QB Index: Which Championship Sunday passer most needs to win Super Bowl LV?

Now that the 2020 NFL regular season is over NFLcom editors Ali Bhanpuri Tom Blair Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr will be focusing the QB Index exclusively on the surviving playoff quarterbacks limiting the field this week to the four quarterbacks who still have a role to play in the story of the 2020 campaign And while the regular season rankings attempted to take into account both in season production and past history to create a holistic hierarchy of every starting QB in the game the rankings for Championship Sunday were made according to one simple question

Which QB most needs to win Super Bowl LVRank1

Aaron RodgersGreen Bay Packers Year 16

Individual Rank Bhanpuri 2 | Blair 1 | Filice 1 | Parr 1

2020 stats 16 games | 707 pct | 4299 pass yds | 82 ypa | 48 pass TD | 5 INT | 149 rush yds | 3 rush TD | 2 fumbles lost

Next game Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Sunday Jan 24 at 305 pm ET FOX

Filice Since taking the Packers reins from Brett Favre a dozen seasons ago Rodgers has earned something truly rare in the modern take economy universal acclaim OK maybe not universal the allure of contrarianisms far too great for pure take harmony but Rodgers engenders widespread appreciation from all corners of the football watching world Rival fans in the NFC North Shoot they go beyond reverence to something more instinctual FEAR

Its not just the hyper efficient statistics but the manner in which theyre compiled Its the way Rodgers initially manipulates defenses with pre snap checks and hard counts Its the way he effortlessly extends plays with deft pocket mobility and delivers off platform lasers with the flick of a wrist And its how he carries himself through it all smirking his way through four quarters of defense detonation before casually broadcasting his postgame reward a nice glass of scotch The whole package presents a cool cocksure master of his craft a James Bondian quarterback

But despite Rodgers mass appeal his résumé remains surprisingly limited in one particular area Super Bowl titles

Yes Rodgers has a ring having won the only Super Bowl hes ever played in a decade ago but his opponent on Sunday has six of em And while Tom Brady is indeed the GOAT Rodgers routinely generates some all time discussion of his own My colleague Adam Schein calls him the most talented quarterback ever Personally Ive spent years saying that at his best Rodgers plays the position at the highest level Ive ever seen But the one ring thing remains a wet blanket on his case for inner circle Hall of Fame status

At age 37 Rodgers chances at nabbing a second title could be waning Unsurprisingly he downplayed the pressure of this moment during his Wednesday press conference Asked if he ponders how many more chances hell get to play in games like this Rodgers dismissed the line of thinking with a Marianne Williamson flair My future is a beautiful mystery Maybe so But this is unquestionably a golden opportunity to burgeon his legacy

At NFL Honors three Saturdays from now Rodgers is poised to receive his third league MVP trophy What if he backs that up with a second Lombardi Trophy the following night Maybe universal acclaim can be achievedRank2

Tom BradyTampa Bay Buccaneers Year 21

Individual Rank Bhanpuri1 | Blair 3 | Filice 2 | Parr 2

2020 stats 16 games | 657 pct | 4633 pass yds | 76 ypa | 40 pass TD | 12 INT | 6 rush yds | 3 rush TD | 1 fumble lost

Next game at Green Bay Packers | Sunday Jan 24 at 305 pm ET FOX

Bhanpuri Tom Bradys trophy collection at Gillette Stadium had grown so out of control after 20 years of dominance he seemingly had to switch settings just to find more cabinetry for his accolades The three time MVP already ranks as the NFLs all time leader in passing touchdowns 581 and is one below average season away from also owning the leagues career completions and passing yards marks records that only a 40 something year old Patrick Mahomes might possibly someday sniff

So why does Brady a six time champion and the all time winningest QB by a wide margin need another Lombardi Trophy Because a Super Bowl LV victory at age 43 in his first year with a new team to wrap one of his most prolific statistical seasons ever during a pandemic would elevate the GOAT QB to simply The GOAT Even now legends like Jerry Rice and Jim Brown have legitimate claims to the No 1 spot in pro footballs individual hierarchy A ring this year for TB12 unequivocally ends that debate for good

Brady already has the longevity stats awards and epic performances that make him worthy of being the first active player enshrined into the Hall of Fame But a win on Feb 7 would take his legacy to even greater heights It would mean he accomplished a feat that eluded even sport redefining GOATs such as Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky and his childhood hero Joe Montana completing a hardware winning stint with a second team Capping the Bucs 2020 campaign with four straight playoff wins after the franchise had ZERO over the previous 18 years would nullify any and all counterarguments to his greatness Though Im sure some stubborn and bitter folks will foolishly still try

Outright ownership for No 1 of all time is on the line in the coming weeks The stakes couldnt be any higherjavascriptfalseGMFB What another conference championship would win mean for Tom BradyRank3

Josh AllenBuffalo Bills Year 3

Individual Rank Bhanpuri 3 | Blair 2 | Filice 3 | Parr 3

2020 stats 16 games | 692 pct | 4544 pass yds | 79 ypa | 37 pass TD | 10 INT | 421 rush yds | 8 rush TD | 6 fumbles lost

Next game at Kansas City Chiefs | Sunday Jan 24 at 640 pm ET CBS

Blair As the youngest quarterback on this list the 24 year old Allen is not exactly steeped in Super Bowl neediness He will likely get many more postseason opportunities with the ascending Bills and a loss to the Chiefs or in Super Bowl LV would not overshadow the progress Allen has made or darken Buffalos long term outlook

HOWEVER Allen also has the least defined career of anyone else here We know who Aaron Rodgers Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes are capturing a second or seventh ring will alter their legacies significantly but not rewrite them completely Allen meanwhile would jump from the relatively crowded ranks of young QBs with potential to the exclusive club of Super Bowl winners of which there are just 34 thus far Hed also become the seventh QB in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with three years of experience or less joining Brady Mahomes Joe Montana Russell Wilson Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger As blindingly bright as Allens future looks today its practically generating its own energy nothing is guaranteed in a league and world of constant churn just ask Jared Goff and Jimmy Garoppolo how much they could have used a Super Bowl triumph when they had the chance Whatever happens going forward claiming the Lombardi Trophy now would set at least one portion of The Josh Allen Story in stone This is why I gave him the slight edge in my rankings over Brady who has already penned multiple volumes of his personal narrative

Finally there is the matter of money on the line Rodgers Brady and Mahomes have all already acquired or secured plenty of cash while Allen like Mahomes in the 2019 playoffs is still working on a rookie contract with his first chance at an extension coming up this offseason Its always good to have accomplishments to point to when seeking a raise like say winning the first Super Bowl in franchise historyRank4

Patrick MahomesKansas City Chiefs Year 4

Individual Rank Bhanpuri 4 | Blair 4 | Filice 4 | Parr 4

2020 stats 15 games | 663 pct | 4740 pass yds | 81 ypa | 38 pass TD | 6 INT | 308 rush yds | 2 rush TD | 2 fumbles lost

Next game vs Buffalo Bills | Sunday Jan 24 at 640 pm ET CBS

Parr Mahomes remains in concussion protocol as of this writing so his status for Sundays AFC Championship Game remains uncertain But the reasons he needs this seasons title the least of the four remaining quarterbacks stem from where hes going and where hes been

UPDATE Mahomes said on Friday that hes cleared concussion protocol

A year ago he became the youngest player in NFL history with an MVP award and a Super Bowl victory to his name Consecutive championships would undoubtedly enhance his legacy but were talking about a 25 year old who plays for a perennial contender Hell be back and potentially on a regular basis We cant say the same thing with any confidence for Brady and Rodgers despite their stunning elusiveness in fighting off Father Time

The age difference between Mahomes and Allen is fairly negligible with Allen just eight months Mahomes junior Unlike Mahomes though Allen is pursuing his first Lombardi He hasnt entered the league and shattered earth with the same force as his colleague to the west to be fair no one has Remember the Chiefs snapped a 50 year title drought last season That weight is gone in Kansas City a burden mercifully lifted by Mahomes and Co Allen has his own 55 year old dragon to slay and plenty of hearts to mend from postseason misfires of the Bills past

Another crown for Mahomes is a luxury one to be cherished no doubt but its not a necessity right now