Which quarterbacks have the most playoff wins in NFL history?

Many great quarterbacks have graced the NFL, but those who have consistently achieved playoff success are regarded on another level. 

To overcome an opponent who's had a week or two to specifically scheme against you while playing in a high-stress environment — and to do it on a consistent basis — separates the legends from the greats. 

Then there's Tom Brady, who's far and away the leader in this category. While Patrick Mahomes is on pace to match Brady's 35 playoff wins if he plays until he's 40, that number is completely out of reach for anyone else and solidifies Brady's argument as the greatest of all time.

We took a look at Brady and the other QBs who have led their teams to victory in the postseason at the highest rate. 

Which quarterbacks have the most playoff wins in NFL history?

T-9. Roger Staubach: 11

Staubach brought the Dallas Cowboys a pair of Super Bowls in 1971 and 1977. The first one came on the back of their defense, which allowed just 18 points in three playoff games. The second one was the source of offensive firepower, scoring a total of 87 points in the postseason. Staubach peaked at 183 passing yards in a 27-10 Super Bowl XI victory over the Denver Broncos. He threw one touchdown in each of their playoff games during that postseason run.

Staubach's greatest playoff moment came in the NFC divisional round of the 1975-76 playoffs. Trailing the Minnesota Vikings 14-10 with 24 seconds remaining, he lofted a pass down the right sideline, and receiver Drew Pearson maneuvered around his defender to snag the throw. The Cowboys went on to dominate the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game, 37-7, but fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl, 21-17.

T-9. Aaron Rodgers: 11

Rodgers led the Green Bay Packers to their last Super Bowl victory in 2011 in just his third season as the team's starter. While they never made it back there with Rodgers, the Packers were a mainstay in the NFC playoff picture during his 15 years as their starter. In Super Bowl XLV, Rodgers was stellar, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns and earning Super Bowl MVP honors. 

T-9. Troy Aikman: 11

Aikman had a legendary stretch with the Cowboys, leading them to three Super Bowl victories in four seasons in the 1990s.

In the 1993 postseason, Dallas blew out each of its opponents, and Aikman threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-17 win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII. He later referred to that time as the peak of his career.

Dallas went back-to-back, beating Buffalo again in 1994. Aikman didn't throw for a touchdown in that game, but his precision — completing 19 of 27 passes — complemented Emmitt Smith's breakout, as the Hall of Fame running back had 30 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns. In Super Bowl XXX, Aikman & Co. took down the Steelers, 27-17.

T-7. Ben Roethlisberger: 13

Roethlisberger made the postseason in 13 of his 17 seasons as the Steelers' starter and won Super Bowls with them in 2006 and 2009. He didn't have a great performance in the first one, but he threw a game-winning touchdown to Santonio Holmes in the back of the end zone to seal a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in in Super Bowl XLII.

T-7. Brett Favre: 13

Favre led the Packers to 11 postseason appearances in his 16 seasons as a starter and a Super Bowl victory in 1997. The Packers scored at least 30 points in each of their playoff games during that postseason. Favre threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game and 246 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. 

Favre connected with Antonio Freeman for an 81-yard pass for the go-ahead score in the second quarter against the Patriots. The Packers didn't trail from that point, and Favre even added a touchdown on the ground. 

T-4. John Elway: 14

Elway led the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances in a four-year span in the late 1980s, but they came up short in each of them. Elway remained persistent, though, and finally came through in his last two years in the NFL. He had to author four wins in the 1998 playoffs, as the Broncos started their run in the wild-card game by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, 42-17. He wasn't great in Super Bowl XXXII, though, throwing for 123 yards and an interception. 

In 1999, Elway had 336 passing yards, one passing and one rushing touchdown. In the first quarter, he hit receiver Rod Smith on a post route for an 80-yard touchdown. After a 3-yard rushing touchdown from Elway, the Broncos held a dominant 31-6 lead. They went on to win by double digits, 34-19.

T-4. Terry Bradshaw: 14

Bradshaw led the Steelers to four Super Bowl runs in the span of six seasons. Before they found him, the franchise had only made one playoff appearance. Bradshaw led them to nine. His best performance came in Super Bowl XIII, a 35-31 thriller between the Steelers and the Cowboys. Bradshaw threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns. 

He connected with receiver John Stallworth for a 28-yard touchdown in the first quarter and a 75-yard score in the second quarter. Bradshaw's 75-yard touchdown throw was a dime, as he hit Stallworth on the fingertips in stride. He added two more to Rocky Bleier and Lynn Swann in the second half. 

T-4. Peyton Manning: 14

Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to 11 postseason appearances in 13 years and a Super Bowl victory in 2007. During that playoff run, he out-dueled Tom Brady in an AFC Championship Game victory over the Patriots, 38-34. He threw for 349 yards and a touchdown and added another one on the ground. He led a drive in the final moments of the game to set up a Joseph Addai rushing touchdown that sealed the win.

3. Joe Montana: 16

Montana's four runs to the Super Bowl — and his perfect, 4-0 record in the Super Bowl — are responsible for his accumulation of 16 playoff wins. Only two of those wins came outside of Super Bowl runs, so it was essentially Super Bowl or bust for Montana when he made the playoffs. That's not a bad outcome. 

In his first playoff game, he threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 38-24 win over the New York Giants. In his second Super Bowl run, in 1985, he averaged 291 yards over three games and threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns in the 49ers' 38-16 Super Bowl XX victory. For his final act, Montana led San Francisco to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1989 and 1990.  

2. Patrick Mahomes: 17

Mahomes hasn't even cracked age 30, yet he's second on this prestigious list. No matter the surrounding cast — other than the constant of tight end Travis Kelce — Mahomes has found ways to win playoff games, both pretty and ugly. In fact, the Kansas City Chiefs have yet to be knocked out in their first playoff game (be it in the divisional or wild-card round) since Mahomes became the starter. 

He has especially tormented the Bills, leading the Chiefs on late-game drives in each of their AFC Championship Game battles, including one in 2022 that needed just 13 seconds. Mahomes has a 3-2 record in Super Bowls and led the Chiefs to back-to-back rings in 2023 and 2024. 

1. Tom Brady: 35

Mahomes and Rodgers are the only active quarterbacks on this list. The former has a chance to catch Tom Brady, but this stat outlines how incomparable of a career Brady had and further solidifies his GOAT status. His precision and ability to pick apart a defense stood the test of time. He led the Patriots to the playoffs in 17 of the 18 seasons that he started for the team, and they won a Super Bowl in his first year as the starter, as well as in his third and fourth years.

In Super Bowl XXXVIII, he threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns and led the Patriots on a game-winning field-goal drive in the final minute. Brady led nine Super Bowl runs with the Patriots, winning six of them. He took his success to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, becoming the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl at at age 43 in 2021.

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