NFL QB Rankings: Comparing the 4 Remaining QBs Entering Conference Championships

There's a difference between who I would prefer to have under center during the Conference Championships and the gunslinger sitting on top of these NFL QB rankings.

Sam Darnold's proficient, stress-free Divisional Round victory has him as the No. 1-ranked QB, but does he have what it takes to propel the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl? I have my doubts, which I discuss below as part of our Conference Championship predictions. 

🏈 NFL Conference Championship QB rankings

🟢 Would Sam Darnold be your preferred QB?  

While accurate and poised, Darnold barely broke a sweat in last week's Divisional Round demolition of the San Francisco 49ers. I'm not taking anything away from his 70.6% completion rate and 110.9 rating, but Darnold only threw 17 passes for 124 yards and 1 TD. 

He wasn't up against inclement conditions and clearly had the upper hand on an exhausted 49ers defense. The Seahawks, who have the shortest Super Bowl odds, relied heavily on the run game, with Kenneth Walker III finishing with 116 yards, only eight fewer than Darnold had through the air. 

The 28-year-old managed the game expertly and deserves credit for that, but he wasn't put in many uncomfortable spots, and one walk-in-the-park playoff game doesn't provide enough reasons to have him as my preferred QB. 

I'd be remiss not to mention his palpable playoff inexperience, as Darnold had one previous playoff start, last year's 27-9 wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Then again, the best sports betting sites have him as the Super Bowl MVP odds betting favorite, believing he has what it takes to be the man come Super Bowl Sunday. 

I'm inclined to disagree. 

🐏 Matthew Stafford, the best QB of the bunch

Stafford's path to Sunday's NFC Championship Game was far less straightforward than Darnold's, but more impressive. He overcame his Kryptonite, scoffing at the notion he couldn't win in rain or snow.

While Stafford is receiving the second-shortest Super Bowl MVP odds, he's my pick to secure the most venerated of individual playoff honors. 

The 37-year-old is the only remaining QB with a Super Bowl title, and that experience advantage should bode well. Stafford will be the first to admit that his statistics through the first two playoff games weren't up to his exceedingly high standards, but who can blame him given the conditions in Chicago? 

And does it really matter so long as your team lives to fight another day? It could also be his last kick of the can, and that has to count for something. 

He's my guy, and I backed him to win a third successive road playoff game in my Rams vs. Seahawks prediction. 

🪖 Can Drake Maye become 2nd youngest QB to win Super Bowl?

Like Stafford, Maye hasn't had everything his own way in his first postseason. Maye fumbled four times, two of which he recovered, and tossed a pick against the Houston Texans.

Those top-line stats should be taken with a grain of salt, though, as the 23-year-old faced the AFC's most frightening defensive unit in woeful conditions, yet prevailed.  

That's the only thing that Maye, his teammates, and the coaching staff will care about. 

He came up clutch when he needed to, and like he's done all season, played with composure well beyond his 23 years. Sure, he endured a few heart-stopping, panic-inducing moments against the game-wrecking Houston defense, but that can happen to the most experienced signal callers. 

Just ask Aaron Rodgers. 

I'm backing New England to cover the spread in Denver, which I outlined in my Patriots vs. Broncos prediction. The visitors' marked advantage under center is the primary reason. If it comes to fruition, Maye will become the first QB to defeat three top-5 defenses in the same playoff run. 

Despite his projected unprecedented accomplishment, I believe he'll fall one hurdle shy of becoming the NFL's second-youngest Super Bowl-winning QB. 

🐎 What is Jarrett Stidham up against in AFC Championship? 

Insert preferred metaphor here. I'll use 'baptism of fire' or 'tossed under the bus' to describe career backup QB Stidham's forthcoming predicament. If you want to know more about Stidham, our Dustin Saracini summarizes his six-year journey well. 

Stidham hasn't started an NFL game since the end of the 2023 season, which happen to be his only two starts with the Broncos. By the way, those two starts were meaningless games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders. He won one and lost one.  

With a 29-47 ATS record since 2003, equating to a 38% cover rate, QBs in their first playoff game usually don't fare well. And that stat concerns QBs who are regular starters, not those being thrown into the fire after riding the pine for, excluding four meaningless offensive snaps, the entire season. 

I don't care how much of a miracle worker Sean Payton is; there's too much for Stidham to overcome. I've been wrong before, though, so you should dive beyond the surface of Stidham's Super Bowl MVP odds.