No NFL team gets this far in the playoffs without at least one top-tier head coach or quarterback. Some teams have both, but it's relatively simple to see why these eight teams are left ahead of the Divisional Round. In order to sustain success in the NFL, both the head coach and quarterback have to be at the top of their game.
The current NFL has many competent coaches and quarterbacks, but most of them aren't great, and most of the great ones aren't always paired up with one another. This upcoming weekend could bring some fiery results and some shocking finishes, paving the way for the championship round, and then, the Super Bowl in early February.
Ahead of the second round of the NFL playoffs, let's power rank the eight remaining head coach-quarterback duos in the NFL.
Ranking all eight QB/HC duos ahead of Divisional Round weekend
8. Caleb Williams/Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
There is this sense of magic with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson - no game appears to be out of reach, and this duo might truly be for real after the Wild Card comeback against the Green Bay Packers, but this operation is still a bit rough around the edges. You'd ideally love to see Williams completing a higher percentage of his passes, and the defense, which isn't Williams' fault, is a bit soft at times.
I would be shocked, to be honest, if the Bears beat the LA Rams in the Divisional Round, but the future of the franchise in Chicago is bright. Both Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson appear to be future stars in the making, but they're still largely unproven.
7. CJ Stroud/DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
For a third year in a row, the duo of CJ Stroud and DeMeco Ryans are in the Divisional Round, but the Houston Texans season has ended in this round in 2023 and 2024. If it happens again it 2025, would we have to start talking about the team simply not being good enough? Most teams would love to have this duo in their building, but another second-round playoff exit could slowly begin to have us aksing some tough questions about just how far the franchise can go in the postseason.
6. Sam Darnold/Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold and Mike Macdonald have definitely turned the franchise around in Seattle. However, we have seen some chinks in the armor with Darnold. He turned the ball over 20 times this year, which was the most in the NFL, and his raw touchdown totals dropped from 2024. There is also some inconsistencies with Darnold playing in big games.
However, Darnold-led teams have won 28 out of the previous 34 regular season games, and it's clear that the veteran QB has settled in as an above average starter. This duo has never been in the playoffs together, and this is the first playoff appearance for Macdonald as a head coach.
While this is one of the better duos in the NFL, there is also a lot of unknown with them right now. I do believe the Seahawks will get past the San Francisco 49ers, but I don't necessarily believe that to be the case because of Sam Darnold.
5. Bo Nix/Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix and Sean Payton squeaked into the playoffs in 2024 as the seventh seed and are back in the playoffs in 2025 as the first seed. Nix has tied the all-time record for wins by a QB across his first two seasons, and he's done nothing but prove a ton of people wrong.
The Broncos do have a realistic path to the Super Bowl, and that's a game Payton has already won, as he's looking to become the first head coach in NFL history to win two Super Bowls with two different teams. Nix is clearly still developing as a passer, but he had much more control over the offense from Week 1 this year until now, and Payton is as good of a head coach as you'll see in this league.
This duo could maintain their status near the top of the AFC for years to come. They're no. 5 in our power rankings.
4. Drake Maye/Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
It's hard to find a spot for Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel on this list, as Maye has been fantastic this year, but he's still largely unproven in the playoffs. On the flip side, Vrabel has coached in the playoffs many times before and has cemented himself as one of the best head coaches in the league.
No. 4 seems like a fair spot - Maye himself is going to receive a ton of MVP votes this year. While he'll likely come in second place to Matthew Stafford, it feels like Maye is going to win the MVP at some point. Vrabel was also one of the best hires the Patriots could have made, as the team is just two wins away from another berth into the Super Bowl.
With Vrabel a proven winner and Drake Maye possessing all the tools to be an elite QB in the NFL for years to come, we may have another New England Patriots dynasty on our hands, and while most of the NFL is sighing at that unfortunate reality, the Patriots simply found studs at the two most important positions for success in this league.
3. Josh Allen/Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills
At some point, Josh Allen and Sean McDermott have to make a Super Bowl run, right? The Buffalo Bills play the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round, and while many in the NFL world are expecting a Buffalo victory, the Broncos are a smothering defensive team. Buffalo's playoff hopes have been ended by the Kansas City Chiefs four times since 2019, the first year the Allen/McDermott era made the postseason.
With no Mahomes in sight, both quarterback and head coach can begin to cement their status in some all-time talks. However, with a loss before the Super Bowl, we'd have to seriously begin talking about this duo having maxed out, and the Bills certainly aren't getting rid of the quarterback...
But with all the playoff wins they have, Allen and McDermott are no. 3 in our power rankings.
2. Brock Purdy/Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan are already 5-2 in the playoffs together, including a Super Bowl start back in 2023. The neat thing with this duo is that Purdy is good at everything a Shanahan-style QB needs to be good at. Sure, the arm strength overall is limited, and Purdy isn't this alien-like athlete, but he's a perfectly 'good' QB with some high-end upside at times.
And with all the injuries this team has gone through this year, what the San Francisco 49ers have accomplished is astounding. In seven career playoff games, Purdy has thrown 8 touchdowns and has a 93.8 passer rating, so he's been solid. With how banged up the 49ers are right now, it's unlikely we see this team in the Super Bowl, but if the roster can return healthy in 2026, there isn't any reason to believe why this team can't make a Super Bowl run.
Purdy and Shanahan are one of the more battle-tested, proven playoff duos in the NFL, but the top-ranked duo has something the rest do not...
1. Matthew Stafford/Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
Already 6-2 in the playoff together, Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay helped lead the LA Rams to the Super Bowl back in 2021. In eight playoff games on the Rams, Stafford has thrown 18 touchdowns and has a stellar 106.9 passer rating.
If you took Stafford's playoff production with the LA Rams and averaged it across an entire 17-game season, this is what you would get:
13-4
408/614
5,083 yards
38 touchdowns
9 interceptions
106.9 passer rating
Not only have the Rams won a ton in the postseason with Stafford as QB1, but the likely 2025 MVP has also played out of his mind and may have another good couple of years in him before the wheels fall off.
The best QB/HC duo left in the playoffs is clearly Stafford and McVay.