NFL Playoffs QB Power Rankings: Trubisky throws dud in NOLA
Super Wild Card weekend featured a little bit of everything for football fans. There were defensive struggles and exciting shootouts. Contemporary legends played to the best of their abilities, and newer stars struggled in the spotlight. Taylor Heinicke even provided the Cinderella story none of us knew we needed. Scroll on to see how it all shook out in this postseason edition of the QB Power Rankings.
COMP-ATT: 9-19
YDS: 155
TD: 1
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 4-4-0
The Rams had to turn to Goff earlier than they would’ve liked this postseason after John Wolford left with a neck injury. Goff was clearly still limited by his thumb, which was operated on less than two week ago, but he didn’t make any major mistakes. His only true implact plays came on a badly underthrown ball that Cooper Kupp read well and caught anyways, a check down to Cam Akers that ended up going for a big gain, and a touchdown pass to wide open Robert Woods after a defensive breakdown. The Rams’ defense and run game carried the day for Los Angeles.
COMP-ATT: 19-29
YDS: 199
TD: 1
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 3-10-0
Some will say that Trubisky should’ve had an extra 41-yard touchdown on his stat sheet, and that he shouldn’t be penalized for big mistakes his teammates made. But really, outside of a solid stretch in the third quarter and that one bomb that slipped through Javon Wims’ hands, Trubisky didn’t make impact plays to help the Bears. His lone touchdown, and a big chunk of his passing yardage, came on a garbage time touchdown drive as time expired. It was a disappointing performance that will likely lead to a divorce between Trubisky and Matt Nagy.
COMP-ATT: 11-27
YDS: 174
TD: 2
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS-TD: 4-50-0
Wilson struggled to get much of anything going against the Rams’ pass rush, outside of the Seahawks’ final touchdown drive of the game. Before that drive he made two good deep passes: one along the sideline to Tyler Lockett who made an even more impressive catch, and another to D.K. Metcalf who got behind the safeties to score a touchdown. It’s a disappointing end for Wilson, who looked like he was going to have a career year through the first half of the season.
COMP-ATT: 18-26
YDS: 165
TD: 1
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS-TD: 2-6-0
After an impressive first quarter drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown, it was tough sledding for Tannehill and the Titans. The Ravens completely bottled up Derrick Henry, daring Tennessee to lean on Tannehill to win the game, and he couldn’t come through. Although on Tannehill’s fourth-quarter interception that sealed the loss, Kalif Raymond slipped and fell, allowing Marcus Peters to make the easy play. If not for that slip, the Titans may have had a shot to tie the game.
COMP-ATT: 47-68
YDS: 501
TD: 4
INT: 4
RUSH-YDS-TD: 1-0-0
Roethlisberger was the hardest QB to evaluate this weekend. On one hand he deserves criticism for failing to jump on a fumble on the first play of the game, and throwing an ugly interception, both of which helped the Browns jump out to an astonishing 28-0 first quarter lead. On the other hand, he made play after play to help the Steelers claw back into the game and make Cleveland fans sweat. In the end however, Roethlisberger’s giveaways were too much for Pittsburgh to overcome.
COMP-ATT: 26-44
YDS: 306
TD: 1
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS-TD: 6-46-1
Heinicke was so impressive in Washington’s playoff game against Tampa Bay, that he may have just played himself into a starting job next season. He was accurate, did a great job evading the pass rush and made huge plays with his feet. Heinicke’s touchdown run may have been more impressive than Lamar Jackson’s incredible touchdown, just because it was so unexpected. His touchdown throw was a beauty as well. However he did throw one bad interception, and got away with another mistake that could’ve been picked.
COMP-ATT: 27-46
YDS: 309
TD: 2
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 1, -1, 0
The Super Wild Card round started with one of the most exciting games of the weekend, as Rivers nearly led a late-game comeback against the surging Bills. Down two scores in the fourth quarter, the Colts needed to move away from their strong running game and put the game in Rivers’ hands, and he came only one or two plays short from delivering. He was great with his deep ball and produced several explosive plays to truly challenge Buffalo. In the end, Josh Allen simply out-gunned Rivers.
COMP-ATT: 28-39
YDS: 265
TD: 2
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 3-2-0
Brees didn’t light up the stat sheet, but he was unbelievably effective on third down to help the Saints dominate the time of possession over the Bears. No matter what defense Chuck Pagano threw at Brees, he was able to find a soft spot for chunk plays. While he may not have the strongest arm anymore, Brees still has more than enough in the tank to take the Saints to a Super Bowl.
COMP-ATT: 21-34
YDS: 263
TD: 3
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 5-3-0
The Browns will always be a run-first team as long as they feature both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, but that shouldn’t minimize Mayfield’s importance to the offense. In arguably the wildest game of Super Wild Card weekend, Mayfield showed off his excellent accuracy, pocket presence and ability to gash defenses out of the play-action. He also did a great job weathering the storm as the Steelers mounted a comeback by leading one quick touchdown drive, then one long field goal drive.
COMP-ATT: 17-24
YDS: 179
TD: 0
INT: 1
RUSH-YDS-TD: 16-136-1
Jackson got out to a slow start, as the Ravens went three-and-out on their first drive, and then he threw a terrible pick on their second drive. But his 48-yard touchdown run on a 3rd-and-9 play turned the tide for Baltimore. After that, the Ravens and Jackson controlled the pace of the game and moved the ball much more effectively on offense. He also made several big throws to Hollywood Brown, even though none of them went for scores.
COMP-ATT: 22-40
YDS: 381
TD: 2
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 3, -2, 0
January Tom Brady is in full force, and not even the unexpected heroics of Taylor Heinicke could stop him. Adding a grooving Antonio Brown into the mix for the Bucs feels like a cheat code at this point. Only two games left until he reaches his final form.
COMP-ATT: 26-35
YDS: 324
TD: 2
INT: 0
RUSH-YDS-TD: 11-54-1
Allen has emerged as one of the best playmakers in the league this year, as both a QB with a rocket arm and a strong runner. Even when you think you have Allen stopped, he can still hurt you. That ability was on full display for the Bills’ first score, as the Colts stuffed a designed QB run, but Allen managed a last ditch throw to his tight end for a remarkable score. However, Allen’s propensity for turnovers holds him back from passing the next guy in the rankings.
BYE WEEK
The Chiefs enjoyed an off week as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. No QB performed well enough over the Wild Card weekend to surpass Mahomes, who finished the regular season as our No. 2 ranked quarterback.
BYE WEEK
Just like Mahomes held onto his No. 2 spot, Rodgers deserves to still rank No. 1 after his MVP-caliber season. He’ll keep the top spot barring a ridiculous stretch from one of the other QBs, or a complete meltdown of his own.
