Will Mac Jones be the fourth rookie QB to win a playoff game?
Mac Jones, who seeks to win his playoff debut against the Buffalo Bills, is one of only 12 rookie QBs in NFL history to guide his team to the playoffs.
The New England Patriots head to Buffalo on Wild Card Weekend to face off the Bills in round 1 of the AFC playoffs. And while they have a challenging matchup ahead of them, they believe in their rookie quarterback who has led the Patriots to the AFC’s best record in December.
Everybody, including Jones, knows that his performance last week in the final regular season was not stellar, but the 23-year-old has already said Wednesday that he knows what he needs to do ahead of the Bills game.
“I can do a better job just by sticking to my readings and doing what I have to from the quarterback’s point of view,” he said. “Just to lead everyone and do it really well.”
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The Patriots vs Bills is set to kickoff at 8:15 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 15. Find out how and where to watch the game.
Will Mac Jones be the fourth rookie QB to win a playoff game?
Since 2011, there have only been 12 other rookie quarterbacks who started postseason games in the NFL with a minimum of 10 games. Now Mac Jones joins that list, leading the Pats to the playoffs and perhaps even winning the matchup against the Bills on Sunday.
If he does so, he’ll become only the fourth rookie QB to win a playoff game, just after Rams’ John Wolford who helped Los Angeles to a 30-20 win in a 2020 Wild Card game. Before Wolford was Russell Wilson, who threw for 187 yards and a touchdown back in 2012, leading the Seattle Seahawks to their 24-14 victory over Washington.
Here is a list of rookie QBs in the NFL playoffs:
Rookie QBs in the NFL Playoffs since 2012
| Season | Player | Team | Result |
| 2020 | John Wolford | Los Angeles Rams | 30-20 W |
| 2018 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | 27-13 L |
| 2016 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | 34-31 L |
| 2016 | Connor Cook | Oakland Raiders | 27-14 L |
| 2015 | A.J. McCarron | Cincinnati Bengals | 18-16 L |
| 2012 | Russell Wilson | Seattle Seahawks | 30-28 L |
| 2012 | Robert Griffin III | Washington Football Team | 24-14 L |
| 2012 | Andrew Luck | Indianapolis Colts | 24-9 L |
Patriots vs Bills: live AS USA coverage
You’ll also be able to follow live-text coverage of Patriots vs Bills right here at AS USA. We'll be building up to the game from about an hour ahead of the start, before taking you through the action as it unfolds.