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Factoid

Franchise quarterbacks

Young arms taking over the AFC

It’s a quarterback driven league. Maybe now more than ever. If you want to contend for a Super Bowl or make the playoffs year after year, it sure helps to have an elite player at that position. This was on display at Arrowhead last week, with Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen going back and forth.

Elsewhere in the AFC, the Bengals have Joe Burrow and the Chargers have Justin Herbert. Those four teams can feel pretty good about how things might play out over the next 10 years.

A good quarterback can help cover up a lot of warts. If you’re trying to sneak by with a modest guy at quarterback, it’s tough for a team to ascend to the Super Bowl level. The Browns, Colts and Titans, most recently, have really good all-around rosters at times, but it would be tough for those teams to lift a Lombardi with Baker Mayfield, Carson Wentz and Ryan Tannehill at quarterback. Most recently, Tannehill’s 3 interceptions were instrumental in the Titans falling at home against the Bengals.

Burrow and Mahomes meet today in the AFC Championship, and those guys aren’t going away anytime soon. They’re 25 and 26 years old. Allen is 25, and Herbert is 23.

Since the merger in 1970, this is just the 9th conference championship game in which neither starting quarterback is older than 26.

MATCHUPS OF YOUNG GUNS IN CONFERENCE FINALS
YearQuarterbackAge OppResult Cmp Att Yds TD Int
1980Vince Ferragamo, LAR25at T.B.W 9-0122316300
1980Doug Williams, T.B.24LARL 0-92131201
1985Mark Malone, Pitt.26at Mia.L 28-45203631233
1985Dan Marino, Mia.23Pitt.W 45-28213242141
1986Tony Eason, N.E.26at Mia.W 31-1410127130
1986Dan Marino, Mia.24N.E.L 14-31204824822
1987John Elway, Den.26at Cle.W 23-20223824411
1987Bernie Kosar, Cle.23Den.L 20-23183225922
1997Mark Brunell, Jac.26at N.E.L 6-20203819002
1997Drew Bledsoe, N.E.24Jac.W 20-6203317801
2009Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt.26Balt.W 23-14163325510
2009Joe Flacco, Balt.24at Pitt.L 14-23133014103
2014Colin Kaepernick, S.F.26at Sea.L 17-23142415312
2014Russell Wilson, Sea.25S.F.W 23-17162521510
2021Patrick Mahomes, K.C.25Buff.W 38-24293832530
2021Josh Allen, Buff.24at K.C.L 24-38284828721
2020Patrick Mahomes, K.C.26Cin.??????
2020Joe Burrow, Cin.25at K.C.??????

—Ian Allan

Fantasy Index