The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 12 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale for Super Bowl LVII. With just one game left to go in the NFL season it is a time for reflection for fans, coaches, owners and even fantasy football aficionados.
In this article we embrace that spirit of reflection and contemplation by looking back over the season that has just gone and picking out the best performing and most effective quarterbacks.
Read on to find out who has made the list and who, like Derek Anderson, is sat on the sidelines watching as the action unfolds.
- Patrick Mahomes
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Passing Yards: 5250
- Passing Completion: 67.1%
- TD-INT: 41-12
His talent and potential caught the eye of many NFL recruiters and scouts, and in 2017 he was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by Kansas City. Since joining the Chiefs, Mahomes has had a remarkable career, earning two MVP awards, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl victory. His impressive stats include 5,097 passing yards, 50 touchdown passes and only 12 interceptions during his first season as a starter. He is also known for his ability to improvise plays with his incredible arm strength. Patrick Mahomes is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks in all of football today, and will continue to dominate the game for years to come.
It would be unfair not to start with one of the quarterbacks who will be performing in Super Bowl LVII. In Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs have one of the most consistent and game changing players in the NFL.
Mahomes currently sits atop the league table for most passing yards this season, which is not surprising when you consider his arm strength, accuracy and talent for getting out of tight spaces.
Impressive as they are, those talents are par for the course for top tier quarterbacks. What actually sets Mahomes apart from the rest though is his in-game awareness and seemingly 20-20 vision.
Mahomes was the difference in the Chiefs tight 23-20 win over the Bengals in the AFC Championship game and he has the talent to be the difference again against the Eagles in February. (Patrick Mahomes was the difference in this pulsating encounter.)
- Jalen Hurts
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Passing Yards: 3701
- Passing Completion: 66.5%
- TD-INT: 22-6
Where better place to go next than to Philadelphia, the team hoping to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LVII.
Whilst Jalen Hurts hasn’t reached the levels of Mahomes this season he has still played a pivotal part in the rise of the Philadelphia Eagles. When Hurts hasn’t been on the treatment table, he has been carving out space for his team with his elite level running.
With the ball in hand he has also been mightily impressive, finding passes in the most congested of areas. This dual ability to run and pass has helped to make Philly one of the most effective teams in the NFL this season.
Stopping Hurts will be the key to the Chiefs getting their hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
- Josh Allen
- Buffalo Bills
- Passing Yards: 4283
- Passing Completion: 63.3%
- TD-INT: 35-14
The Bufallo Bills season may have come to an abrupt end against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Round but it has still been a season to remember for Josh Allen and his teammates.
Together they have overcome a hell of a lot of adversity and played some scintillating football along the way. Unfortunately the weight of all that adversity caught up with the team and Allen in particular, as he struggled to find his best form again after a pretty rough shoulder injury.
The Bills and Allen will be ones to watch next season for sure.
(Josh Allen has shown real talent and prowess this season, despite suffering a serious shoulder injury.)
- Joe Burrow
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Passing Yards: 4475
- Passing Completion: 68.3%
- TD-INT: 35-12
The Bengals oh so nearly dumped out the Chiefs once again but this time found themselves on the wrong end of a tight score line. It was a result that was particularly hard to take for Joe Burrow, who has been in sensational form this season.
Throughout the season he has kept the Bengals ticking over with his excellent passing game that is seemingly resistant to all forms of pressure. Halfway through the season, when the Bengals offence changed, Burrow adapted his game and became more of a provider for his team.
- Justin Herbert
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Passing Yards: 4736
- Passing Completion: 68.2%
- TD-INT: 25-10
The 24-year-old has been a consistent performer for the Los Angeles Chargers since making the step up from the Oregon Ducks Football Program in 2020. This season however looked like being his breakout campaign, the one where he finally put himself on par with the best quarterbacks in the league.
That was certainly the case in the first half of the season when he did his best Patrick Mahomes tribute act, demonstrating insane levels of accuracy and on-field awareness, sprinkled with the odd Tom Brady-esque clutch moments.
His and the Chargers’ collapse in the second half of the season is the reason he doesn’t feature more highly on this list. If he learns the lessons of this season and gets to work with a new offensive coordinator, Herbert could well be number 1 in this list in 12 months.
