The match-up for Superbowl LV is set, as Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes will face off in the postseason once again. Before we knew the two teams representing the AFC and NFC, there were the final eight playoff teams. All of the quarterbacks of the final eight teams of this year’s NFL Post-Season were either under the age of 26 or over 37. Even more strange is that the younger quarterbacks all reside in the AFC, whereas the older quarterbacks are in the NFC, other than Jared Goff, who is 26 years old. Now, let us ask the question, “What are the futures for these eight teams and their quarterbacks?”

The NFC

Tampa Bay: After defeating the Green Bay Packers in historic Lambeau Field, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first team in NFL history to compete for a Superbowl in their home stadium. The Bucs are led by Tom Brady, who is now competing in his mind-boggling 10^th Superbowl in the past 21 years. This means that each year for the past 21 years, there was a 47.61% that Tom Brady would be competing for a Lombardi Trophy. Brady is not only the face of the Buccaneers franchise but the face of the NFL, which is astonishing that he is competing at such a high level at the age of 43 years old. The Buccaneers’ franchise and fanbase are currently not concerned about their long-term future but instead look to finish their storybook season with a win at home.

The Green Bay Packers: Once again, the Packers face the agony of falling short of the Superbowl, losing their 4^th NFC Championship game in the past seven seasons. Despite his certain winning of the League MVP award, Aaron Rodger’s quest for a second ring comes to a sudden thud. The Packer’s fanbase now resorts to a phrase they are all too familiar with, “There’s always next year.” This statement in itself is now in question as Aaron Rodgers stated in Sunday’s postgame press conference, “a lot of guys’ futures are uncertain, myself included.” Rodger’s statement caused an immediate frenzy amongst NFL fans and analysts who all attempted to determine if Rodgers played his last game in a packer uniform. Rodgers recently went on The Pat McAfee Show to clear the air around his postgame remarks, where he explained that he is unsure of how much control he will have in deciding if he returns to Green Bay. Rogers said that he does not see any reason as to why he will not be back with the Packers organization next year. This suggests that the only way Rogers will leave Green Bay is if the front office decides to move on from the likely MVP. In all likelihood, Rogers will return for his seventeenth season with the Packers, but for the sake of speculation, possible landing places for number 12 include Indianapolis, San Francisco, or even Detroit if the packers do decide to move on from the Rogers era.

New Orleans Saints: The end of an era most likely concluded over one week ago in the Super Dome in New Orleans as Drew Brees looks to have played the final game of his hall of fame career. Breeze has yet to confirm the rumors regarding his retirement, but those in the Saint’s front office have been planning for the future, one that is without Drew Brees. The Saints’ fan base and franchise have endured heartbreak after heartbreak the past few postseasons, ranging from the 2017 Minneapolis Miracle, the infamous 2019 pass interference no-call against the Rams, and last year’s home wild card overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately for Saints fans, the future does not look much brighter as they will be faced with the task of resigning several big-name free agents this offseason. The Saints are currently 30million dollars over the salary cap and will likely regress this following season.

The L.A Rams: The Rams emerged from their Superbowl hangover of the previous year by finishing second in the NFC West behind the Seattle Seahawks, who they later beat in a dominant wild card game in Seattle. The Ram’s season consisted of several ups and downs, most notably at the quarterback position. Jared Goff does not appear to be the superstar caliber player Rams’ fans hoped he would be, yet he is still earning the same amount of money as Aaron Rodgers. The Rams will most likely return to the playoffs next year under head coach Sean McVay, but they may look to move on from Goff in order to become a true Superbowl contender.

The AFC

The Kansas City Chiefs: As expected, the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills at home on Sunday in the AFC championship game. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense proved to be too powerful as a 9-0 Buffalo lead quickly evaporated. The Chiefs will play the Buccaneers in the Superbowl in less than two weeks, a game we have already seen this year where the Chiefs defeated Tom Brady and the Bucs in Tampa Bay 27-24.

The Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen thrived this year in his breakout season with the help of star wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Unfortunately for Bills Mafia, the regular-season magic was never fully captured again in the playoffs as Josh Allen, and the offense was kept in check for most of the game. The Bills have a very bright future ahead of them as Josh Allen has proven that he is their franchise guy. The AFC East title is most likely favored to return to Buffalo next season. The Bills will be extra motivated next year, as proven by Stefon Diggs staying on the field in Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Chiefs celebrate the punching of their ticket to Tampa.

The Cleveland Browns: The Browns were the worst team in the league just three years ago when they completed the perfect season, 0-16, that is. This team is anything but the Browns of the past decade. It appears that Baker Mayfield will be the quarterback the Browns continue to build around, as he continued to lead his team to victories despite the loss of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The Browns defense is in some definite need of improvements, opening the door potential trade talks for Beckham Jr.

Baltimore Ravens: Nevermore is Lamar Jackson winless in the playoffs as he finally captured his elusive first port-season victory against Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans. The joy of the triumph faded as soon as it came when the Ravens were defeated by the bills 17-3. Lamar Jackson did not look like the MVP of last year as he threw for 162 yards on 14 completions out of 24 attempts and recorded a poor QBRT of 61.5. Jackson recorded only 34 yards rushing as well as an interception that was returned for a playoff record-tying 101 yards for a Buffalo touchdown. The Ravens offense was essentially responsible for -4 points. Jackson is not entirely responsible for the Ravens’ playoff exit; after all, he was taken out of the game in the fourth quarter due to a concussion. There still is speculation as to if it is possible to win a Superbowl with Lamar Jackson under center. He is still very young and will have plenty more opportunities to redeem himself, but until then, Jackson is now 1-3 in the playoffs.