The Other Guys: After Brady, remaining QBs are a shocking bunch
Common NFL thinking: "This is a quarterback-driven league and a team must have an elite player at the position to win in the playoffs."
2018: "Yeah, about that ... "
Heading into the conference championship games, this year's postseason is laughing in the face of that ideal with perhaps the most shocking list of starting quarterbacks to ever reach the final four.
Sure, Tom Brady is arguably the greatest passer ever, and will take part in the AFC Championship Game for a record seventh straight season. But when it comes to the other three quarterbacks, not even their families would have predicted they'd be starting in the semifinals this season.
Tom Brady has as many Super Bowl rings (5) as the other three starting quarterbacks in next weekend’s Final Four have playoff starts.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 15, 2018
Blake Bortles, Nick Foles, and Case Keenum all entered the playoffs without a single postseason win on their resumes, while Brady has put together 25 since 2001. And there are plenty of other stats that illustrate the massive discrepancies in experience between Brady and the rest:
| Player | Career TD passes | Career pass yards | Playoff wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | 488 | 66159 | 26 |
| Blake Bortles | 90 | 14928 | 2 |
| Nick Foles | 61 | 9752 | 1 |
| Case Keenum | 46 | 8771 | 1 |
Foles and Keenum were both backups when the 2017 season kicked off, and Bortles was coming off a 3-13 campaign that saw him struggle mightily. All three of their teams are led by incredibly talented defenses that rank in the top four in yards allowed. All three are largely relied upon to simply not lose the game with the ball in their hands. And so far, that's worked.
Here's some more info on this year's "The Other Guys."
Blake Bortles
Week 1: Starter for the Jaguars
Why he's playing: Incumbent starter
2017 TD passes: 21
2017 INT: 13
2017 QB Rating: 84.7
Known for: Taken third overall in the 2014 draft; only first-round quarterback remaining in playoffs.
From Weeks 13-15 this season, Bortles posted the league's best passer rating at 128.6. In the four games since, his rating has been 69.8, a mark that would have ranked 30th. Part of the fun of watching the Jaguars is that you never know which Bortles you're going to get. In the opening-round playoff win over the Buffalo Bills, the 25-year-old actually finished with more rushing yards than passing yards.
With Jacksonville holding the league's best rushing attack and best defense, Bortles is as close to a "game manager" as there is in the league. Thus far, he's done his job, no matter how ugly it's looked at times.
Nick Foles
Week 1: Backup for Eagles
Why he's playing: Starter Carson Wentz's season-ending knee injury in Week 14
2017 TD passes: 5
2017 INT: 2
2017 QB Rating: 79.5
Known for: An incredible 2013 season under Chip Kelly in which he threw 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
Foles' statistics under Kelly took the league by storm, but in the four seasons since he's thrown 28 touchdowns against 22 interceptions. After spending time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, Foles returned to the Eagles to back up Wentz this season. He was then thrust back into the spotlight when Wentz went down with a season-ending injury in early December. Since then, Foles has thrown five touchdowns against two picks with an underwhelming passer rating of 70.84.
Buoyed by the league's third-best rushing attack and defense, Foles isn't called upon often, but showed he can move the offense when needed against the Falcons.
Case Keenum
Week 1: Backup for Vikings
Why he's playing: Injuries to Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater
2017 TD passes: 22
2017 INT: 7
2017 QB Rating: 98.3
Known for: The all-time passing yards leader in NCAA history.
Keenum has never been shy about throwing the ball around during various backup stops in his career, but he was a different man this season. He entered 2017 having completed 58.5 percent of his passes, but improved by a massive margin to 67.6 this season. For his brilliant work with Keenum, it appears offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will likely be the next head coach of the New York Giants.
While Keenum has certainly been a revelation, the Vikings have also done their best to ensure the veteran quarterback is comfortable in the fourth quarter of games. According to Bill Barnwell of ESPN, Keenum has thrown just 9.4 percent of his passes with the club trailing in the final frame, which is second lowest in the league. Yes, Keenum did just complete the "Minnesota Miracle" a couple days ago, but Vikings fans still have to be worried if the team is facing any kind of deficit late in the game against the Eagles on Sunday.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)