10 NFL Quarterbacks With Shocking Playoff Records

May 2024 · 5 minute read

In the NFL playoffs, the best of the best shine. While there are players that are great in the regular season, they don't truly receive their credit until they absolutely dominate in the postseason. Look no further than Matthew Stafford finally getting his flowers last season after a career of playing excellent.

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While the best of the best shine in the playoffs, that doesn't mean they always do. Especially when it pertains to quarterbacks, there's been some amazing passers who've disappointed their teams in big moments. However, the inverse always happens as well. Here are some players who have some shocking playoff records under their belt.

10 Mark Sanchez (4-2)

Mark Sanchez is one of the hardest to define players in NFL history. While he was a mediocre player who is somewhat regarded as a draft bust due to his poor play, he also has a positive record in the playoffs.

Furthermore, the former New York Jet defeated some absolute legends in his postseason run. Sanchez defeated Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, and Carson Palmer. While a bust in the regular season, in the playoffs, he takes it to the next level.

9 Aaron Rodgers (11-10)

In Aaron Rodgers's second postseason run, he went 4-0 and led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl win. Since that time, the multiple-time MVP has had a negative record in the playoffs, and rightly or wrongly gained a controversial reputation.

Rodgers currently sports an 11-10 record in the postseason. Despite his tremendous play and individual accomplishments, he's been unable to live up to his regular season success in a decade.

8 Andy Dalton (0-4)

Andy Dalton is a multiple-time Pro Bowler and has had a very successful NFL career to this point. While he's transitioned to a backup role over the years, he was still a great player as a member of the Bengals for nearly a decade.

Despite the regular season success, Dalton hasn't won a postseason game in four attempts. Not just that, but he's played terribly overall. Dalton is 0-4 and has just one touchdown to eight turnovers in the playoffs.

7 Tony Romo (2-4)

For a player who played as long, and as great as Tony Romo, his postseason career leaves a lot to be desired. From 2003 to 2016, the quarterback was one of the stars of the Dallas Cowboys but only played six postseason games.

Furthermore, he only won two of those games. Sadly, his postseason moments such as his botched hold against the Seattle Seahawks in 2006 are remembered more than his good moments.

6 Peyton Manning (14-13)

Peyton Manning is a Hall of Famer and is generally regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of all time. While his postseason career came under fire a lot during his playing days, his record is still pretty shocking.

Manning holds a 14-13 record in the postseason. However, that record is carried heavily by his 2006 and 2015 Super Bowl runs. Incredibly, Manning had nine, 'one and done' playoff runs. Whenever fans had that debate between whether Manning or Tom Brady was the better quarterback, those in the Brady camp could instantly point to Manning's disappointing playoff record.

5 Matt Ryan (4-6)

Matt Ryan is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts and is looking to secure the Super Bowl of his career. To this point, the former MVP has been unable to secure that long-awaited ring, mostly due to a lot of luck going against him.

Ryan holds a 4-6 postseason record, with that mostly being carried by his journey to the Super Bowl in 2016. Despite the negative record, the former MVP has 21 touchdowns against eight turnovers in the playoffs. He usually puts up great numbers in the postseason, but always seems to be one or two big plays short of a win in close games.

4 Patrick Mahomes (8-3)

Patrick Mahomes is arguably the best quarterback in the league, and that goes without question. However, taking a look at his postseason stats and career to date is still mind-boggling. The 26-year-old holds an 8-3 playoff record, but taking an in-depth look into his career is wild.

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Mahomes has 35 touchdowns against seven turnovers in 11 postseason games. Furthermore, his postseason runs have never ended prior to overtime of a conference championship game. Not bad for the Chief.

3 Bart Starr (9-1)

Bart Starr holds two Super Bowl championships under his belt, as well as an MVP. While it's known that he was a pioneer for the NFL, and one of the best early quarterbacks, it's still wild to see his postseason record.

Starr holds a 9-1 playoff record. Beyond that, he has a 104.8 postseason passer rating, which is the highest of any quarterback in NFL history.

2 Dan Marino (8-10)

Dan Marino is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. While it's known that he's arguably the best player to never win a Super Bowl, fans who aren't aware of his postseason career might be surprised how underwhelming it is.

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Marino holds an 8-10 postseason record. While not terrible on paper, a quick delve into the stats show that he was extremely inconsistent when it came to play when it mattered most. After making the Super Bowl in his second season, Marino never got back to the big game.

1 Tom Brady (35-12)

Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback ever, he has been more to Super Bowls to count, that's well-known. However, when putting it into perspective and taking a look at his postseason career, it gets even crazier.

Brady has a 35-12 postseason record. That is the most postseason games ever played by a quarterback, most Super Bowl appearances with 10, and most teams beat with 19, and more. Brady holds essentially every single playoff record for a passer.

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