If you didn’t watch the divisional round of the NFL playoffs over the weekend, you missed a beautiful weekend of football. It was the best weekend of playoff games in perhaps the history of the NFL. All four games were decided on the last play.
What was the biggest takeaway from this weekend’s action? If you want to win in today’s NFL, you better find a quarterback.
You had two legends in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers — both came up just short. Then you had guys like Ryan Tannehill and Jimmy Garoppolo, both winning players, but far from why their teams made it this far.
Tannehill was why the top-seeded Titans were upset by the Bengals on the AFC side of the playoffs. Garoppolo had some moments in the 49ers’ win over the Packers, but ultimately, San Francisco’s defense and special teams won the game.
Then, there was Matthew Stafford. Stafford was outstanding in the Rams’ win over Brady and the Bucs, saving Los Angeles in what would have been one of the ugliest collapses in NFL playoff history.
Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow didn’t have his best statistical performance in the win over the Titans, but when it mattered the most, Burrow put the Bengals in position for the game-winning field goal. Burrow is phenomenal.
The NFL saved the best for last as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs hosted Josh Allen and the Bills. What a game. You only had to watch the last five minutes of regulation to see some of the best quarterback play in NFL history.
I’ll save you the details and encourage you to watch the replay, which will undoubtedly air sometime on the NFL Network this week.
So, what was your biggest takeaway as a Washington Football Team fan? Washington desperately needs one of these guys. No, not Tannehill or Garoppolo, but Burrow, Mahomes, or Allen.
For those saying that franchise quarterbacks are hard to find, they’d be correct. It’s one of the most challenging things to find in all of sports.
The Chiefs, Bengals and Bills all dealt with the same issues in landing a quarterback. The Bengals were lucky, landing the No. 1 overall pick when they did. The Chiefs were bold, identifying Mahomes and moving up to get him with a solid veteran in Alex Smith already on the roster. And the Bills, they were bold — and patient.
Remember the scouting reports on Mahomes and Allen coming out of college? Real scouts and media scouts saw the upside in both players, but no one envisioned either taking over the NFL.
This is where we turn our attention back to Washington. It’s time to be bold. It’s time to turn over every rock in pursuit of finding that player who can change your fortunes. Is it a veteran, or is it a rookie? Head coach Ron Rivera will explore all avenues in finding the guy. Trust me, Rivera understands this better than anyone.
Sure, Brady and Rodgers came up short this weekend. But do we need to review their history? If Rodgers wants out of Green Bay, Rivera should be aggressive. Sure, Rodgers isn’t likely coming to Washington, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try. If Russell Wilson is available, you pursue him aggressively. By not pursuing a guy because you think he won’t come to Washington, that’s a loser’s mentality.
Then, there is the NFL draft. Just because you don’t have the No. 1 overall pick doesn’t mean you can’t land a franchise passer. Most of the top quarterbacks aren’t drafted No. 1 overall. Burrow was, but none of the NFL’s other top passers were outside of Stafford — selected No. 1 overall in 2009.
Other quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall currently playing in the NFL are Trevor Lawrence, Kyle Murray, Baker Mayfield, Jameis Winston and Jared Goff. What has any of those guys proven at this point?
If you see your guy and you’re worried about Carolina taking him at No. 6, move up ahead of the Panthers to get him. If the entire organization is aligned on who the right guy is, there is no price too steep for landing a franchise quarterback.
It was an exciting weekend of NFL playoff football, in part, because of the quarterbacks on the field. If Washington wants to end that 30-year drought in appearing in an NFC championship game, it needs to find the guy.
It won’t be easy. But, the best things in life are never easy.