Having to watch the playoffs for the sixth-straight season isn’t easy for Bears fans. It’s even worse knowing that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are once again a win away from their sixth Super Bowl appearance. There are plenty of explanations why Chicago has fallen so far behind their bitter rivals, but everybody knows the big one. Since 1959, Green Bay has drafted or acquired three Hall of Fame quarterbacks. The Bears have gotten zero.
Nothing showcases just how driven the modern NFL is by this position than the following stat in the current playoffs.
Record For Teams With “Better” Quarterback
- Osweiler vs. Cook – Win
- Big Ben vs. Moore – Win
- Wilson vs. Stafford – Win
- Rodgers vs. Manning – Win
- Brady vs. Osweiler – Win
- Ryan vs. Wilson – Win
- Rodgers vs. Prescott – Win
The two matchups where an argument can be raised about who was the better quarterback were between Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson in the wild card round and again between Wilson and Matt Ryan in the divisional round. Wilson is considered better than Stafford because he has a higher career quarterback rating. On the flip side Ryan is better than him because he has more Pro Bowls, more passing yards per game and a higher touchdown passes per game ratio. Ryan had also defeated Wilson in their previous playoff meeting.
In other words the 2016-2017 NFL postseason is ramming home the reality yet again. To win in this league, it pays to have a great quarterback. So far the team that had the better quarterback in a given matchup is 7-0. If the Pittsburgh Steelers emerge victorious in Kansas City, that mark will be pushed to 8-0. Running the ball and great defense are nice, but they don’t win championships very often. If the Bears ever want to get their respect back, they have to find a quarterback.
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Here’s another part of that stat line. Of the 12 quarterbacks who participated in the postseason thus far, just two of them were acquired by trade or free agency means. The other 10 were drafted by their teams. To top it off? Of the 33 quarterbacks thus far who have won a Super Bowl dating back to 1966, just 12 were acquired by means other than the draft. Nine were free agents and three were traded. Out of the 50 Super Bowls played, 37 of them were won via a quarterback drafted by his original team.
This should make the course of action pretty clear for GM Ryan Pace and his front office this upcoming off-season.
