The NFL is a quarterback league, so here are this weekend's quarterback matchups:

Now, usually I'm not a fan of saying Quarterback A is playing against Quarterback B, mainly due to the fact that they're not really playing against each other, but take a close look at those names above. Assuming Big Ben plays and isn't pulling a "Jedi mind trick" on the Broncos, each one of those games features a former No. 1 overall pick vs. a Super Bowl winner.

  • Smith (drafted first overall in 2005) vs. Brady (four rings)

  • Roethlisberger (two rings) vs. Manning (drafted first overall in 1998, one ring)

  • Rodgers (one ring) vs. Palmer (drafted first overall in 2003)

  • Wilson (one ring) vs. Newton (drafted first overall in 2011)

And that's why I'm not upset about working on Saturday and Sunday. 

1. Every quarterback -- except one -- has won a playoff game

Carson Palmer is 0-2 in the playoffs. (USATSI)

Let's stick with quarterback comparisons. Only one of the remaining eight quarterbacks hasn't won a playoff game in his career: Carson Palmer.

If Palmer wins, he'll be the second-oldest starting quarterback (since 1950) to win his first playoff game. Palmer is 36, while Steve DeBerg won his first playoff game with the Chiefs at the age of 37 (via STATS).

Here's how all the remaining quarterbacks stack up in terms of playoff records:

  • Tom Brady: 21-8

  • Peyton Manning: 11-13

  • Ben Roethlisberger: 11-5

  • Aaron Rodgers: 7-5

  • Russell Wilson: 7-2

  • Alex Smith: 2-2

  • Cam Newton: 1-2

  • Carson Palmer: 0-2

A couple notes about those records: Newton's lone playoff win came in that quarterback horror show against the Palmer-less Cardinals. Meanwhile, in one of Palmer's two losses, he threw just one pass before exiting with a torn ACL.

This article has been updated with Alex Smith's correct playoff record.

2. A matchup of 10-game winning streaks

Both the Patriots and Chiefs have won 10 games in a row at some point this year. (USATSI)

The Patriots started the season on a 10-game winning streak. They went 2-4 over the final six games of the season.

The Chiefs started the season with a 1-5 record. They finished the regular season by winning 10 straight games.

This is just the fourth time in NFL history two teams that went on 10-game winning streaks during the regular season will meet in the playoffs. The last time it happened was in February of 2010, when the Saints and Colts met in the Super Bowl, per STATS.

But, just because the Chiefs are the hottest team in football doesn't mean they're destined to play until February.

And the Patriots' situation isn't looking so great either.

3. The Patriots haven't lost three straight games since 2002

It's been a while since the Patriots lost three games in a row. (USATSI)

In addition to losing four of their last six, the Patriots enter the playoffs on a two-game losing streak. According to STATS, the Patriots haven't dropped three games in a row since 2002.

Seeing the Patriots drop three straight games during a season in which they won 10 straight games would be strange, but strange stuff is already happening to them. There's the Chandler Jones situation, there's Bill Belichick's black eye, and then there's Rob Gronkowski's banged up knee, which reportedly landed him in the hospital for treatment on Thursday.

The good news: Belichick's press conferences were on point this week.

Part I

Part II

Part III

On second thought, everything seems normal in New England. 

4. The Chiefs' misery in Foxborough

The Chiefs are winless in New England since 1990. (USATSI)

The Chiefs have issues with Foxborough -- rather, they have issues IN Foxborough. They haven't won there since 1990, losing five straight games.

The last time they won in Foxborough, Tom Hodson was the Patriots' starter and Steve DeBerg quarterbacked the Chiefs. Somehow, that's DeBerg's second shoutout in this column.

More bad news: Jeremy Maclin and Justin Houston are both game-time decisions. Maclin led the team in catches, yards, and receiving touchdowns, and Houston led the team in sacks.

5. Tom Brady adds to his already-impressive postseason resume

Tom Brady is set to tie an NFL record on Saturday. (USATSI)

On Saturday, Brady will take the field for his 30th playoff game, tying his ex-teammate, Adam Vinatieri, for the most playoff games ever. To put that number into perspective, Joe Montana played in 23 playoff games and Terry Bradshaw participated in 19. If Brady and the Patriots win the next three games, Brady will acquire his fifth Super Bowl ring, which will break his tie with Montana and Bradshaw.

Some other Brady playoff records:

  • Passing touchdowns (53)
  • Passing yards (7,345)
  • Completions (683)

Good job, Tom Brady.

Impressively, he's done all of this without drinking coffee. I can't even type words before I have coffee.

6. Travis Kelce can set a Chiefs' franchise record

Travis Kelce took apart the Texans defense this past weekend. (USATSI)

Tom Brady's records are impressive. Travis Kelce's potential record isn't, though that's not his fault.

Kelce, who racked up 128 yards through the air against the Texans this past weekend, can become the first Chiefs player -- ever -- to record at least 100 receiving yards in two playoff games. Tight end legend Tony Gonzalez appeared in three playoff games with the Chiefs and he totaled just 106 yards.

Saturday will be Kelce's second career playoff game.

7. The Seahawks' fourth-quarter magic

The Seahawks have a knack for pulling off playoff comebacks. (USATSI)

The Seahawks' miracle win last week was typical for a couple of reasons. One, the game turned on Russell Wilson's ad-libbed, magic pass in the fourth quarter. Two, the defense ended up giving the Seahawks the lead by stripping Adrian Peterson in Vikings territory, which led to the game-winning field goal. Those two plays erased a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Then there's this ...

The Seahawks are two wins away from reaching their third straight Super Bowl.

8. Marshawn Lynch goes for playoff history

Marshawn Lynch is finally set to return for the playoffs. (USATSI)

Just when Seattle can't get any scarier, the team will be regaining one of its most dangerous players. Beast Mode, who earned that nickname in the postseason with one tumultuous run, is probably set to return just in time for the Seahawks' trip to Carolina. Even putting that one wild run aside, it's safe to say Marshawn Lynch has thrived in the postseason.

Lynch is already the active leader for rushing touchdowns in the playoffs with nine, but he needs just one more score to become the seventh player in NFL history to reach double-digits in the postseason. Here are the other six:

  1. Emmitt Smith (19)

  2. Franco Harris (16)

  3. Thurman Thomas (16)

  4. Terrell Davis (12)

  5. John Riggins (12)

  6. Marcus Allen (11)

The next closest active player? LeGarrette Blount, who's scored seven in his playoff career.

Lynch is also just 83 rushing yards away from reaching 1,000 in his postseason career. Again, only six other players have rushed for 1,000 playoff yards:

  1. Emmitt Smith (1,586)

  2. Franco Harris (1,556)

  3. Thurman Thomas (1,442)

  4. Tony Dorsett (1,383)

  5. Marcus Allen (1,347)

  6. Terrell Davis (1,140)

The next closest active players? Ray Rice (750 yards) and Frank Gore (646 yards). Lynch currently ranks eighth on the all-time list, while Rice and Gore rank 16th and 24th, respectively.

Unrelated: Tom Brady has accumulated the same number of playoff rushing touchdowns (5) as Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Frank Gore, and Arian Foster.

Note: A slightly different version of the section above originally appeared in last week's column. Once it was announced that Lynch would end up missing the Seahawks' trip to Minnesota, the section was pulled from that article and saved for this week's.

9. The Cardinals' undefeated home record vs. the Packers' impressive road win total

The Cardinals are set to host the Packers again. (USATSI)

The Cardinals have never lost a playoff game at home, going 4-0 all-time. The Packers, on the other hand, have won an NFL-high 11 road playoff road games. 

The last time the two teams met in the playoffs -- in January of 2010 and in Arizona -- a 51-45 overtime thriller ended with a quarterback kick.

And, keep in mind, this just happened a few weeks back ...

The Cardinals won -- by 30 points.

10. The Steelers can't seem to beat the Broncos in back-to-back games

The Steelers haven't beat the Broncos is consecutive games for a long time now. (USATSI)

Less than a month ago, the Steelers hosted the Broncos. Despite falling into a 17-point deficit, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers climbed their way out of that hole to win the game.

But the Steelers haven't beaten the Broncos in back-to-back games since 1978-1979. Thanks to the Bengals' meltdown last weekend, the Steelers will get the chance to snap an unfortunate streak against the Broncos.

If the Steelers are looking for more penalty help, they might be in luck. According to STATS, the Broncos' defense was penalized for 632 yards during the regular season. The league average for all defenses? 390.3 yards.

11. So, are the Broncos in trouble?

Peyton Manning has a history of losing his playoff opener. (USATSI)

Peyton Manning has experienced nine one-and-dones in the playoffs, including two with the Broncos. Furthermore, when Manning starts for the Broncos on Sunday, it'll be his first start in 63 days. According to STATS, only three quarterbacks since 1990 have waited longer between their last start and a playoff start.

The longest gap belongs to Joe Webb, who started a Vikings' wild-card game in 2013 -- two years and three days after his previous start. 

12. The Panthers have history on their side. The Broncos? Not so much.

The top seeds begin their playoff runs this weekend. (USATSI)

Since 1990, when the NFL first began using a 12-team playoff format, the NFC's top seeds have gone 21-4 in the divisional round while the AFC's top seeds are just 15-10. Still, I doubt that stat will comfort the Panthers, who will be forced to host the sixth-seeded Seahawks -- maybe the most dangerous team in football.

(Those two stats are via NFL.com.)

Leftovers

The Seahawks haven't lost a game by more than 10 points in over four years. (USATSI)
  • Russell Wilson has thrown a touchdown in every game this season.
  • The Steelers are tied with the Cowboys for the most playoff wins in NFL history (34).
  • The Seahawks haven't lost a game by more than 10 points since Oct. 30, 2011.

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