Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday
For the first time since the 1998 season, the NFL playoffs are set to commence without the formidable presence of Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning at quarterback, signalling a significant shift in the league’s landscape.
With Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs now eliminated, the upcoming postseason marks the end of an era defined by these three prolific passers.
Over the past 26 seasons, this dominant trio has been central to the NFL’s postseason narrative.
Since Manning’s playoff debut in 1999, at least one of them has graced the January stage almost every year.
Their combined legacy includes 42 playoff berths, 96 postseason starts, 66 playoff victories, and an impressive 12 Super Bowl titles – seven for Brady, three for Mahomes, and two for Manning.
At least one of these quarterbacks reached the conference championship weekend in 20 of the last 26 postseasons, including either Brady or Mahomes in the last 15, with 18 Super Bowls featuring one of them.
Their absence opens the door for a new generation of talent. Established stars like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson could finally make their inaugural Super Bowl appearance, while younger quarterbacks such as Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, and Brock Purdy – none of whom were alive during the 1998 playoffs – now have an unprecedented opportunity to shine.
Carolina’s Bryce Young could also join this group if the Panthers secure a playoff spot.
Beyond the changing guard at quarterback, the current NFL season has been marked by a remarkable prevalence of dramatic comebacks.
The Buffalo Bills staged a stunning rally against the New England Patriots, overcoming a 21-point deficit to win 35-31.
This marked their first such comeback since 2011, and only their sixth victory in 150 attempts when trailing by at least 21 points, echoing their famous 1992 wild-card comeback from 35-3 down against Houston.
Week 15 alone saw six teams overturn double-digit deficits to secure wins, a feat only achieved five other times in NFL history, with the last instance occurring in 2013.
Atlanta, the Chargers, Rams, Saints, and Seahawks all contributed to this trend, bringing the season’s total of double-digit comebacks to 30, though still short of the 2022 record of 50.
Meanwhile, the league witnessed a rare statistical anomaly with two teams being shut out in the same week.
The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a 24-0 defeat to Baltimore, while the Las Vegas Raiders were blanked 31-0 by Philadelphia. This marked the first time since Week 7 of the 2019 season that two teams failed to score any points on the same weekend.
The Raiders, in particular, endured a dismal offensive outing, managing just 75 yards – their fewest in two seasons and second-lowest in franchise history.
This was their second shutout of the season, having also lost 31-0 to Kansas City in Week 7, placing them among only 13 teams in the Super Bowl era to be shut out by at least 31 points twice in a single season.
The Bengals’ shutout was equally unusual, as they failed to score despite holding possession for an extraordinary 39 minutes and 19 seconds – the highest time of possession for a shut-out team since 1991.
Category: General Sports
