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Andy Reid has been right here earlier than, with a younger franchise quarterback on a crew contending for the Tremendous Bowl 12 months after 12 months.
The Kansas Metropolis coach is at it once more with Patrick Mahomes, and thrilled to see equally youthful leaders among the many AFC playoff groups in what’s the largest QB age discrepancy between conferences within the divisional spherical for the reason that merger.
How massive’s the hole? Effectively, for starters, a pair of 40-somethings will face off within the NFC with Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady and Drew Brees of New Orleans. Meantime, the elder statesman of AFC playoff quarterbacks is 25-year-old Baker Mayfield.
“I feel it is nice for the sport, this inflow of latest guys on the place,” mentioned Reid, who went to 4 consecutive NFC championship video games with Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia, beginning with the 2000 season. “It is nice for viewers, followers, cities. It provides these completely different cities a chance to compete.”
To Reid’s level, Buffalo received a playoff recreation for the primary time in 25 years with 24-year-old Josh Allen in cost. Cleveland ended an 18-year playoff drought behind Mayfield and humbled six-time Tremendous Bowl champion Pittsburgh within the wild-card spherical.
Reid and Mahomes, additionally 25 however 156 days youthful than Mayfield, are a win over the Browns away from their third consecutive AFC championship recreation after the Chiefs received their first Tremendous Bowl in 50 years final season.
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, the 24-year-old 2019 MVP, has his first playoff victory in hand, over Tennessee, because the Ravens put together to go to the Payments.
“My mother-in-law despatched me one thing the opposite day saying I used to be the previous man,” Mayfield mentioned. “Any person despatched me simply how shut everyone is in age. It’s fairly loopy to see between Josh and Lamar and clearly Pat. Pat’s obtained essentially the most expertise out of all of us.”
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay’s choice on a starter will decide whether or not all 4 AFC quarterbacks are youthful than the NFC quartet. If it is John Wolford, the 25-year-old is 29 days youthful than Mahomes. Jared Goff is 26.
A type of two will face 37-year-old Aaron Rodgers in a go to to Inexperienced Bay, whereas Brees turning 42 on Friday means the assembly with the 43-year-old Brady on Sunday will make for the oldest pair of QBs in any recreation in NFL historical past (85 years).
With Goff beginning, the common age of the NFC quarterbacks is 37 years, 77 days in comparison with 24 years, 344 days for the AFC group. The distinction is 12 years, 98 days, which the NFL says is the most important since 1970.
“I simply suppose we’ve obtained an excellent group of fellows that got here into the league across the similar time so it simply sort of ended up that approach,” Payments receiver Cole Beasley mentioned. “Additionally they ended up in fairly good conditions with loads of expertise round them that helped. That’s essential, too.”
Whereas the AFC quarterbacks are related in age, the opposing offenses in every divisional recreation are something however the identical in fashion.
The Chiefs are No. 1 in passing and whole offense whereas that includes the dynamic expertise of Mahomes, the 2018 MVP earlier than successful the Tremendous Bowl MVP final season. Mayfield’s offense leans on the operating recreation with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
The Ravens have the league’s prime dashing assault, largely due to Jackson’s expertise exterior the pocket, and are final within the NFL in passing. Allen quietly compiled MVP-type numbers for the league’s third-best passing assault in Buffalo.
The NFC matchups are extra concerning the resumes.
With Goff included, all 4 have began a Tremendous Bowl, and the opposite three — Brady, Brees and Rodgers — have received a title. Brady has a QB-record six championships, to not point out the all-time playoff lead in video games (42), wins (31), passing yards (11,769) and touchdowns (75).
Brady and Brees are 1-2 in profession yards and touchdowns passing, common season and playoffs included. Between them, they’ve thrown for greater than 175,000 yards and 1,250 touchdowns going into the first-ever playoff recreation matching quarterbacks of their 40s.
The Buccaneers leaned closely on Brady, ending the common season second to the Chiefs in passing. Whereas Brees missed 4 video games with rib and lung accidents, the Saints counted on him a lot lower than up to now with Alvin Kamara within the backfield and Taysom Hill sending Brees to the sideline often as a run-first QB.
The Rams and Packers have essentially the most balanced offenses among the many remaining groups. Inexperienced Bay ranks ninth in passing, eighth in dashing and fifth general. LA is thirteenth, tenth and eleventh.
Nonetheless, there is not any query Rodgers’ playmaking holds the important thing to success for receiver Davante Adams (18 touchdowns receiving) and operating again Aaron Jones (1,104 yards dashing, 9 TDs).
The Rams, then again, received a regular-season finale to succeed in the playoffs and a wild-card recreation at Seattle with the QB spot in flux due to accidents. A dominant protection led the best way.
Now, LA is the outlier within the NFC divisional spherical. Certain, Goff obtained his first two playoff victories on the best way to a Tremendous Bowl look two years in the past. Brady, Brees and Rodgers? Strive 50 playoff wins mixed.
“There’s clearly me, Tom and Aaron which have performed this recreation for a very long time, been round for some time,” Brees mentioned. “After which on the flip aspect you’ve obtained a lot younger expertise on the quarterback place round this league, that it actually makes you’re feeling like there’s going to be loads of thrilling soccer sooner or later.”
Each shall be on show this weekend.
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AP Sports activities Writers Greg Beacham, Fred Goodall, Brett Martel, Dave Skretta, John Wawrow and Tom Withers contributed.
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Extra AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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