If you simply looked at the boxscore, you might figure that Aaron Rodgers had a good game on Sunday. He completed 31 of 39 passes for 326 yards and 2 TDs. In the Super Bowl era, only 11 quarterbacks have attempted at least 20 passes and finished with a higher completion percentage.
But Rodgers and the Packers were never in the game. Not enough of their completions were doing any real damage. Only after the 49ers got way ahead did Green Bay starting piling up some numbers.
I was looking into the numbers some, using the game-search tools at Pro Football Reference, and I did notice an interesting trend. Three quarterbacks in the postseason this year completed at least 75 percent of their passes for teams that lost – Rodgers, Drew Brees and Josh McCown. That’s really unusual.
In the first 53 years of the Super Bowl era, only three other quarterbacks completed at least 75 percent for losing teams. (And here, I’m looking on at guys who attempted at least 20 passes.)
Rodgers becomes the first to complete more than 75 percent of his passes, throw for over 300 yards and lose. (Warren Moon threw for 325 back in 1992 while completing exactly 75 percent.)
| COMPLETING 75 PERCENT IN A PLAYOFF GAME | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Player, Tm | Opp | Result | Com | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int |
| 2008 | Tom Brady, N.E. | Jac. | W 31-20 | 26 | 28 | 92.9% | 262 | 3 | 0 |
| 1987 | Phil Simms, NYG | v. Den. | W 39-20 | 22 | 25 | 88.0% | 268 | 3 | 0 |
| 2010 | Kurt Warner, Ariz. | G.B. | W 51-45 | 29 | 33 | 87.9% | 379 | 5 | 0 |
| 1990 | Joe Montana, S.F. | LAR | W 30-3 | 26 | 30 | 86.7% | 262 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | at Atl. | W 48-21 | 31 | 36 | 86.1% | 366 | 3 | 0 |
| 2004 | Peyton Manning, Ind. | Den. | W 41-10 | 22 | 26 | 84.6% | 377 | 5 | 0 |
| 2010 | Drew Brees, N.O. | v. Ind. | W 31-17 | 32 | 39 | 82.1% | 288 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | Peyton Manning, Ind. | Den. | W 49-24 | 27 | 33 | 81.8% | 458 | 4 | 1 |
| 2000 | Kurt Warner, St.L. | Min. | W 49-37 | 27 | 33 | 81.8% | 391 | 5 | 1 |
| 2017 | • Matt Moore, Mia. | at Pitt. | L 12-30 | 29 | 36 | 80.6% | 289 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | Deshaun Watson, Hou. | Buff. | W 22-19 | 20 | 25 | 80.0% | 247 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | at S.F. | L 20-37 | 31 | 39 | 79.5% | 326 | 2 | 2 |
| 2002 | Rich Gannon, Oak. | NYJ | W 38-24 | 23 | 29 | 79.3% | 294 | 2 | 0 |
| 2007 | Peyton Manning, Ind. | K.C. | W 23-8 | 30 | 38 | 78.9% | 268 | 1 | 3 |
| 2018 | Nick Foles, Phil. | Min. | W 38-7 | 26 | 33 | 78.8% | 352 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | Drew Brees, N.O. | Min. | L 20-26 | 26 | 33 | 78.8% | 208 | 1 | 1 |
| 2008 | Brett Favre, G.B. | Sea. | W 42-20 | 18 | 23 | 78.3% | 173 | 3 | 0 |
| 1984 | Joe Theismann, Was. | LAR | W 51-7 | 18 | 23 | 78.3% | 302 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | Tom Brady, N.E. | LAC | W 41-28 | 34 | 44 | 77.3% | 343 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | Steve Young, S.F. | NYG | W 44-3 | 17 | 22 | 77.3% | 226 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | David Woodley, Mia. | S.D. | W 34-13 | 17 | 22 | 77.3% | 195 | 2 | 1 |
| 2016 | Alex Smith, K.C. | at Hou. | W 30-0 | 17 | 22 | 77.3% | 190 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 | Drew Brees, N.O. | Det. | W 45-28 | 33 | 43 | 76.7% | 466 | 3 | 0 |
| 1995 | Troy Aikman, Dall. | G.B. | W 35-9 | 23 | 30 | 76.7% | 337 | 2 | 1 |
| 2018 | Nick Foles, Phil. | Atl. | W 15-10 | 23 | 30 | 76.7% | 246 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Russell Wilson, Sea. | Det. | W 26-6 | 23 | 30 | 76.7% | 224 | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 | • Jake Plummer, Den. | at Ind. | L 10-41 | 23 | 30 | 76.7% | 181 | 1 | 2 |
| 2012 | Tom Brady, N.E. | Den. | W 45-10 | 26 | 34 | 76.5% | 363 | 6 | 1 |
| 1992 | Erik Kramer, Det. | Dall. | W 38-6 | 29 | 38 | 76.3% | 341 | 3 | 0 |
| 2013 | Matt Schaub, Hou. | Cin. | W 19-13 | 29 | 38 | 76.3% | 262 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | Tom Brady, N.E. | Pitt. | W 36-17 | 32 | 42 | 76.2% | 384 | 3 | 0 |
| 2013 | Colin Kaepernick, S.F. | at Atl. | W 28-24 | 16 | 21 | 76.2% | 233 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003 | Chad Pennington, NYJ | Ind. | W 41-0 | 19 | 25 | 76.0% | 222 | 3 | 0 |
| 1990 | Joe Montana, S.F. | v. Den. | W 55-10 | 22 | 29 | 75.9% | 297 | 5 | 0 |
| 2002 | Brett Favre, G.B. | S.F. | W 25-15 | 22 | 29 | 75.9% | 269 | 2 | 1 |
| 1994 | Dan Marino, Mia. | K.C. | W 27-17 | 22 | 29 | 75.9% | 257 | 2 | 0 |
| 1994 | Troy Aikman, Dall. | G.B. | W 27-17 | 28 | 37 | 75.7% | 302 | 3 | 2 |
| 1992 | • Warren Moon, Hou. | at Den. | L 24-26 | 27 | 36 | 75.0% | 325 | 3 | 1 |
| 1996 | Brett Favre, G.B. | at S.F. | W 27-17 | 21 | 28 | 75.0% | 299 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | Eli Manning, NYG | v. N.E. | W 21-17 | 30 | 40 | 75.0% | 296 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | Kurt Warner, Ariz. | Phil. | W 32-25 | 21 | 28 | 75.0% | 279 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | Josh McCown, Phil. | Sea. | L 9-17 | 18 | 24 | 75.0% | 174 | 0 | 0 |
—Ian Allan