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Kyusung Gong/Associated Press
Some quarterbacks strike more fear into opposing defenses with the game on the line.
NFL fans are a bit spoiled in this regard in 2021. Several young up-and-coming superstars are among the league’s most clutch players, while a veteran over 35—who is third in fourth-quarter comebacks since 1960—is still coming up big when it matters.
Some of the most clutch quarterbacks this year might shock fans, as a few of these players are past their prime and/or have otherwise underwhelmed outside of crunch time. Nonetheless, these five demonstrate how different styles of play can get things done. Some are traditional passers, while others lean into their mobility and strong arms.
A subjective thing like “clutch” can be defined in many different ways. There is, of course, a big difference between a passer who comes up big in a regular-season game against a bad team and, say, an iconic connection between Joe Montana and Dwight Clark.
Looking specifically at the 2021 season, quarterbacks who have led comebacks late, no matter how they got there, needing a comeback in the first place, get the nod as the most clutch. A win is a win in the playoff formula, and there’s a reason only five have pulled off more than two fourth-quarter comebacks so far, and only 10 have done it at least twice.
Either way, the following five quarterbacks have consistently come up big this season, and in most cases, that is great news for their respective team’s playoff outlook.
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Danny Karnik/Associated Press
When it comes to elite quarterbacks this year, Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons isn’t the first guy who comes to mind.
But his performance late in games paints a dire picture as to where the Falcons would be without him.
Ryan, who is tied for sixth all-time in fourth-quarter comebacks with 33, is tied for third in the NFL this season with three and has a trio of game-winning drives. He’s also completing 67.7 percent of his pass attempts.
Even more impressive, all three of his comebacks occurred on the road. In Week 3, he led a late drive to secure a 17-14 win over the New York Giants. In Week 7, his team defeated Miami 30-28. And in Week 9, the Falcons recorded a 27-25 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
The fact that Ryan led drives that secured three of the team’s four wins speaks to his lethality when it matters most. He’s doing it on a rebuilding team while backed by a defense that allows 28.8 points per game, the league’s second-worst mark.
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Wade Payne/Associated Press
What makes Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill so clutch?
He typically takes what a defense gives him and hardly turns the ball over.
The 33-year-old veteran ranks among the top 20 all-time in fourth-quarter comebacks with 25. He has a trio game-winning drives already this season.
Those performances were more impressive than they sound. Tannehill led a game-winning drive in Week 2 in Seattle, one of the toughest places to play, securing a 33-30 victory. He did it again at home in Week 6, handing the Buffalo Bills their second loss of the season 34-31. And in Week 8, he did it once more in a critical AFC South battle, netting a 34-31 overtime win over Indianapolis on the road.
Tannehill’s season-long numbers don’t look as good this year, as a four-interception game in Week 11 means he’s thrown 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions compared to 33 and seven, respectively, in 2020. But his clutch performances, especially in the AFC and even while missing star running back Derrick Henry since Week 8, are why the Titans remain in the driver’s seat for the conference’s top playoff seed.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Ben Roethlisberger has come under plenty of fire this year as the Pittsburgh Steelers awkwardly straddle the line between contender and rebuilder.
But Big Ben continues to come up clutch, with three fourth-quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives for a 5-3-1 team trying to scrap its way to the top of an unpredictable AFC North.
Not that the clutch gene is anything new for the 39-year-old quarterback. He’s third all-time in fourth-quarter comebacks with 38, putting him behind only Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
This year, he’s pulled off the magic against Buffalo, Seattle, Cleveland and Chicago. In Week 9 against Chicago, he notched his 50th game-winning drive after getting the ball back with just 1:46 left in regulation, marching 52 yards down the field on seven plays to position Chris Boswell for the game-winning field goal.
Big Ben might not stuff the stat sheet like he used to, but his uncanny ability to endure hits, escape the pocket and direct clutch drives is one of the few reasons the Steelers aren’t at the bottom of the AFC North right now.
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Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson doesn’t rank in the top 150 in all-time comebacks, but it doesn’t feel like the fourth-year player will need long to climb high on the list.
Jackson ranks second in the NFL with four game-winning drives and fourth-quarter comebacks over nine games in 2021. That’s already more than he’s had in any full season to date as a pro.
The 2019 league MVP started out by leading a game-winning drive in Week 2 to take down Kansas City 36-35. That critical AFC win featured Jackson taking over in the fourth quarter with his team down 11. He rushed for two touchdowns to help seal the victory.
He followed by leading game-winning drives against the Detroit Lions in Week 3 and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.
In the latter contest, the Ravens were down 25-9 in the fourth quarter before Jackson threw two touchdowns to force overtime. The 24-year-old had another score through the air in the extra frame to secure the win.
In Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, Jackson got the Ravens in range for the game-winning field goal in overtime.
Jackson’s poise under pressure has been amazing to watch, and much to the chagrin of the rest of the AFC come, no lead on the Ravens is ever safe.
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Kyusung Gong/Associated Press
To say the Los Angeles Chargers would be rudderless without Justin Herbert would be an understatement.
Those Chargers are in the race for the AFC West mostly because Herbert leads the NFL with five fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives already over his 10 starts.
Hebert has made it happen on the road three times, and three of the comebacks were critical AFC wins over Kansas City, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
On the road against the Chiefs in Week 3, the game was tied at 24 when Herbert threw the game-winning score to Mike Williams with 32 seconds remaining. In Week 5 as part of a 398-yard showing, Herbert threw a 19-yard pass to score to cut the deficit to 42-41. A 48-yard drive ultimately secured the 47-42 win.
And in Week 11, he fended off a furious Pittsburgh comeback attempt in the fourth quarter by throwing a 53-yard touchdown with roughly two minutes left to secure the 41-37 victory.
Herbert isn’t just getting it done with his arm either. He picked up 36 of his 90 rushing yards against Pittsburgh on a key fourth-quarter run.
The second-year quarterback’s clutch factor has helped produce five of his team’s six wins, and the Chargers could return to the playoffs this year for the first time since 2018.
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