The continuing series following the careers of the five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft wraps season six with eyes on the Super Bowl.
Entering the sixth season of their NFL careers, three quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft had Super Bowl aspirations. A fourth in Sam Darnold had the same dreams, albeit in a backup role in San Francisco.
Fast forward to January 2024, and all four quarterbacks are postseason bound, with Super Bowl dreams intact.
Each took a different route in securing playoff bids in 2023-24. Darnold held down the backup spot. Two, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield, took until week 18 to cement their fates. And Lamar Jackson locked things up early, brilliant in his sixth season and leading the Baltimore Ravens into the familiar position of Super Bowl favorites.
Lamar Jackson
Jackson, if anything, should have the title of "2-time NFL MVP" next to his name later this year.
Along the way, coming off the most consistent regular season of his career, Jackson aims to add Super Bowl title to his resume.
Jackson is a much better player now and some of the final numbers for Jackson this regular season were better than in his 2019 MVP season. Playing in 16 games, missing only the finale due to rest, Jackson heads into the postseason riding high. Fears of rest in the final week, plus a bye for the Baltimore Ravens (13-4) as the AFC's top seed, should be put aside. Jackson has a stable of healthy receivers led by rookie Zay Flowers and two solid running backs who contributed all season.
Career bests were accomplished by Jackson this season in completion percentage (67.2) and passing yards (3678). Jackson finished with 24 touchdown passes against only seven interceptions. He led the team in rushing with 821 yards, scoring only five touchdowns on the ground with Gus Edwards leading the way with 13.
Jackson's 5.5 yards per carry was the lowest average of his carry.
Prior to sitting out Baltimore's week 18 loss to Pittsburgh, Jackson led the Ravens on a six-game winning streak. He played some of his best football in this span, throwing 14 touchdowns and only two picks. Jackson capped it off with a brilliant performance in a dismantling of the Miami Dolphins, completing 18-21 for 321 yards and five touchdowns.
Jackson and the Ravens have another week of preparation ahead of them before AFC Divisional Round action. Then, they take the first steps of heading towards a possible AFC Championship meeting with the next quarterback on the list.
Josh Allen
Allen's wild ways are responsible for success, and the cause of many worries, for the Buffalo Bills (11-6). There was enough good to outweigh the bad, and the Bills enter the playoffs as AFC East champs and the conference's no. 2 seed.
Heading into a week 13 bye, the Bills were 6-6 and losers of three of four. How did they respond down the stretch? Simply by winning five straight and closing out the regular season with a 21-14 victory over the Dolphins.
Allen's loose cannon of an arm has placed him among the league leaders in interceptions throughout his career. This was no different in '23-24, where Allen threw a career-high 18 picks, throwing at least one in 14 of 17 games.
Buffalo's six losses were by a combined 26 points. And even during the win streak, the average margin was just under six points per game. We saw Allen complete only seven passes in 15 attempts in a victory over Dallas. But also saw a vintage, gritty Allen in the clincher, throwing for 359 yards on 30-38 passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions (while also leading the team with 67 rushing yards).
Allen's season stats in season six were on par with the previous five. A completion percentage of 66.5 was second best of his career, and he threw for 4306 yards. His 29 touchdown passes were the first time throwing for less than since his second season, when he threw 20.
Allen also rushed for 524 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The Bills began their quest for the Super Bowl by hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on 1/14 at 1 p.m. (ET). *Update: Game has been moved to Monday (1/15) due to an incoming snowstorm.
Baker Mayfield
A third chance as a starting quarterback, playing for his fourth team in six years, Mayfield faced adversity early in his tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8). A four-game losing streak following a 3-1 start had many fans calling for a quarterback change. The Bucs stuck with Mayfield, however, and the former top-pick finished with some of the best stats of his career.
Mayfield had career highs in completion percentage (64.3), yards (4044), and touchdown passes (28). He threw 10 interceptions and held up despite being sacked 40 times.
Lack of a solid ground game, shaky pass protection, and Mayfield's usual hiccups ultimately didn't prevent Tampa Bay from winning a weak NFC South. And the quarterback certainly wasn't pretty in Tampa Bay's clinching game, a 9-0 stinker over Carolina. Still, Tampa Bay finished by winning four of their last five games and has a respectable defense to help keep things interesting.
Mayfield, in those last five games, also had a three-game stretch where he threw for 973 yards, 8 touchdowns, and only two interceptions.
By virtue of winning the division, Tampa Bay holds the no. 4 seed and hosts the Philadelphia Eagles on 1/15 at 8:15 p.m. (ET) to kick off their Super Bowl quest.
Sam Darnold
Darnold's season was little more than mop-up duty, aside from a series here and there, until a week 18 start against the Los Angeles Rams. He started off strong but waned as the game progressed. And it was a late-game fumble by Darnold that prevented a comeback, with San Francisco losing 21-20 (after leading most of the game).
If Darnold was thrust into a normal situation, with all the Niners stars at his disposal, I have a feeling he'll be more than all right (though likely not ideal because that would mean an injury to starting quarterback Brock Purdy).
On the season, Darnold was 28-46 for 297 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He also had 15 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground.
The 12-5 San Francisco 49ers have a first-round bye before opening their Super Bowl quest the weekend of 1/20.
Josh Rosen
Josh Rosen is the fifth of these five quarterbacks and it's been a little over a year since he last was on a NFL squad. Perhaps opportunities may pop up for Rosen, if he desires, in the NFL or other pro football leagues. But if not, the promise of 2018 washed out far too quickly, and Rosen has taken his last snap as a football player.
One of the first four on this list will likely walk away as a Super Bowl winner this February. The same bet might be Darnold and the 49ers. Jackson and Allen face a stiff test in the AFC, though their teams are the clearcut favorites to emerge and square off in the AFC Championship. The NFL is full of surprises, especially with the parity this season, so it will be interesting to revisit this in late summer 2024 to see if one of them secures the brass ring.
photo credit: Flickr
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