So we’re going to take the 64 best quarterbacks in NFL history and created a March Madness bracket to see what happens. Let the ensuing chaos begin.
March Madness will take center stage in the sports world for the next three weeks. College basketball may not be as visually appealing as it once was, but the 64-team, single-elimination tournament is the gold standard in all sports.
The NFL has a single-elimination postseason, but nothing as chaotic as what college basketball. Since the NFL only has 32 teams, lets do something else to get to 64. So why not take the 64 greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and force them into a win-or-go-home playoff bracket?
Like the NCAA Tournament, all 64 participants will be assigned to one of four regions. However, these regions will honor some of the lesser quarterbacks in NFL history. This is how it will work. ll things equal, which quarterback will lead his team to victory? Let’s begin.
Round of 64
Ryan Leaf Region
No. 1 Joe Montana will play No. 16 Norm Snead in the first round. Snead may have been a good quarterback in his days with the Eagles, but he’s going up against the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament in Montana. It could get ugly.
This first round matchup features two two-time Super Bowl Champions in No. 2 Peyton Manning and No. 15 Bob Griese. Manning often carried the Indianapolis Colts, while Griese benefited from great Don Shula Dolphins teams, including the 1972 perfect season.
Roger Staubach established what it means to play quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Matt Hasselbeck led the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl berth in his prime. A former Heisman Trophy winner versus Brett Favre’s former fourth-stringer clash in this first-round matchup.
The coolest quarterback of all-time in Joe Namath collides with one of the early stars in the AFL in Daryle Lamonica. These two guys loved to go vertical in what was a run-first game during their heyday.
Y.A. Tittle was one of the best quarterbacks before the Super Bowl era as a Hall of Fame signal caller for the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants. Bernie Kosar was the last franchise quarterback the Cleveland Browns ever had. He was great for his hometown team in the 1980s.
This one will be fun. The champion of gunslingers Terry Bradshaw versus the a big and powerful dual-threat quarterback in Cam Newton. Bradshaw won four Super Bowls with the Steelers. Newton has been to one thus far in his NFL career. Who knows what kind of weird stuff we’d see in this matchup.
Here is a matchup of the two greatest quarterbacks in their respective franchise’s history. The Bears still haven’t appropriately replace Sid Luckman. Joe Flacco plays his best when the lights are the brightest for the Baltimore Ravens.
Sonny Jurgensen could really sling it for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. Matt Ryan is the reigning NFL MVP and the greatest passer in Atlanta Falcons franchise history. This one would go down to the wire.
JaMarcus Russell Region
The greatest quarterback in New England Patriots history in Tom Brady versus arguably the best quarterback for the New York Jets since Joe Namath led them to a Super Bowl in Vinny Testaverde. Both can throw for a ton of yards. While they had different levels of NFL success, longevity may have been their greatest strength.
Dan Marino was an innovator in the passing game for years with the Miami Dolphins. Roman Gabriel made the Los Angeles Rams very formidable in the NFL for years in the 1960s. These are two of the very best to never win a Super Bowl.
If you’re a fan of pure arm talent, it’s hard to not get up for this matchup between Brett Favre and Carson Palmer. Favre made a career as a powerful, jazz beat quarterback. Palmer loves to go vertical, now with his third team in the Arizona Cardinals.
A little bit of a throwback here. We’ve got the pioneer of the scrambling quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton versus one of the first pioneers of the vertical passing game in John Hadl. Legs versus cannon. Go!
Drew Brees brought stability to an organization in need of it when he arrived with the New Orleans Saints in 2006. John Brodie was a cornerstone under center for the San Francisco 49ers for well over a decade. Two outstanding on-field leaders in this one.
If you want to see elite quarterbacking outside of the pocket, look no further than this first-round matchup between Ben Roethlisberger and Randall Cunningham. Roethlisberger has been a stable force in Pittsburgh for years, while Cunningham won with several teams, but most notably the Eagles.
The wheels will turn in this one in a battle of two late all-timers in terms of scrambling. Ken Stabler starred for the Raiders and later the Oilers. Steve McNair was incredible for the Oilers/Titans in the AFC for well over a decade.
Philip Rivers and Boomer Esiason were two great, often overlooked quarterbacks of their respective generations. Their teams didn’t do enough winning, but are both borderline Pro Football Hall of Famers at the end of the day. Hopefully they both eventually get into Canton.
Akili Smith Region
Sammy Baugh is the godfather of the modern position of quarterback. The NFL looks totally different without him laying the foundation with the Washington Redskins. Though he never lived up to his potential coming out of Penn State, Kerry Collins definitely had his moments with the Panthers, Giants, and Titans.
This is a matchup between two former California signal callers that eventually became franchise favorites in their respective cities. John Elway dominated the AFC with the Denver Broncos. Steve Bartkowski was never afraid to sling it for the Atlanta Falcons.
Right-handedness need not apply in this matchup. 1990s, eat your heart out. We’ve got Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers versus Mark Brunell of the Jacksonville Jaguars. How did the 49ers and Jaguars never meet in a Super Bowl in the late 1990s?
In this matchup, we’ve got one of the earliest legends of the Super Bowl era in Bart Starr and a strong-armed signal caller that was ultimately replaced by a legend in Drew Bledsoe. Just two blue-chip football talents in this game.
Get your popcorn ready. This is a must-see matchup. Arguably the most talented quarterback in NFL history in Aaron Rodgers going against the most physically gifted quarterback ever in Michael Vick. This is why No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchups are so compelling in the tournament to begin with.
The most prolific passer of his era in Dan Fouts of the San Diego Chargers will go up against the strongest arm in the NFL today in Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions. From a pure passing standpoint, could this match go any more vertical?
Len Dawson led the Kansas City Chiefs to their only Super Bowl title in franchise history. He’ll go up against Donovan McNabb, one of two Philadelphia signal callers to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl. Expect a conservative, methodical approach to quarterbacking in this first-round game.
If this is the NFL Playoffs, look no further than two of the greatest postseason quarterbacks in NFL history. Both went No. 1 overall in their respective NFL drafts. Jim Plunkett won two Super Bowls with the Raiders. Eli Manning has captured two with the Giants.
Kelly Stouffer Region
The No. 1 vs. No. 16 game in the Kelly Stouffer Region will feature the greatest quarterback of his time in Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts versus the short, but promising career of Neil Lomax of the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals.
This matchup definitely has an old-school flair to it. Otto Graham won so many NFL Championships quarterbacking the Cleveland Browns. Bert Jones carved out a nice niche in the NFL taking over the quarterbacking duties in Baltimore post-Unitas before injury struck him down.
Age was never as issue with these two. Warren Moon got a late start in the NFL, but certainly made up for it with his unbelievable quarterbacking abilities. Rich Gannon was an NFL MVP quarterbacking the Oakland Raiders in his mid-to-late 30s.
This matchup features two quarterbacks that had great poise in commanding the huddle. Troy Aikman was the Dallas Cowboys’ biggest star during the Triplets era. Trent Green was good for the Washington Redskins, but had his best years quarterbacking in Kansas City.
Kurt Warner took two long-forgotten NFC franchises to the Super Bowl. Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl with the Redskins before Lawrence Taylor destroyed his leg.
This first-round matchup features the greatest quarterback in franchise history for both the Bills and the Cardinals. Jim Kelly led the Bills to four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s. Jim Hart was a model of consistency in St. Louis for so many years.
These two are arguably the best quarterbacks in their respective franchise’s history. Bobby Layne was outstanding for the Detroit Lions in the pre-Super Bowl era. Ken Anderson led Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl in the early 1980s. That team could have beaten the San Francisco 49ers.
We’ve got two crown jewels from the NFC East. Both are borderline Hall of Famers in their own right. How would Tony Romo perform against Phil Simms in a win-or-go-home scenario on the field?
Round of 32
Leaf Region
Joe Montana cruises past Snead in the Round of 64. Matt Ryan’s accuracy edges out Sonny Jurgensen in their first-round meeting. This second-round matchup is all about the West Coast offense. Who will elevate more in crisis scenarios?
Peyton Manning proves to be more dynamic over Bob Griese. Sid Luckman hangs on to beat Playoff Joe Flacco. This second-round meeting features the best player in Indianapolis’ history versus the best quarterback to play for the Bears.
Yes, we’re getting Super Bowl rematches when Rogers Staubach meets Terry Bradshaw in round two. Staubach threw a ridiculous Hail Mary to beat Matt Hasselbeck. Bradshaw played with more poise than Cam Newton to advance.
Broadway Joe was too cool for Daryle Lamonica to handle. Bernie Kosar upset Y.A. Tittle in the No.5 vs. No. 12 game in the Ryan Leaf Region. The football gods paid Kosar back for the painful memories associated with The Drive and The Fumble.
Russell Region
Brady saw red or whatever color color-blind Testaverde couldn’t to win in a laugher. Esiason saw Rivers’ team collapse around him like it always seems to do in San Diego for him. We’ve got the pioneer of the no-huddle offense in Esiason versus a staunch disciple of that approach to quarterbacking in Brady in this second-round game..
Dan Marino pulverized Roman Gabriel in round one. Steve McNair was too quick for The Snake as well, upsetting Ken Stabler in the 7-10 game in the Russell Region. Marino’s career was winding down as McNair was just entering his prime in the AFC.
This is an example of how a Round of 32 game could be an Elite Eight game in other years. Two Hall of Fame level quarterbacks from blue-blood franchises. Favre’s durability helped him beat Carson Palmer. Roethlisberger made a few more big throws in his first-round game over Randall Cunningham.
Again, this matchup is almost too good to be a Round of 32 game. The greatest Vikings quarterback will face the greatest player in Saints history. Tarkenton improvised like Miles Davis to top John Hadl. Brees kept the chains, making it nearly impossible for John Brodie to keep pace.
Smith Region
This second-round game features two of the very best from NFC East division rivals. Sammy Baugh made the throws that Kerry Collins couldn’t. Eli Manning need a Mario Manningham catch to beat Jim Plunkett to advance.
We’ve got the best quarterbacks from AFC West rivals competing in round two when John Elway takes on Len Dawson. Elway eviscerated Steve Bartkowski with another Drive that Big Ben Right couldn’t top. Dawson was cool under pressure when McNabb wasn’t. He has the locker room photo to prove it.
West Coast vs. Air Coryell is the matchup in round two. Steve Young was the better southpaw that Sunday against Mark Brunell. Dan Fouts did something Matthew Stafford couldn’t do by winning a playoff game to advance.
Win or lose, the Green Bay Packers will have a quarterback in the Sweet Sixteen in the Akili Smith region. Will it be Bart Starr or Aaron Rodgers? Starr didn’t get hurt and benched like Bledsoe did to get to round two. Rodgers threw two Hail Maries to beat Michael Vick in overtime in Lambeau.
Stouffer Region
Arm talent helped Johnny Unitas elevate from Louisville and Phil Simms to move on to bigger and better things out of Morehead State. These champions meet in the second round. Unitas overmatched Neil Lomax. Simms didn’t botch a snap like Tony Romo did to win in a slight upset to get to round two.
We’ve got a major rivalry game in this one. Otto Graham gouged Bert Jones in round one, proving that Jones is no Johnny Unitas. Ken Anderson orchestrated a game-winning drive to upset Bobby Layne in the Motor City.
This matchup is what the early 1990s AFC Playoffs were all about. Two of the every best going head-to-head once again in Warren Moon and Jim Kelly. Moon lasted longer in the battle of geriatrics with Rich Gannon. Kelly played with more heart than Jim Hart to advance.
This Round of 32 matchup in the Kelly Stouffer Region features a pair of thee-time NFC Champions in Troy Aikman and Kurt Warner. Aikman annihilated Trent Green like he was Rodney Harrison. Warner never wavered in his matchup with Joe Theismann.
Sweet Sixteen
Leaf Region
The first Sweet Sixteen matchup in the Ryan Leaf Region will be The Battle of the Joes. Montana manhandled Norm Snead in round one and was ultimately more clutch than Matt Ryan in the Round of 32. Namath negated any notion of advancement in the first round from Daryle Lamonica. He ended Bernie Kosar’s brief Cinderella story in round two with the coolest display of quarterbacking you’ll ever see.
The other Sweet Sixteen matchup in the Ryan Leaf Region features two other all-timers. Peyton Manning pound Bob Griese in the first round and was far too surgical of a passer for Sid Luckman to keep pace in round two. Terry Bradshaw did more in winning time than Cam Newton in the Round of 64. He would upset No. 3 Roger Staubach in the Round of 32 by unleashing a new wrinkle to his game that Dallas never saw coming.
Russell Region
Here are two of the very best in the game today that have never met in the NFL Playoffs because they play in opposite conferences. Tom Brady thrashed Vinny Testaverde in round one and owned Boomer Esiason by asserting his AFC dominance over the Bengals quarterback. Drew Brees bested John Brodie in his opening game and motivated his team better than Fran Tarkenton did in round two to advance.
The JaMarcus Russell Region has had its share of upsets in the tournament. Steve McNair stumped Kenny Stabler in round one and the Dolphins made Dan Marino cry in round two. Ben Roethlisberger contained Randall Cunningham in round one and saw Brett Favre throw a lot of bad, cross-body picks in the Round of 32 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Smith Region
This was a matchup we all saw from the 2016 NFC Playoffs. We’ll see how Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers handle this impromptu meeting. Manning has pulled off a pair of upsets to get to the Sweet Sixteen in typical Eli fashion, upending Jim Plunkett with a Mario Manningham catch and Sammy Baugh with a David Tyree catch. Rodgers wrestled with Michael Vick and bested Bart Starr to get this far.
The other side of the Smith Region features two of the very best at quarterbacking from the 1990s. John Elway beat Steve Bartkowski and helicoptered his way into the end zone to beat Len Dawson in a tight ball game. Steve Young threw a better left hook than Mark Brunell in the Southpaw Shootout and dominated Dan Fouts like he destroyed the Chargers in the Super Bowl.
Stouffer Region
The Kelly Stouffer Region has had the least volatility of the four regions in this quarterbacking tournament. It’s gone mostly chalk. Johnny Unitas faces Troy Aikman in the first Sweet Sixteen matchup. Unitas rendered Neil Lomax utterly useless and strong-armed Phil Simms into submission. Aikman attacked Trent Green in round one and was far too efficient for Kurt Warner to keep up.
It’s interesting to see a Sweet Sixteen matchup with no Super Bowls between the pair. Otto Graham won at will in the pre-Super Bowl NFL. Warren Moon eviscerated the CFL when he was quarterbacking the Edmonton Eskimos. Graham got here by jabbing Bert Jones repeatedly and killing Ken Anderson’s Cinderella bid. Moon rose to the occasion against Rich Gannon and got pay back for the Frank Reich game against Jim Kelly’s Buffalo Bills.
Elite Eight
Leaf Region
The Ryan Leaf Regional Finals will feature a pair of starting quarterbacks that won four Super Bowls apiece. Joe Montana won four with the San Francisco 49ers and Terry Bradshaw won four with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s how they got here. Montana beat Norm Snead, Matt Ryan, and Joe Namath.
Montana saw the ghost of John Candy in the end zone to ultimately be cooler than Broadway Joe in the clutch. Bradshaw bested Cam Newton and upset both Roger Staubach and Peyton Manning to get this far. Manning clinched his teeth and a looser Bradshaw laid down the hammer in the Sweet Sixteen.
Russell Region
The JaMarcus Russell Regional Finals will be a rematch of the 2016 AFC Championship between Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger. Brady beat Vinny Testaverde, Boomer Esiason, and Drew Brees in succession. Brady used something Brees didn’t have to advance: a defense backing him up. Roethlisberger wrangled Randall Cunningham, upset Brett Favre, and stopped Steve McNair’s Cinderella run. McNair’s Titans came up one yard short of pulling off another Music City Miracle.
Smith Region
Two of the most talented quarterbacks collide in the Akili Smith Regional Finals in Aaron Rodgers and John Elway. Rodgers knocked off Michael Vick, Bart Starr, and Eli Manning to reach the Elite Eight. Manning’s receivers were on a boat somewhere near South Beach in the Sweet Sixteen.
Elway cruised past Steve Bartkowski, Len Dawson, and Steve Young to meet Rodgers for a shot at the Final Four. Young used all of his gas to wipe the floor against Dan Fouts in the Round of 32. Elway took the lead over Young in the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Stouffer Region
The Kelly Stouffer Regional Finals wasn’t entirely chalk. No. 4 seed Troy Aikman upset No. 1 Johnny Unitas in the Sweet Sixteen, while No. 2 Otto Graham held off No. 3 Warren Moon. Aikman beat Trent Green and Kurt Warner before using his own lucky horseshoe to upend Unitas. Grahams’s first two opponents were a breeze in Bert Jones and Ken Anderson. His championship pedigree in the NFL made it Goodnight, Moon.
Final Four
Leaf Champion vs. Stouffer Champion
On the left side of the bracket, we’ve got the Ryan Leaf Regional Champion versus the Kelly Stouffer Champion. The top-seed in the tournament San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana won the Leaf Region. No. 2 seed out of the Stouffer Region in Cleveland Browns quarterback Otto Graham earned his right to play in the Final Four.
Montana’s path to the Final Four was not easy. He had to beat Norm Snead, Matt Ryan, Joe Namath, and Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw had three costly picks in the Elite Eight against Montana. Graham’s path to the Final Four was relatively navigable. He beat Bert Jones, Ken Anderson, Warren Moon, and Troy Aikman. Aikman unfortunately grew tiered of Barry Switzer’s antics and that cost the Cowboys quarterback is opportunity of playing in the Final Four.
Russell Champion vs. Smith Champion
On the right side of the bracket, we’ve got the JaMarcus Russell Regional Champion versus the Akili Smith Regional Champion. Tom Brady won the Russell Regionals as the No. 1 seed in that region. John Elway won the Smith Region as the No. 2 seed.
Brady topped Vinny Testaverde, Boomer Esiason, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger to reach the Final Four. Facebook Live got in the way of Roethlisberger, as Brady did his job. Elway clipped Steve Bartkowski, Len Dawson, Steve Young, and Aaron Rodgers to win the Smith Finals. Rodgers couldn’t relax as he didn’t have the talent around him to run the table against Elway.
The Super Bowl
We’re getting exactly what we wanted in the Quarterback Super Bowl: two No. 1 seeds and the top two quarterbacks in the tournament. For all the marbles, we’ve got Joe Montana versus Tom Brady.
Montana successfully navigated the surprisingly difficult Ryan Leaf Region. He had to beat Norm Snead, Matt Ryan, Joe Namath and Terry Bradshaw to get to the Final Four. To play for the Super Bowl, Montana had to beat Cleveland Browns legend Otto Graham. The Bill Walsh West Coast Offense was too much for Graham to keep pace. Montana found Dwight Clark at the back of the end zone for a crucial six to seal the game.
Brady did his job by coming out of the JaMarcus Russell Region as expected. He ate his avocado ice cream to have enough energy to beat Vinny Testaverde, Boomer Esiason, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, and John Elway tor reach the Quarterback Super Bowl. People will blame a Tuck Rule or Deflategate type of issue for Brady’s victory over Elway, but Brady beat him by three touchdowns in a blowout.
The Quarterback Super Bowl has nine Lombardi Trophies between the two participants. It’s a clash of the titans Pete Rozelle, Paul Tagliabue, and Roger Goodell could only hope to dream of. Goodell would have to hand out the hardware, right?
The Champion of Quarterbacking
Brady versus Montana. Like a Smiths reunion tour or a Mayweather/McGregor card, it’s never going to happen. But a charming man can dream and apologize to absolutely no one because Brady versus Montana is going down.
It was a cool, crisp February morning in some part of the country that doesn’t get a lot of snow. The point spread was Montana -3 with the over/under of Rob Gronkowski’s favorite number. Morrissey was set to play halftime. Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor were in attendance to watch this quarterback prize fight at the Something Corporate Dome in Anywhere, USA.
Brady won the toss and deferred. Montana would take a 25-point lead over Brady into the fourth quarterback. John Candy was there in spirit. Jerry Rice had something like four touchdown catches and Roger Craig did some nice things in the backfield.
One by one, Brady would hit one no-name slot receiver after another for 10 yard gains, driving the length of the field at will. The auxiliary running backs would find pay dirt on well-designed plays set up by bubble screens. Brady would do enough to force overtime.
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He won the toss again and no, he did not defer this time. Brady would use two tight end sets on that ensuing drive, capping it off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski for the game-winning score. Gronkowski would spike the ball. Goodell would have to hand Brady the All-Time Quarterback Trophy for his impressive, come-from-behind victory over Montana.