Quarterback Babies

January 18, 2023

By: Carlos Alvarez

Good Morning,

It\’s a Wednesday in the dog days of winter, but that\’s not stopping sports. Today\’s mid-week edition gives us the chance to deep-dive the baby quarterbacks storming through the playoffs. Get ready for history. Plus, chaos in college basketball is ramping up and the Australian Open progresses into Round 2. Tune back in tomorrow as we dissect the NBA\’s outrageous scoring spree to open 2023.

Letter Rip!

 

NFL PLAYOFFS

QB Babies: The Revolution is Here

The NFL Quarterback Youth Movement is Inevitable as New Era of Franchise QBs Have Officially Ousted the Veterans

 

No Tom Brady. No Aaron Rodgers. No Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Mathew Stafford, Matt Ryan, Derek Carr or Ryan Tannehill. There are no QBs age 30 or older in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, and that’s astounding considering eight of the last ten Super Bowls have featured a QB over the age of 30. In fact, only five Super Bowls since 2000 had both starting QBs in their 20s.

 

The veteran quarterback still standing? That’s 29-year-old Dak Prescott, who just claimed his second career postseason victory. There’s been ample coverage of the young quarterbacks taking over the NFL in recent years, namely in the AFC with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow lightning up teams en route to the 1, 2, and 3 seeds. Plus, Trevor Lawrence (23) looks ready to thrive. Don’t forget Tua Tagovailoa (24) and Lamar Jackson (26) who would’ve had a shot to be alive right now if it weren’t for late-season injuries or Justin Herbert (24) who saw his team blow a 27-point lead.

 

Then there’s the NFC, where Prescott and three playoff rookies are about to duke it out. Jalen Hurts (0 games), Brock Purdy (0 games), and Daniel Jones (1 game) are all in their first year of postseason play. Now, the lights are the brightest, and Prescott’s experience may prove vital.

 

Fun Fact: The average age of the remaining quarterbacks is 25 — the same age as two-time Georgia championship QB Stetson Bennett.

 

Age of Remaining Playoff QBs

Dak Prescott (DAL): 29 Years Old

Patrick Mahomes (KC): 27 Years Old

Josh Allen (BUF): 26 Years Old

Joe Burrow (CIN): 26 Years Old

Daniel Jones (NYG): 25 Years Old

Jalen Hurts (PHI): 24 Years Old

Brock Purdy (SF): 23 Years Old

Trevor Lawrence (JAX): 23 Years Old

 

Career Playoff Wins By QB

Patrick Mahomes (KC): 8

Josh Allen (BUF): 4

Joe Burrow (CIN): 4

Dak Prescott (DAL): 2

Daniel Jones (NYG): 1

Trevor Lawrence (JAX): 1

Jalen Hurts (PHI): 0

Brock Purdy (SF): 0

 

Total Playoff Wins: 20

*5 Occurred Last Weekend

 

If you remove Mahomes — who owns significant playoff success in his first six seasons — the other seven QBs account for just 12 total postseason victories, and nearly half of those (5) occurred last weekend.

 

The Youngest QB-SB Showdowns

Since 1967, the lowest combined age of starting QBs in a Super Bowl is 51 (twice) — Joe Montana (28) vs. Dan Marino (23) in 1985, and Brett Favre (27) vs. Drew Bledsoe (24) in 1997. There’s a strong chance that record is tied or broken in Super Bowl LVII.

 

What About the Coaches?

That’s a very lopsided resume comparison, too. The two teams with the oldest quarterbacks — Kansas City and Dallas — also have the most seasoned play-callers. Andy Reid (19 wins) and Mike McCarthy (11 wins) are the only two head coaches with double-digit postseason victories. Doug Pederson (JAX: 5), Kyle Shanahan (SF: 5), Zac Taylor (CIN: 4) and Sean McDermott (BUF: 4) also have experience, but the wisdom on the Chiefs and Cowboys sidelines could come into play.

 

In 2023, the gates to a quarterback revolution have been opened, and a few QB babies are about to get thrown into the fire for the first time. Will Mahomes claim the throne and capture his second Super Bowl? Or is there another young quarterback about win his first? Divisional Round incoming…

 

Additional Storylines

SportsNaut: 2023 NFL Playoff QB Rankings From 8 to 1

ESPN: Ranking All Remaining NFL Playoff Quarterbacks: Strengths & Weaknesses

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NCAA

AP Polls: Big 12 Chaos

Top 2 Big 12 Teams Fall in Chaotic Night After Another AP Poll Unveiling

 

The Big 12 is the best conference in men’s college hoops from top to bottom, and its depth showed on Tuesday night as both #2 Kansas and #7 Texas tumbled. The Jayhawks got a career-high 38 points from Jalen Wilson, but #13 Kansas State got 24 from Keyontae Johnson, including the game-winning alley-oop in the final seconds for a one-point overtime win (83-82, OT). The 12th-ranked Cyclones took down Texas. The entire Big 12 is above .500 with six ranked teams, and things should get interesting down the stretch. Here’s a rundown of last night’s highlights and the latest AP Polls.

 

Men’s Basketball Scoreboard

#1 Houston def. Tulane (80-60)

#13 Kansas State def. #2 Kansas (83-82, OT)

#4 Alabama def. Vanderbilt (78-64)

#12 Iowa State def. #7 Texas (78-67)

#9 Tennessee def. Miss. State (70-59)

 

Men’s AP Top-10

1. Houston (17-1) | —

2. Kansas (16-1) | —

3. Purdue (16-1) | —

4. Alabama (15-2) | —

5. UCLA (16-2) | ↑2

6. Gonzaga (16-3) | ↑2

7. Texas (15-2) | ↑3

8. Xavier (15-3) | ↑4

9. Tennessee (14-3) | ↓4

10. Virginia (13-3) | ↑3

Men’s AP Top-25

 

Women’s Basketball Scoreboard

#5 UConn def. Seton Hall (103-58)

#22 Villanova def. Xavier (76-38)

 

Women’s AP Top-10

1. South Carolina (18-0) | —

2. Ohio State (18-0) | ↑1

3. LSU (18-0) | ↑2

4. Stanford (17-2) | ↓2

5. UConn (15-2) | ↓1

6. Indiana (16-1) | —

7. Notre Dame (14-2) | —

8. Utah (15-1) | ↑2

9. UCLA (15-3) | ↓1

10. Iowa (14-4) | ↑2

Women’s AP Top-25

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