And Just Like That, a Generational Shift at Quarterback
The New York Times
The evolution at the N.F.L.’s most important position has been clear even with familiar names frequently making deep playoff runs. Today’s emerging stars are taking on more of their team’s offensive load.
In these chaotic times, there is great comfort in the familiar, and the most familiar scene in the last four N.F.L. postseasons has been an A.F.C. championship game staged at Arrowhead Stadium, home of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
His presence in this round feels inevitable. The absence of some others feels disorienting.
On Sunday, for the first time in 12 seasons, none of the triumvirate of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger will be playing for a conference title, their Super Bowl hopes — and splendid careers, perhaps — expiring earlier these playoffs. At least one of those three quarterbacks has reached this stage in 18 of the past 20 seasons. And the lone outlier, before this one, came in the 2009 season, when, alas, we had to settle for Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning (along with Mark Sanchez).
