The 2025 playoff field is set. For some quarterbacks, the next month comes with higher stakes than others.
Below, we rank the starting quarterbacks of the 14 playoff teams based on who’s feeling the least to most pressure this postseason.
The Steelers earned the league’s final playoff berth with an incredible 26-24 home win over the Baltimore Ravens, giving Rodgers a chance to end his career riding off into a ayahuasca daydream with a second Super Bowl. The four-time MVP will be in the postseason for the first time since the 2021 season, and for someone who’s accomplished so much, the upcoming run will only be icing on top of a Hall of Fame cake.
13. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford
Stafford, who turns 38 the day before Super Bowl LX, is the second-oldest starting quarterback in the playoff field. As one of three with a previous Super Bowl win, another Lombardi Trophy would only enhance his resume, not serve as validation.
The 49ers are incredibly banged up entering a wild-card trip to the Philadelphia Eagles. No one would fault Purdy for an early San Francisco exit, giving him grace as his team limps into the postseason.
No playoff team is in a bigger slump than the Packers, losers of four in a row. Love missed the last two games as he dealt with and recovered from left shoulder and head injuries, serving as Clayton Tune’s backup in Week 18. He appears to be headed for a third consecutive postseason loss, and after throwing five interceptions in the past two, Love must make better decisions against the Chicago Bears to evade scrutiny.
Among AFC playoff quarterbacks, only Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers have more playoff wins than Stroud, who has guided the Texans to the divisional round two years in a row. Houston, winners of nine in a row, has a favorable wild-card game against the Steelers but also a glaring weakness at offensive line that limits its ceiling. If the Texans fail to eclipse the heights of 2023 and 2024, it likely won’t be because of Stroud.
The possible league MVP is set to make his postseason debut. He’ll need a strong playoff run to end his breakout campaign on a high note, but his overall success this season should leave the Patriots hopeful for the future regardless of the outcome.
Even after winning last year’s Super Bowl, Hurts might be feeling heat ahead of this year’s run. The Eagles defense is rounding into championship form, but the offense remains an eyesore. Last year’s success was largely credited to running back Saquon Barkley, and unless Hurts shoulders the burden this year, questions around him will grow.
7. Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams
After falling 58 yards shy of becoming the first quarterback in Bears franchise history to throw for 4,000 in a season, Williams will try to not let down the hometown fans as the NFC’s No. 2 seed. His troubling 58.1 percent completion rate will be worth monitoring. If accuracy is an issue, Chicago could fade as quickly as it rose.
A switch appears to have flipped in Lawrence, who’s lived up to the billing as a former No. 1 pick in leading the Jags to a 13-4 record and eight consecutive wins. A wild-card duel with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen will help determine whether Lawerence is on the upper tier of AFC quarterbacks or still a rung or two below.
The 2023 No. 1 overall pick has been frustratingly inconsistent through his first three seasons. He had one of his best games of 2025 in a stunning home win over the Rams, and he’ll need another to shed doubts over his capabilities as a franchise quarterback.
Herbert is 0-2 in the playoffs. A tough road trip to the Patriots looms, making 0-3 a realistic possibility. He needs a win to avoid giving his detractors ammunition.
Following a loss in the 2023 NFC championship game, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell lamented the fact that could have been his team’s best chance of winning a Super Bowl. Two years later, he may be right.
We bring that up because while the future looks bright for the Broncos, future success is never guaranteed. Denver has needed several late-game escapes to win in the regular season, and Nix will have to be more consistent in the playoffs to avoid squandering an incredible season from his defense.
He had a shaky postseason debut last year, going 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) for 144 yards and a touchdown in a wild-card road loss to the Buffalo Bills. The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through Denver, and Nix’s play will determine whether the Broncos can defend their home turf.
Darnold made up for last year’s awful end to the season with the Minnesota Vikings by leading the Seahawks to the NFC’s No. 1 seed. But first impressions are hard to shake, and for someone who is infamously remembered for “seeing ghosts,” he can completely rewrite his career narrative by leading the NFL’s best team to a Super Bowl victory. Yeah, that’s pressure.
If not now, when?
Allen’s biggest obstacle to reaching the Super Bowl — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — is out of the picture, giving the 2024 MVP one of his best chances (even as a No. 6 seed) of delivering Buffalo its first Lombardi Trophy. He’s been great in the playoffs throughout his career, throwing for 3,359 yards, 25 touchdowns and four interceptions in 13 starts, and he may have to be flawless for the Bills to be the last team standing in Santa Clara.