Super Bowl: Purdy vs. Goff, Mahomes vs. Jackson

In the NFC, the debate over quarterback greatness centers around the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, as he gears up to face a resurgent Jared Goff, a former cast-off from Sean McVay’s team who is revitalizing his career.

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On the AFC side, a clash unfolds between a two-time Super Bowl winner and league MVP, and a presumptive two-time league MVP who is showcasing the most dynamic football of his NFL career. This matchup features Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs against Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. One side is represented by caretaker accountants, while the other side boasts architects of alchemy. This narrative is rooted in the ongoing debate surrounding the definition of quarterback greatness.

In the view of opinionated NFL quarterback analysts, this playoff landscape presents a dichotomy between two sets of quarterbacks – two game managers on one side and two game-changers on the other. This weekend’s games will add another chapter to the ongoing quarterback debate, involving discussions on subjective assessments, statistics, championships, accolades, and analytics.

The composition of quarterbacks in each conference makes this scenario unsurprising. The AFC is notably stacked with perceived top-tier talent, featuring Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. These quarterbacks are the highest earners in the league, all holding contracts with a baseline value of at least $250 million, forming the quarter-billion fraternity. The lone NFC representative in this group is Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, who, prior to this season, was not automatically categorized as a “game manager” among NFC quarterbacks.

Brock Purdy and Jared Goff, on the other hand, have faced criticism this season, with their perceived limitations as players coming under scrutiny. They have been associated with having strong offensive support or benefitting from well-designed systems, and sometimes labeled as merely good enough to avoid making mistakes. In contrast, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson have rarely been held to such a low standard of achievement at their positions. This sets up a compelling storyline for the Super Bowl quarterbacks – the question of whether a player labeled as a game manager can outshine a game-changer.

Undoubtedly, there will be plenty of strong opinions on this matter, as evident in the 49ers’ victory over the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. Brock Purdy faced significant challenges throughout the game until the final minutes of the fourth quarter, where he led a flawless game-winning drive – a crucial element missing from his résumé. However, even this moment sparked a heated debate among analysts and on social media regarding Purdy’s significance. It seemed to be a continuation of the ongoing discussion that started earlier in the season when he emerged as a potential MVP candidate.

Currently, Purdy remains a focal point in the ongoing quarterback culture war, questioning what defines greatness at the position. This debate extends beyond talk shows and passionate fan bases, involving numerous individuals with NFL backgrounds. One notable figure in this discussion is former quarterback Cam Newton, who boasts a Super Bowl appearance and league MVP on his résumé.

About six weeks ago, Newton addressed the evolving Super Bowl storyline on his podcast and YouTube show, “4th &1 with Cam Newton.” He candidly categorized several quarterbacks, including Purdy, into different groups. Newton stated on his December 6 episode, when the 49ers were 9-3 and Purdy was gaining MVP consideration, “Brock Purdy, they’re not winning because of him. He’s managing the game… There’s a difference between managers of the game and difference-makers of a game.” Newton’s remarks ignited discussions about the contrasting roles of game managers and game-changers in football.

As Newton anticipated, his comments did stir some controversy, reigniting the debate on the distinctions between a game manager and a game-changer, and which quarterbacks fall into each category. Notably, the casual mention of Jared Goff as a game manager seemed almost incidental, given that Newton had also labeled Tua Tagovailoa and Dak Prescott with the same title during a period when both were performing exceptionally well. Fast forward six weeks, and after the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins faced playoff exits with wild-card losses, Newton’s critiques of Prescott and Tagovailoa have gained support among a wider audience.

Interestingly, Newton’s statements have proven prescient in other aspects as well. In the same episode, he praised Goff as an “elite game manager” and identified the Detroit Lions as his under-the-radar Super Bowl favorite in the NFC. At that time, Detroit held a 9-3 record and led the NFC North.

Newton expressed, “It’s easy to look at the 49ers, Philly, and the Cowboys [as Super Bowl favorites]. My dark horse, who I’ve been thoroughly pleased with this year and all year, has been the Detroit Lions. They’ve had significant road wins, team victories, and dominant performances all year. … Nobody’s talking about the Detroit Lions. Jared Goff, in some way, shape, or form, should be mentioned in the MVP rankings because he’s doing his job. When you have Amon-Ra St. Brown and the elite game-managing ability of Jared Goff, that’s going to be a challenging team to beat.”

A potential evolution in the quarterback position may be emerging, and it could be characterized by the upcoming conference title games and the ensuing Super Bowl – a category that falls between a game manager and a game-changer. Cam Newton referred to it as the “elite game manager.”

This designation might be the next level for quarterbacks like Purdy or Goff, especially if the one advancing from the NFC title game can go on to face and defeat Mahomes or Jackson on the grandest stage, creating an upset akin to Nick Foles leading the Philadelphia Eagles over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

This outcome would signify a victory for the quarterbacks considered elite game managers, although it is unlikely to fundamentally alter how they are generally perceived in the quarterback hierarchy.