The 2024 rookie quarterback class’s outstanding performances will continue into the postseason.
In an unusual instance of two rookie starting quarterbacks in the same postseason, Jayden Daniels of Washington and Bo Nix of Denver are anticipated to make their playoff debuts on Sunday.
This will just be the fourth time two rookie quarterbacks start in the same postseason after making at least six starts during the regular season, however there are a few instances of fill-in rookies receiving the nod in the playoffs.
The previous time this occurred was in 2012, when Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, and Robert Griffin III all received postseason starts. The other occasions were in 1983 with Hall of Famers Dan Marino and John Elway, and in 2008 with Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco.
There have never been more than seven rookie quarterbacks to win postseason starts in a single season. Since Brock Purdy (2022), Mark Sanchez (2009), Flacco (2008), Ben Roethlisberger (2004), and Shaun King (1999) all lost in the conference championship game, a rookie quarterback has never started in the Super Bowl.
With at least ten starts, at least thirty passing and rushing touchdowns, and at least 4,000 yards of offense both on the ground and in the air, Daniels and Nix have already had seasons that break records.
No rookie quarterback had ever achieved all those goals in a season prior to this one.
With a record-tying 11 of the 14 anticipated postseason starting in their 20s, Daniels and Nix are not alone when it comes to young quarterbacks.
This includes Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Sam Darnold, all of whom were selected in the 2018 draft class. Four quarterbacks from the same draft class have started in the same postseason for the fifth time; the 2018 class did the same last season when Mason Rudolph was selected over Darnold.
Run it back
The playoffs this year will resemble previous ones.
Only Denver, Minnesota, Washington, and the Chargers have made it back to the postseason after missing out in 2023, while ten of the teams that made it there the previous season are back.
With the last one occurring in 2015, the four newcomers are tied for the fewest since the NFL’s expansion to 12 playoff clubs in 1990. At least six new teams qualified each of the four prior seasons with 14 playoff teams, with seven in 2022 and eight in 2020.
The AFC’s four division winners are all reigning champions, with Houston (two), Buffalo (five), Baltimore (two), and Kansas City (nine straight) all winning consecutive titles. The 2019 AFC and the 2012 AFC were the only previous conferences since the 2002 reorganization to have all four division winners repeat.
There were six consecutive division winners for the third time, with Detroit winning its second consecutive NFC North title and Tampa Bay winning its fourth consecutive NFC South title. It had already occurred in 2012 and 2014.
Bungling Bengals
Few teams performed better than the Cincinnati Bengals in terms of individual achievements. On the field, it simply didn’t result in success.
Ja Marr Chase led the NFL in catches, yards receiving, and touchdown receptions, becoming him the fifth player to earn a receiving Triple Crown since the 1970 merger.
Trey Hendrickson had the most sacks, while Joe Burrow topped the league in passing yards and touchdown passes.
The Bengals, who ended 9-8 and missed the playoffs, were not helped by the fact that no team had ever had the individual leaders in each of those categories.
Win and stay home
In order to qualify for the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks had to post a winning record once more.
The Seahawks were defeated once more by the infrequently used tiebreaker a year after finishing 9-8 but losing to Green Bay for the last wild-card place due to win.
After splitting the season matchup, Seattle tied the Rams for first place in the NFC West with a 10-7 record. Additionally, the teams’ division, conference, and matchup records were all the same. Because the teams they defeated won two more games overall than the teams the Seahawks defeated, the Rams emerged victorious.
Miami also missed the playoffs after finishing 10-6 in 2020, making Seattle the second 10-win team to do so since the seventh team was added to each conference in 2020. From 1990 to 2019, when each conference had six playoff teams, twelve other teams that won ten or more games were eliminated from the postseason.
Cincinnati missed the playoffs after finishing 9-8 for the second consecutive season, and the Seahawks became the fourth club to miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons with winning records since 2000. Miami lost twice in consecutive winning seasons, failing to make the playoffs in 2020–21 and 2002–03.
Stumbling Steelers
As they enter the postseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers are struggling.
The Steelers lost their last four games to drop from a club vying for the top seed to the second wild-card and a significant underdog against AFC North champion Baltimore on Saturday night.
Pittsburgh is the first club to enter the playoffs on a losing streak of four games or more since Detroit in 1999, and only the third team to do so overall. The Lions lost to Washington 27–13 that season after sneaking in as a wild-card club at 8–8.
Similar to the Steelers, the 1986 New York Jets started 10-1 before dropping their next five games. New York lost in double OT against Cleveland in the divisional round after rallying to defeat Kansas City in the wild-card game.
After losing five consecutive playoff games, beginning with the 2016 AFC championship game at New England, Pittsburgh has yet another losing run to contend with. If the Steelers lose to the Ravens, they would join Detroit (nine), Cincinnati (eight), and Kansas City (eight) for the fourth-longest playoff losing streak ever.
— AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow
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