<\/p>\n
The NFC Championship Game was a quarterback battle for the ages, especially when we consider the quality of the defenses that each quarterback was facing. The Seahawks were first in pass defense DVOA during the regular season and the Rams were fourth. Nonetheless, Matthew Stafford<\/a> and Sam Darnold<\/a> each threw for over 340 yards and three passing touchdowns.<\/p>\n Darnold came out ahead on the scoreboard and is going to Super Bowl LX, although Stafford came out ahead in DYAR, 253 to 196. Combine the two players, and this was one of the best quarterback games ever in the postseason.<\/p>\n I looked at the top playoff games based on the harmonic mean of DYAR between the two quarterbacks. Harmonic mean is a type of average that gives less weight to outliers<\/a>. For those who go way back in the world of analytics, this is what Bill James used to use for his \u201cpower-speed number.\u201d<\/p>\n Based on harmonic mean, here are the top combined quarterback games in the postseason going back to 1978, led by Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers<\/a> in an overtime classic from 16 years ago.<\/p>\n Top Postseason QB Matchups by Harmonic Mean of DYAR, 1978-2025<\/p>\n Year 2009 1999 2025 2017 2019 1981 1982 2007 2001 2017 2011 1991 Here\u2019s a look at all the DYAR stats from the 2025 (2026) conference championship games. Please note that there is no adjustment for the swirling winds and snow in Denver, so the numbers for the Broncos-Patriots game are very low.<\/p>\n Quarterbacks<\/p>\n Rk 1. 2. 3. 4. Matthew Stafford<\/a> had 171 passing DYAR just on deep passes, 16 or more air yards. He completed 8 of 12 for 247 yards, by far the best any quarterback had been on deep passes against the Seahawks this season\u2026 Sam Darnold<\/a> was 6-of-9 on third down with a sack. All six complete passes moved the sticks, highlighted by the 51-yarder to Rashid Shaheed<\/a> early in the game\u2026. Drake Maye<\/a> ran seven times for 68 yards and a touchdown, plus the first down that iced the game at the end of the fourth quarter. By DYAR, Maye was tied for the second-best rushing game of the year by a quarterback. Jaxson Dart<\/a> had 42 DYAR in Week 17 against the Raiders (6-50-2) and Josh Allen<\/a> also had 39 DYAR in Week 11 against the Buccaneers (6-40-3)\u2026 Jarrett Stidham<\/a> completed just 3 of 8 passes on first down for 14 yards.<\/p>\n Top Five Running Backs by DYAR<\/p>\n Kyren Williams<\/a> built up the value with a 13-yard catch on first-and-10 from the Rams 36 and a 9-yard touchdown on second-and-8\u2026 Blake Corum<\/a>\u2018s big gains were 19 and 11 yards; not bad against the best run defense in the NFL this year\u2026 Kenneth Walker III<\/a> had four catches that each gained at least 10 yards. However, he also had five carries that were stugged or lost yardage\u2026 Rhamondre Stevenson<\/a> had nine carries for a yard or less, but gets a big positive opponent adjustment for facing the Broncos run defense.<\/p>\n Bottom Running Back by DYAR<\/p>\n 1. RJ Harvey<\/a> had three carries for 9 yards apiece but six carries that gained a yard or less.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Top Five Wide Receivers or Tight Ends by DYAR<\/p>\n It\u2019s only appropriate that the two candidates for Offensive Player of the Year had big games in their final meeting against each other. However, Jaxon Smith-Njigba<\/a>\u2018s 77 DYAR were more impactful than Puka Nacua<\/a>\u2018s 73 DYAR, as Nacua had 25 DYAR with two final, fairly meaningless catches on the Rams\u2019 aborted final drive\u2026 Davante Adams<\/a> had catches of 35, 29, and 23 yards plus a 2-yard touchdown.<\/p>\n Bottom Wide Receiver or Tight End by DYAR<\/p>\n Rk 1.
\nWeek
\nQB1
\nTeam1
\nDYAR
\nQB2
\nTeam2
\nDYAR
\nHARM<\/p>\n
\nWC
\nK.Warner
\nARI
\n372
\nA.Rodgers
\nGB
\n175
\n238<\/p>\n
\nDIV
\nK.Warner
\nSTL
\n233
\nJ.George
\nMIN
\n216
\n224<\/p>\n
\nCCG
\nM.Stafford
\nLAR
\n253
\nS.Darnold
\nSEA
\n196
\n221<\/p>\n
\nSB
\nT.Brady
\nNE
\n296
\nN.Foles
\nPHI
\n159
\n206<\/p>\n
\nDIV
\nP.Mahomes
\nKC
\n269
\nD.Watson
\nHOU
\n164
\n204<\/p>\n
\nDIV
\nD.Strock
\nMIA
\n221
\nD.Fouts
\nSD
\n180
\n199<\/p>\n
\nWC
\nD.Fouts
\nSD
\n286
\nT.Bradshaw
\nPIT
\n148
\n195<\/p>\n
\nDIV
\nP.Manning
\nIND
\n205
\nP.Rivers
\nSD
\n182
\n193<\/p>\n
\nWC
\nR.Gannon
\nOAK
\n238
\nV.Testaverde
\nNYJ
\n162
\n193<\/p>\n
\nWC
\nD.Brees
\nNO
\n218
\nC.Newton
\nCAR
\n167
\n189<\/p>\n
\nWC
\nD.Brees
\nNO
\n335
\nM.Stafford
\nDET
\n131
\n188<\/p>\n
\nDIV
\nW.Moon
\nHOIL
\n275
\nJ.Elway
\nDEN
\n143
\n188<\/p>\n
\nPlayer
\nTeam
\nCP\/AT
\nYds
\nTD
\nINT
\nSacks
\nTotal
DYAR
\nPass
DYAR
\nRush
DYAR
\nOpp<\/p>\n
\nMatthew Stafford<\/a>
\nLAR
\n22\/34
\n374
\n3
\n0
\n1
\n253
\n243
\n10
\nSEA<\/p>\n
\nSam Darnold<\/a>
\nSEA
\n25\/36
\n346
\n3
\n0
\n3
\n196
\n217
\n-21
\nLAR<\/p>\n
\nDrake Maye<\/a>
\nNE
\n10\/21
\n86
\n0
\n0
\n5
\n-39
\n-78
\n39
\nDEN<\/p>\n
\nJarrett Stidham<\/a>
\nDEN
\n17\/31
\n133
\n1
\n1
\n3
\n-148
\n-139
\n-9
\nNE<\/p>\n
\nRJ Harvey<\/a>
\nDEN
\n13
\n37
\n0
\n4\/6
\n22
\n0
\n-18
\n-13
\n-5
\nNE<\/p>\n
\nPlayer
\nTeam
\nRec
\nAtt
\nYds
\nAvg
\nTD
\nTotal
DYAR
\nOpp<\/p>\n
\nKayshon Boutte<\/a>
\nNE
\n1
\n6
\n6
\n6.0
\n0
\n-23
\nDEN<\/p>\n