The 12 NFL QBs With The Most Playoff Wins Of All Time

You’d be hard-pressed to find many NFL teams that have repeatedly and consistently made a deep run in the playoffs without a talented quarterback, and it’s hard to not credit the most important player on the field for a solid chunk of their squad’s postseason success.

Virtually every dynasty in NFL history is inextricably linked with a single quarterback who was at the helm while it unfolded, and the list of QBs who’ve managed to rack up the most wins in the playoffs is unsurprisingly filled with some legendary names.

There are only a handful of active players who’ve managed to hit the double-digit mark, and there’s only one who has a semi-realistic shot at eventually surpassing the man you’d expect to find at the top—none other than…

Tom Brady: 38

On January 19th, 2002, Tom Brady got the first playoff win of his career against the Raiders in the infamous “Tuck Rule” game—the first of the three he’d rack up while leading the Patriots to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.

I probably don’t have to tell you that marked the grand arrival of one of the best—if not the best—QBs in NFL history, as Brady ultimately tallied up 38 postseason wins during his time in New England and Tampa Bay before retiring as a seven-time Super Bowl Champion.

Patrick Mahomes: 16

Patrick Mahomes tied the next man on this list for second place when the Chiefs beat the Texans to ensure they’ll be playing in the AFC Championship for the seventh year in a row (one short of the eight-year run Brady and the Patriots went on right before the streak ended the season after Kansas City’s began).

It actually took Brady 10 years to hit the 16-game threshold, and while there’s no telling what the future holds for Mahomes, it would be foolish to rule out the possibility he ends up taking the top spot when everything was said and done (even though he still has plenty of work to do).

The man who’s still in the hunt for his fourth Super Bowl ring also currently boasts the best winning percentage of any QB on this list at .842 (for the sake of comparison, Brady sits at a relatively paltry .729).

Joe Montana: 16

There wasn’t a single NFL QB who’d experienced more postseason success prior to the start of the new millennium than Joe Montana, who accrued 14 of his 16 playoff wins during a legendary run with the 49ers where the team won four Super Bowls (he earned MVP honors in three of them).

Montana capped off his career in Kansas City due to a QB controversy with another man on this list that brought his time in San Francisco to an end, and his last two victories came during the run during his first season with the Chiefs in 1993 that saw them make it to the AFC Championship before losing to the Bills.

He ended his career with a .696 winning percentage in those games.

John Elway: 14

John Elway and the rest of the Broncos team that lost to the Jaguars in a shocking upset that ended the season that began in 1996 will always rue that defeat, but the QB still had plenty of success in the playoffs.

Denver bounced back from that early exit by winning two consecutive Super Bowls in a run that accounted for half of the playoff victories Elway was able to secure during a career where he had a .637 winning percentage when it mattered most.

Peyton Manning: 14

You can’t talk about Peyton Manning’s career without talking about his rivalry with Tom Brady, who went 11-6 in the 17 games that featured the two QBs going head-to-head. However, his longtime adversary had a slight edge in the playoffs at 3-2.

Manning ended up winning two Super Bowls (one with the Colts and another with the Broncos) but repeatedly came up short more often than most of the guys on this list; he narrowly won just a little more than half of the playoff games he appeared in for an all-time winning percentage of .515.

Steve Young: 14

Joe Montana asked to be traded after the 49ers decided it would be in their best interest to hand the reins over to Steve Young—and it’s hard to argue it wasn’t a solid call.

Two of the championship rings Young won during his time with San Francisco came when Montana was the primary starter, but he managed to do pretty well for himself after taking over when he added a third to his résumé with an MVP-worthy performance against the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.

Young won 14 of the 22 playoff games he appeared in, which puts his winning percentage at .636.

Terry Bradshaw: 14

Terry Bradshaw is the fourth (and final) QB on this list who ended his career with 14 wins in the postseason and just one of the many Hall of Famers who helped transform the Steelers from a laughing stock into a dominant dynasty in the 1970s.

Bradshaw was surrounded by some unreal talent during the 14 seasons he spent in Pittsburgh while helping the team win four Super Bowls in the span of six years starting in 1974.

He also boasts one of the highest playoff winning percentages on this list at .737.

Ben Roethlisberger: 13

As was the case with Manning, Ben Roethlisberger probably would have had at least a couple more victories in the postseason if his career hadn’t coincided with Tom Brady (who won both playoff games where the two men faced off).

However, the QB who spent 18 seasons with the Steelers managed to do pretty well for himself with a couple of Super Bowl victories—although his .565 winning percentage in the playoffs did leave a bit to be desired.

Brett Favre: 13

Brett Favre had 20 years to compile the 13 playoff wins he had when he retired following the two-year stint with the Vikings that followed his one-and-done showing with the Jets.

All but two of them came during his lengthy tenure with the Packers, where he managed to win a single Super Bowl but repeatedly came up short on ten occasions to finish just behind Roethlisberger on the winning percentage front at .541.

Roger Staubach: 13

Roger Staubach spent a couple of seasons battling with Craig Morton for the starting job in Dallas, but he eventually emerged as their franchise QB thanks in no small part to some stellar performances in the playoffs.

The Cowboys legend spent 11 years with the team while winning two Super Bowls (he was named the MVP for his performance in his first win ) and posted a .650 winning percentage in the playoffs by the time he decided to hang up his cleats.

Aaron Rodgers: 12

There’s always a chance Aaron Rodgers ends up adding to this total, but it’s a bit hard to imagine that’s going to end up being the case based on what went down during his first full (and possibly only) season with the Jets.

Of course, Rodgers will be best remembered for what he did during the 18 years he played for the Packers while winning what will likely be the only Super Bowl of his career and posting the .545 winning percentage that may or may not remain unchanged.

Earl Morrall: 12

This is a bit of a deep cut compared to the other names on this list, as there are probably plenty of NFL fans who’ve never even heard of Earl Morrall.

With that said, the QB who spent 21 seasons in the league between the six different teams he played for won three Super Bowls in four years (the first with the Colts and the last two with the Dolphins) and trails only Mahomes when it comes to winning percentage in the playoffs at exactly .800.