Quarterbacking in the playoffs - a Vikings perspective

The Minnesota Vikings have made the playoffs three times in the past five seasons. In two of those seasons - 2008 and 2012 - they were one-and-done. In 2009, the Vikes secured the #2 seed in the NFC, beat the Dallas Cowboys at home and came within a Brett Favre ill-advised pass (he threw plenty in his long career) from advancing to the Super Bowl.

We write a lot about how important the quarterback position is in the NFL. In 2008 and 2012, the level of quarterback play the Vikings got made it difficult to believe they had any shot of winning that Super Bowl title we've been waiting 52 years for. However, just for kicks, I decided to take a look at the QB performance of every team that made the playoffs in 2008, 2009 and 2012 to see how much better a Vikings quarterback will have to play to have the franchise hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the first time.

First, let me relay these statistics from the Vikings quarterbacks in their last three playoff seasons:

2008 - Tarvaris Jackson/Gus Frerotte
Completion %: 59.1
Passing yards: 3,217
Passing TDs: 22
Ints: 17
Int %: 3.8
QB Rating: 81.5

2009 - Brett Favre
Completion %: 68.4
Passing yards: 4,202
Passing TDs: 33
Ints: 7
Int %: 1.3
QB Rating: 107.2

2012 - Christian Ponder
Completion %: 62.1
Passing yards: 2,935
Passing TDs: 18
Ints: 12
Int %: 2.5
QB Rating: 81.2

Looking at those stats, it's easy to see why the Vikings lost their one and only playoff game in 2008 and 2012. To be accurate, I have to point out - as if Viking fans need any reminding - that Ponder did not play in the 2012 playoff game because of an arm injury. Joe Webb did, and he failed spectacularly.

But let's move on to how the teams that won the Super Bowl in those three years performed during the season. This is where things get a bit interesting for any Vikings fan addicted to Purple Koolaid.

In 2009 - as if Viking fans need any reminding - the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl. And the Saints got elite QB-ing from Dree Brees the entire season. Here are his stats for that season:

Completion %: 70.6
Passing yards: 4,388
Passing TDs: 34
Ints: 11
Int %: 2.1
QB Rating: 109.6

What's interesting about the teams that won the Super Bowl in 2008 and this year - the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, respectively, is they did not get elite play from their QBs in those years. Here are Ben Roethlisberger's stats from 2008:

Completion %: 59.9
Passing yards: 3,301
Passing TDs: 17
Ints: 15
Int %: 3.2
QB Rating: 80.1

And here are Joe Flacco's from 2012:

Completion %: 59.7
Passing yards: 3,817
Passing TDs: 22
Ints: 10
Int %: 1.9
QB Rating: 87.7

Flacco's regular season stats are better than Ponder's, but it's only in passing yards and interception percentage that they are markedly better. And Roethlisberger's 2008 passing stats are actually slightly worse than Ponder's 2012 passing stats.

A little context is in order, of course. While Flacco played well, but not at an elite level, during the 2012 regular season, he played lights out in the Ravens Super Bowl run - passing for an average of 285 yards per game and tossing 11 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Roethlisberger's 2008 playoff passing stats weren't quite as good as Flacco's, but he was solid enough averaging 240 passing yards per game and throwing three TD passes and only getting intercepted once. Roethlisberger also benefited from playing on a team whose defense gave up the fewest amount of points in the NFL that season.

So what is the takeaway here for a Vikings fan? I guess it's that you don't always need elite play from the quarterback to reach the top. Certainly the Vikings aren't going to win any titles when Ponder plays like this. But based on what we've seen guys like Flacco and Roethlisberger do in 2012 and 2008, Minnesota can certainly win one if Ponder plays like this.

Give Ponder some better receivers to throw to, give him another year in the same offense and build up the defense so that it goes from being very average to a very good, and maybe winning the Super Bowl with good - but not great - play from Ponder isn't so far-fetched.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some more Purple Koolaid to drink.