Right now, the Divisional Round is set, and we're down to the final eight teams of the 2025 NFL Season. There are certainly some surprising teams here that not many of us thought would make it this far. The New England Patriots and Chicago Bears have both had some insane seasons up to this point and are one win away from the championship game.
But there are also some mainstays like the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams as well. The coming weekend will get us down to four teams, as the conference championship round awaits. Now that the next round of the NFL playoffs is set, we have our updated quarterback rankings.
Let's power rank the eight remaining quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Season ahead of the Divisional Round.
Updated quarterback power rankings as Divisional Round approaches
8. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
It's really hard to get a solid reading on CJ Stroud at this point. He missed about a month of the 2025 NFL Season with a concussion and has since been OK since he returned to the lineup, but all the Texans have done is win. Since Stroud's breakout rookie season in 2023, we haven't really seen him regain that spark.
However, the Texans' defense is top-tier, and over the last couple of weeks, CJ Stroud has not been forced to carry the load, but that's why I am a bit concerned. The Texans now head to New England to face the high-powered Patriots, and if the Texans do lose this game, it's likely because Stroud simply was not good enough.
He's no. 8 in our QB rankings as the Divisional Round approaches. With all of that said, there is something to be said about the Texans now heading to the Divisional Round for the third year in a row with Stroud as the QB. That is very, very impressive and a strong display of franchise consistency.
7. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams is a bit of a magician, and it's fun to watch, but at some point, this type of thing cannot be sustainable in the playoffs. The completion percentage is still an issue, and when you get into these higher-stakes situations, the passing game has to be buttoned up a bit more.
But for another week, the Bears and Williams are still alive. The one thing this player has not done, and it's a great thing, is throw interceptions. He simply does not put the ball in harm's way all that much and has thrown fewer than 10 interceptions in each of his first two seasons in the NFL. Still, though, you can tell that Williams is a bit rough around the edges and very much still developing.
6. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold has been very good for the Seattle Seahawks this year, but the turnovers and inability to consistently show up in big games could come back to bite the team in the playoffs. The Seahawks earned the first seed in the NFC and will now host the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the NFL playoffs.
Darnold and the Seahawks should be fine for this one, as the 49ers just do not have the personnel to go blow-for-blow with a heavyweight team like the Seahawks. The veteran QB has been able to throw the ball down the field very efficiently this year and has overall been a good quarterback.
He's not quite as prolific as he was in the 2024 NFL Season with the Minnesota Vikings, but you get the sense that the Divisional Round should not be much of an issue for this team. However, it's not accurate to put Darnold in the conversations with some of the best remaining quarterbacks in the postseason.
5. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos host the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, and Nix does not have to carry a huge load here. However, the Broncos might need Nix to come through in the fourth quarter, which is something he's been able to consistently do this year.
Nix and the Broncos seem to play at their best when the game clock is winding down, and it's left the Broncos with some dramatic finishes. Some have argued that this type of winning isn't sustainable in the playoffs and that Nix is going to have to begin the game better. Both of those things are probably true.
Bo Nix has not lit up the stat sheet this year by any means but has helped lead the Denver Broncos to 24 regular season wins over the past two seasons, which is an insane start to a career. Nix is fifth in our QB rankings.
4. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy has been pretty darn good this year for the San Francisco 49ers and has his fifth playoff win already. Purdy has not been over-the-top efficient in the playoffs, but he made plays when his team needed him to the most. The 49ers are now traveling to Seattle to face the Seahawks in the Divisional Round.
I reckon that the 49ers' season will come to an end this upcoming weekend, but you clearly cannot tell the 49ers much of anything at this point. Purdy is consistently a good quarterback with some 'very good' upside, but he's really on the outside of that top tier of the truly elite players in the NFL.
Brock Purdy is someone the 49ers have been able to win with and win because of. However, he's not someone who can necessarily will a team to victory this deep in the playoffs. If the 49ers hope to defeat the Seahawks, they'll need a turnover or two from the defensive side of the ball and some clutch play from Purdy, period.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen is superhuman at times, but he sometimes has no choice. With the Buffalo Bills regressing a bit on both sides of the ball, Allen may have to take matters into his own hands more often with the remaining playoff games that they have.
Buffalo is visiting the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round, and it's likely going to come on a short week and with a beat up squad. Allen himself is a bit beat up, and their next test is against the best pass rush and best home-field advantage in the league.
We could see Allen's legs as more of a factor in this one, but he has the arm talent and overall accuracy to create some major splash plays against a Denver defense that does actually allow more splash plays than you might think.
Allen is third in our updated QB rankings.
2. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Drake Maye and the New England Patriots did not play the best game ever, but the team silenced a lot of doubters with a strong win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round. The Pats were criticized for much of the regular season due to the ultra-soft schedule, but this win is a massive step in the right direction and only further proof that the Pats are for real.
They are now guaranteed at least one more home game, and ideally, they host the AFC Championship Game. That could happen if the Buffalo Bills beat the Denver Broncos. The Pats also might be a viable Super Bowl team if Drake Maye keeps this up. He again made a ton of key throws, and the moment really didn't look too big for him even with it being his first playoff start.
Maye is still no. 2 in our power rankings, though, as the best quarterback in the NFL is still alive in the playoffs and is taking our top spot for now.
1. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams did not play a super clean game, but a win is a win. The Rams are now heading to Chicago to face the Bears, a team that loves the fourth quarter comebacks, but Stafford might simply be too good for the Bears to be able to do that this time around.
Stafford flirted with 50 passing touchdowns this year and threw fewer than 10 interceptions. He has some insane overall efficiency in the playoffs, too, so the moment has not been too big for him. Right now, we're watching what could potentially be a future Hall of Famer put the finishing touches on that kind of career.
Matthew Stafford is first in our updated quarterback power rankings as the Divisional Round approaches, and it's deserved.