The age difference between AFC and NFC Divisional Round quarterbacks will be greatest since 1970
Andy Reid has been in this situation before, with a young franchise quarterback on a team seriously aiming for its second consecutive Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs head coach is seeking a renewed title with Patrick Mahomes and is delighted to see young leaders in teams still alive in the AFC postseason. In the National the situation is different.
In fact, this will be the largest age difference between quarterbacks in both conferences in the division round.
How wide? A few Passers-by aged 40 and older will meet in the National Conference. Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Drew Brees with the New Orleans Saints. The oldest quarterback in the AFC, on the other hand, will be 25-year-old Cleveland Browns’ Baker Mayfield..
“I think this is good for the sport, the arrival of new players in the position,” said Reid, who reached four NFC Finals from the 2000 season with Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Buffalo Bills won a postseason game for the first time in 25 years, led by 24-year old Josh Allen. Cleveland ended an 18-year drought with no playoffs thanks to Mayfield and gave six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers a lesson in humility in the Wild Card Round.
Reid and Mahomes, who are also 25, although 156 days younger than Mayfield, are one win away from reaching their third AFC Championship Game after the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years last season. .
Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, 24, the 2019 MVP, won his first playoff game last week, beating the Tennessee Titans.. Now the Ravens are preparing to visit the Buffalo Bills.
“My mother-in-law texted me the other day saying it was the old man,” Mayfield joked. ‘Someone sent me something about how close everyone is in age. It’s crazy to see Josh, Lamar and Pat. Pat is the most experienced of all of us. ”
The National Conference’s seniority was determined after the Los Angeles Rams ruled out John Wolford, who is 25 years old and 29 days younger than Mahomes. Jared Goff will start in the Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers. Goff is 26 and already has experience playing a Super Bowl.
Goff will face 37-year-old Aaron Rodgers on his visit to Green Bay, while Brees, who turns 42 on Friday, will meet 43-year-old Brady on Sunday, making them the longest-running opposing quarterback couple in history. the NFL.
With Goff’s start, the average quarterback in the NFC will be 37 years and 77 days, compared to 24 years and 344 days in the AFC. The difference is 12 years and 98 days, the biggest difference in the NFL since 1970..