5. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence is heating up for the Jacksonville Jaguars at the right time. The defense has played well all year, but it's really been the passing attack that has come together. Jacksonville is the third seed in the AFC and welcome the Buffalo Bills to town in the Wild Card Round.
Lawrence is good enough to carry this team on his back for a game or two, as we're finally beginning to see why he was the first overall pick back in 2021.
4. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has been his normal, dominant self in 2025, but both sides of the ball for Buffalo have taken a step back this year. The Bills now have to go on the road in the playoffs, and the one issue I can see popping up is Allen having to carry more of the load on offense. Outside of James Cook, the Bills offense is pretty limited, and this could force Allen into some mistakes, as he has the 'hero ball' gene in him, and, while that is a great quality to have, it can also come back to bite him.
3. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy has been very, very efficient since returning to the San Francisco 49ers' lineup, but Purdy likely won't be the reason why this team loses in the Wild Card Round. The defense is in a tough spot, as so many key players are hurt, so the personnel has taken a huge hit.
2. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Drake Maye is going to get a ton of MVP votes this year. He was simply excellent this year and is probably going to win an MVP award within the next three seasons. Sure, the New England Patriots benefitted from a super-soft schedule, but those are still NFL teams out there. I do worry about this Patriots team in the playoffs since they're so new, but if Maye can take his regular season success into the postseason, watch out.
1. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford is first in our QB rankings. The likely MVP of the league was approaching 50 touchdown passes this year and was simply excellent for most of the season. Stafford only managed to throw eight interceptions, helping lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 12-5 record.
LA is good enough to win it all this year, and with the best QB in the NFL approaching the playoffs, it might be a shock if the Rams don't represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX.