideline dispute between Hurts and star receiver A.J. Brown, who was held to one catch for 10 yards. Instead, Brown found his peace by reading a book on the sideline during the fourth quarter after he and Hurts couldn’t connect on a downfield shot in Green Bay territory on third-and-1. (Book sales for Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life took off.)

But reading a book is easier when your team is up two scores in the final eight minutes of regulation while the opponent constantly loses key players to injury. Brown and Hurts (13-of-21, 131 yards, two touchdowns) need to get on the same page—pun intended—quickly or the Eagles’ bounce-back season with the arrival of Barkley (25 carries for 119 yards) could end in the divisional round. 

To Hurts’s credit, though, he made plays with his legs, which was bold of him in his first game back since sustaining the concussion that sidelined him for nearly three games. His mobility allowed others to see openings, especially on the left side, with Hurts connecting with DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert to end a scoring drought that went nearly two quarters. Hurts was sitting at 39 passing yards before the touchdown drive that put Philadelphia ahead 16–3 with 3:20 in the third quarter. 

Philadelphia has the luxury of having a championship-caliber defense, one that forced Jordan Love into three interceptions and stymied a dynamic chain-mover in Josh Jacobs. But what Hurts and Brown showed Sunday won’t get it done against better competition in the NFC postseason. 

There’s a reason Lions star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said on his podcast that the Los Angeles Rams are the team he least wants to face in the postseason. 

It was easy to see why Monday night while the Rams dismantled the Minnesota Vikings during their wild-card victory. Matthew Stafford had no issues carving up Brian Flores’s Vikings defense. Also, the rising Rams defense might have cost Sam Darnold plenty of money after handing him a dreadful performance to conclude his breakout season in Minnesota. 

Los Angeles is loaded with young skill players and pass rushers, and still has enough veteran leadership left over from the 2021 Super Bowl–winning squad. Throw in a proven quarterback in Stafford and a creative play-caller in Sean McVay, and the Rams have the ingredients to get to another Super Bowl. 

Yes, getting to New Orleans is still a tall order with a divisional road matchup against the Eagles, who crushed the Rams in L.A. earlier this season. But Hurts’s passing attack could have plenty of trouble against a stacked defensive front. If the Rams get by Philly, they already have the confidence of knowing they can hang with the Detroit Lions after two narrow losses, an overtime loss in Week 1 and the wild-card defeat 12 months ago.

But that’s looking too far ahead, because the Lions still have to deal with the feisty Washington Commanders. It would also be special for Los Angeles after what transpired last week with the wildfires for the Rams to possibly host a home playoff game against the Commanders for the NFC championship.

All these scenarios are possible because the Rams will be a tough out for the rest of the playoffs. 

Questions about Todd Bowles’s job security swirled after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ brief postseason appearance and crushing 23–20 home loss to the Commanders. 

It would be surprising if GM Jason Licht decided to fire Bowles after three consecutive playoff appearances, with the coach keeping the team competitive in the post–Tom Brady era. Also, the team showed plenty of fight, overcoming a four-game losing streak and a wave of injuries to key players earlier this season to win the NFC South for the fourth consecutive season. But Licht might have something to think about because offensive coordinator Liam Coen has drawn interest from teams with head coaching vacancies and the Buccaneers seem to have hit a ceiling under Bowles, who has a 1–3 postseason record since being promoted to head coach in 2022.

Coen fixed the team’s rushing attack, something not even Dave Canales managed during his time as Tampa Bay’s offensive play-caller before taking the head coaching job with the Carolina Panthers. Coen turned tight end Cade Otton into a weapon and leaned heavily on rookie running back Bucky Irving while the team played without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Mayfield is coming off his best career season and rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan could be a cornerstone piece. 

But say Licht decides he can’t lose Coen after all the success of the offense in 2024, that won’t fix the issues that hurt Bowles from running his aggressive defensive scheme properly. The Buccaneers need star pass rushers and depth in the secondary, two areas that allowed Washington to play keep away with Jayden Daniels, who was only sacked once and hit four times. After Tampa Bay lost cornerback Jamel Dean to a knee injury, Bowles was forced to send extra rushers so Daniels wouldn’t pick apart a depleted secondary. But that didn’t work against a mobile quarterback known for buying extra time. 

With or without Bowles, the Buccaneers need an elite pass rusher to return to true Super Bowl contention and not just be a tough team with a ceiling in the first two rounds of the postseason.  

The beauty of the NFL is that it’s a week-to-week league with game plans that rarely work in consecutive games.  

So, with that in mind, it’s going to be extremely difficult for Bills coach Sean McDermott to develop a game plan for his defense to contain the Ravens’ two-headed monster of Jackson and Derrick Henry when the two teams clash in a divisional round showdown. The Pittsburgh Steelers had T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Patrick Queen on their defensive front and still got gashed for 299 yards during Saturday’s wild-card loss to the Ravens.

In Week 4, Baltimore steamrolled Buffalo by 25 points, churning 271 rushing yards, including 199 from Henry. Again, football isn’t as simple as pointing to the past to predict the future, but it was hard not to think that the Ravens would have delivered at least multiple touchdowns when the Denver Broncos found themselves in Buffalo territory in three of their first four drives during Sunday’s 31–7 loss. 

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix had an impressive opening touchdown drive before two punts and a missed field goal to head into halftime with a 10–7 deficit. The Bills eventually took over in the second half, scoring 31 unanswered points, but they probably can’t afford a slow start against the Ravens’ offensive juggernaut. 

Sure, the Bills have the offense to keep pace with the Ravens, but Allen doesn’t have the luxury of an elite running back. Buffalo is going to need stops, and right now, that’s tough to see. McDermott will need a master defensive plan to help his team advance to the AFC title game. 

Most of Herbert’s four interceptions weren’t his fault. Also, Herbert failed to step up when his team needed him most during the ugly 32–12 wild-card loss against the Texans. 

These two statements can be true at the same time. They also conflict when it comes to the fierce debate of whether Herbert belongs in the conversation of top quarterbacks. To me, he hovers more around the back end of the top-10 signal-callers or just outside, behind (in no particular order) Patrick Mahomes, Jackson, Joe Burrow, Allen, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Mayfield, Hurts and Stroud—the quarterback who outplayed Herbert and did more for his team with a similar roster. (It might be too soon to rank Daniels inside the top 10, but he does have an impressive road playoff win under his belt.)

Again, Herbert wasn’t at fault for interceptions that bounced off his teammates’ hands and helmets, and the throws he forced playing from well behind in Houston. But I understand why the Herbert excuses can be tiring after two embarrassing playoff losses in five seasons, including the 27-point blown lead in Jacksonville two years ago. 

It’s hard to make excuses for Herbert when Stroud also faced constant pressure with a weak offensive line. He, too, has a thin group of pass catchers, and let’s not forget the early six-point deficit that could have ballooned to three scores by halftime if it weren’t for Houston’s defense keeping Herbert’s offense away from the end zone. Herbert had his chances to shatter the Texans’ confidence, but the Chargers only had two field goals to show after six possessions before Stroud finally produced points in the final minute of the first half.   

Herbert is too talented and making too much money to say he didn’t have enough help to win a wild-card game against a No. 4 seed. Everyone besides the Texans and their most diehard fans believed the Chargers were going to cruise in Houston. Coach Jim Harbaugh played his starters in Week 18 against the Las Vegas Raiders for the right to play the wounded Texans and not the mighty Ravens. 

So enough with the argument that Herbert only had rookie Ladd McConkey on the field. Don’t forget the stud bookend tackles, a productive running back in J.K. Dobbins and a top defense. Herbert had more than enough to do what Stroud did under similar circumstances. Stroud, who’s not known for mobility, extended plays away from the pocket and awkwardly scrambled for first downs, sliding with his knee first instead of feet first. 

Stroud got it done and Herbert didn’t. That should be the story of this game, not the never-ending debate of where to rank Herbert among the top QBs. 

Clearly, the Steelers need fixing after the 28–14 whooping they got from the Ravens in their sixth consecutive postseason loss.

The public consensus seems to be that trading coach Mike Tomlin will solve Pittsburgh’s problems. First of all, I’m not totally opposed to this idea, even though it seems far-fetched to give up a head coach who’s never had a losing record in 18 seasons.

But, the Steelers are in a unique situation. They can’t afford a true rebuild, not when Watt, Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alex Highsmith and George Pickens are on the roster. And it’s not really wise to trade all their best players months before the 2025 draft, which doesn’t seem to have surefire QB prospects. The Steelers already rolled the dice on Kenny Pickett, the only quarterback selected in the first round of the ’22 draft.

They’re also not a head coach away from reaching the Super Bowl, which was the case when the Oakland Raiders traded Jon Gruden to the Buccaneers in 2002. The Steelers are stuck somewhere in the middle and that’s been the case for a long time now. 

At this point, let Tomlin play it out with this core group and see where a few aggressive roster upgrades, especially on the offensive side, take Pittsburgh in 2025. It could either go very well or blow up. Both are better options than another one-and-done playoff season. As for a second option, trade a few veterans and allow Tomlin the time to produce a new core group without overreaching for a new starting quarterback, possibly leading to a losing season to give the Steelers a top pick in ’26—perhaps the QB prospects improve then. 

Regardless of what the Steelers do, they need to ensure they don’t fall in the middle to avoid the situation they’re in with limited options and no true franchise quarterback.