Comparing the Best Earlier-era NFL Postseason Quarterbacks

You millennials had your shot at my quiz about how contemporary NFL quarterbacks have fared in the postseason. Not it’s the old-timers’ chance to guess how several all-time great NFL QBs have done in the postseason. Geezers (and NFL historians), grab your pencils or fountain pens.

Your choices are: John Elway, Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Warren Moon, Bart Starr, Fran Tarkington, Johnny Unitas, Kurt Warner, and Steve Young. Sorry Terry Bradshaw, I see I left you out. ALL QUESTIONS RELATE ONLY TO POSTSEASON PLAY.

Question 1: Which two QBs were the only ones to have a cumulative passer rating over 100?

Question 2: Who has the worst cumulative passer rating?

Question 3: Who have the three best win-loss percentages?

Question 4: Who has the worst win-loss percentage?

Question 5: Which three QBs have played in the most games?

Question 6: Which four QBs have higher ratings in the postseason than in the regular season?

Question 7: Which two QBs have the biggest ratings drop-offs in the postseason?

Question 8: Who was the oldest to play in a postseason game?

Question 9: Who are the two youngest to start in a postseason game?

Answer 1: Bart Starr (104.5); Kurt Warner (102.8)

Answer 2: Fran Tarkington (58.6), followed by Johnny Unitas (68.9)

Answer 3: Bart Starr (.900), Joe Montana (.696), Kurt Warner (.692).

Answer 4: Warren Moon (3-7), followed by Dan Fouts (3-4) and Dan Marino (8-10).

Answer 5: Joe Montana (23), followed by John Elway and Steve Young (22).

Answer 6: Bart wins hands-down, with a postseason rating 24.3 points above his regular season rating. Kurt Warner is next at 9.1, followed by Warren Moon (3.6) and Joe Montana (3.3).

Answer 7: Fran Tarkington’s postseason rating was 21.8 points lower than in the regular season. Steve Young’s was 11 points lower, and Fout’s was 10.2 lower.

Answer 8: Seven-way tie at age 38: Elway, Marino, Montana, Moon, Tarkington, Unitas, and Warner

Answer 9: Dan Marino, who was 22 and in just his second year in the league in 1984; John Elway was the next youngest, at 23.

Here’s a summary of the postseason raw data: name – win-loss record – age at first and last postseason game – regular season rating – postseason rating.

John Elway – 14-8 – 23-38 – 79.9 – 79.7

Dan Fouts – 3-4 – 28-31 – 80.2 – 70.0

Dan Marino – 8-10 – 22-38 – 86.4 – 77.1

Joe Montana – 16-7 – 5-38 – 92.3 – 95.6

Warren Moon – 3-7 – 31-38 – 81.3 – 84.9

Bart Starr – 9-1 – 26-34 – 80.5 – 104.8

Fran Tarkington – 6-5 – 33-38 – 80.4 – 58.6

Johnny Unitas – 6-3 – 25-38 – 78.2 – 68.9

Kurt Warner – 9-4 – 28-38 – 93.7 – 102.8

Steve Young – 14-8 – 26-37 – 96.8 – 85.8

Comments

Without a doubt, the biggest shocker in the group is Bart Starr. In an age when passing was not so dominant, and passer ratings were much lower, Starr not only had the top rating in this group (104.8), but that rating betters all 13 of the contemporary QBs that I previously examined.

Starr also has by far the best postseason record of 9 and 1. Yes, Joe Montana has the distinction of going 4-0 in his Super Bowls, but he also had seven losses in his non-Super-Bowl playoff years. Finally, Starr stepped up his game in the postseason like no other: from an average rating of 80.5 to 104.8. I’d say Bart is the G.O.A.T of NFL playoff QBs!

None of these earlier stars, unlike Brady, Brees, and Favre, participated in a playoff game at age 40 or older. Seven, however, made the playoffs at age 38, which is two years older than Rodgers is presently. This doesn’t bode well for Rodgers – a quarterback excelling into the forties is a rare and recent phenomenon, confined to Brady, Brees, and Favre.

Fran Tarkington somehow won six of eleven playoff games while averaging a passer rating of only 58.6. The “somehow” was due to the Vikings’ Purple Curtain defense, which in Fran’s first nine playoff games never gave up more than 24 points.

Tarkington also has the distinction of not playing in a postseason game until he was 33 years old. In contrast, all 13 of the contemporary QBs that I previously looked at had started a playoff game by the time they were 27.