As goes the quarterback, so goes the team. It's not always true in the NFL, but it usually is. And it makes sense: In a passing league, the passers are like royalty -- the biggest influences on whether a team is destined more for a Super Bowl title or a No. 1 draft pick.
It's with that in mind that we come to you with the most important pecking order outside of traditional team power rankings: QB Power Rankings. Consider this your cut-and-dry guide to the best and worst of the NFL's signal-callers. During the regular season, this functions as a weekly 1-to-32 rundown of every starter under center.
Here, we're judging just the QBs in the playoffs. As we enter the postseason, this is how we'd rank the remaining signal-callers:
Wild Card QB Power Rankings
| 1 | 
Tom Brady
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB
|
| Aaron Rodgers has been a little more efficient in a similarly dominant MVP campaign, but we're in the playoffs now. No one bets against Brady, nor should they. TB12 isn't immune to a forced throw or an early bail under pressure, but you can bet your bottom dollar he'll have his team in position to win by the final buzzer. | |
| 2 | 
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers QB
|
| Rodgers and the Packers have hit a wall in the NFC Championship the last two years, but there's a reason this guy is on the verge of winning a second straight MVP. He's been all business at the top of his game -- with effortless precision and an aversion to turnovers -- for basically all but one game this year. | |
| 3 | 
Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs QB
|
| He had some truly uninspiring, even jarring, performances earlier this season. But most knew to expect a return to the top come playoffs. Mahomes isn't -- and may never be -- the pocket point guard that is Brady/Rodgers, but he's still got a rocket arm with natural play-extending athleticism. And at 26, he's already been to two Super Bowls! | |
| 4 | 
Josh Allen
Buffalo Bills QB
|
| From a play-making standpoint, he's really not that far off Patrick Mahomes, if we're being honest. And he brings more oomph on the ground. Allen's still got steps to take as a playoff QB, but as long as he can stay upright and smart, hopefully leaning on a Bills rushing attack, he's as much a threat to go the distance as anyone. | |
| 5 | 
Joe Burrow
Cincinnati Bengals QB
|
| The true wild card of this year's playoff QBs, Burrow is saddled with a head coach who, like him, has zero postseason experience. He's also had a few clunkers this season, trying a bit too hard for big plays. When he's on, though? You could argue he tops every QB as a long-ball machine. He and Ja'Marr Chase are a traveling circus, in a good way. | |
| 6 | 
Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys QB
|
| This is a big playoff run for Prescott, who's already locked in as the Cowboys' franchise -- and rightfully so -- but has gone just 1-2 in postseason games over five years as a starter. Dak, at his best, does everything well, and the Cowboys have the playmakers to help. Can he lift the team on his own, however, if the line or run game don't show up? | |
| 7 | 
Kyler Murray
Arizona Cardinals QB
|
| Murray's a tough call here. On one hand, his natural dynamism is always evident, and he's more accurate than most give him credit for. But he'll also be making his playoff debut under Kliff Kingsbury, whose teams have a history of flopping late, and he's not been nearly as trustworthy for an erratic offense since suffering an injury in October. | |
| 8 | 
Matthew Stafford
Los Angeles Rams QB
|
| What a year for Stafford in Sean McVay's system: gaudy numbers, of which his big arm has always been capable, with some glaring and untimely bad decisions reminiscent of his worst Lions days. He needs run support more than you think, but all the talent is there. The question is, can he stay calm and patient after so many years of waiting for a real run? | |
| 9 | 
Derek Carr
Las Vegas Raiders QB
|
| This guy just doesn't quit. While he's usually good for at least one or two head-scratching throws, his resolve is undeniable. If his team can stay on top or within reach until the fourth quarter, he'll give the Raiders a shot. | |
| 10 | 
Ryan Tannehill
Tennessee Titans QB
|
| He's a different breed when the bruising ground game is working in complement, content to take what's given and dice up defenses in timely spots. Tennessee has never actually asked -- or gotten -- him to win a playoff game on his own, though. | |
| 11 | 
Jalen Hurts
Philadelphia Eagles QB
|
| While he has to pick his spots as a passer, depending more on timing than more gifted throwers, he's shown genuine improvement as a play-extender. He runs like an actual running back. And mistakes or deficits just don't rattle him. | |
| 12 | 
Jimmy Garoppolo
San Francisco 49ers QB
|
| Jimmy G came up big to end the year, and some forget he's been there, done that, taking this team to the Super Bowl once. Efficiency is the name of the game with him. Like Tannehill, though, he can be quite dependent on run support. | |
| 13 | 
Mac Jones
New England Patriots QB
|
| Bill Belichick can rest assured he's got a solid QB to groom here, and Jones, at his best, is a confident precision passer from the pocket. He's been quite streaky, though -- understandable for a rookie. He'll need his defense to back him up. | |
| 14 | 
Ben Roethlisberger
Pittsburgh Steelers QB
|
| Big Ben isn't entirely dissimilar to Derek Carr in terms of boasting an affinity for ugly but resilient wins. He will not go down without giving his all. But any defense would sign up to play his slow-moving hit-or-miss offense at this juncture. | |
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