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5 hours ago
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Football can be the ultimate team game, but quarterbacks are still the center of attention.
In 2024, the AFC's quarterbacks reigned supreme. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow were three prime MVP candidates by the end of the season, while Patrick Mahomes once again lasted longer than all and represented the conference in the Super Bowl.
In February, however, it was an NFC quarterback who ended the season with a win. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was named Super Bowl MVP, cementing himself among the league's elite players.
As the NFL schedule is released, it's worth looking ahead to the best matchups between those quarterbacks — and more.
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Here are the top quarterback matchups outside of divisional battles on the 2025 NFL schedule.
Top NFL quarterback matchups in 2025
The elites
These are the matchups that always highlight the NFL schedule.
Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
It wouldn't be an NFL season without a matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, and recent history tells you the Bills will have the advantage in front of their home crowd. While Allen is notoriously 0-4 against the Chiefs in the playoffs, he's 4-1 against Mahomes in the regular season with wins in his last four matchups. The real challenge for Buffalo will be winning this matchup in the playoffs, but Mahomes and Allen in the regular season is always a treat.
Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Mahomes will face Lamar Jackson for the first time since last season's opening game, when Isaiah Likely's toes were the difference between a Chiefs win and a potential Ravens win. This year's matchup again comes at Arrowhead Stadium, and it could go a long way toward determining who has the advantage in the race for the AFC's No. 1 seed.
Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Jackson and Allen are both fighting to prove they can beat the Chiefs in the playoffs and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but they are quickly forming a rivalry of their own. The Ravens dismantled the Bills early in the regular season in 2024, but Buffalo answered back with a home win in the divisional round after Mark Andrews infamously dropped a two-point conversion attempt. Allen is 3-2 all-time against Jackson.
Jalen Hurts vs. Josh Allen
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
The reigning Super Bowl MVP faces the reigning NFL MVP in Buffalo, two years after a thrilling overtime game resulted in an Eagles victory in the first matchup between these two quarterbacks. That game preceded a reversal of fortune for both teams, as the Eagles would collapse down the stretch while the Bills surged to the playoffs after a rough midseason stretch. This time, both quarterbacks have their eyes squarely on the Lombardi Trophy.
Joe Burrow vs. Josh Allen
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Allen is still looking for his first win over Burrow, as the Bengals are 2-0 in matchups with the Bills when both quarterbacks are under center. The two didn't meet at all in 2024, so all eyes will be on their 2025 meeting in Buffalo in a game that could play a major role in the AFC playoff picture.
Jalen Hurts vs. Justin Herbert
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
When Hurts and Justin Herbert last met, Hurts was still a fledgling quarterback trying to stick as the Eagles' long-term starter. Now, he's the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Herbert, also drafted in 2020, established himself as one of the NFL's high-level quarterbacks from the very start of his career, but he has yet to record a playoff win. A home victory over the reigning Super Bowl champions wouldn't be that, but it would be quite a statement for Herbert.
MORE: NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams
First-time matchups
Here are some notable matchups we have never seen before.
Jayden Daniels vs. Patrick Mahomes
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Mahomes meets reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels for the first time this season in what will be another test of the Commanders star's fearless mentality. Mahomes will welcome Daniels to Arrowhead Stadium in what should be a high-scoring battle, and it could be an opportunity for Washington to assert itself as a Super Bowl contender.
Jayden Daniels vs. Justin Herbert
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Daniels meets another terrific AFC West quarterback on the road when the Commanders travel to SoFi Stadium to face Herbert and the Chargers. Daniels and Herbert authored two of the best rookie quarterback seasons in NFL history, but Daniels already has two more playoff wins than Herbert,
Drake Maye vs. Joe Burrow
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
The Patriots upset the Bengals in their 2024 season opener, but it was Jacoby Brissett, not Drake Maye, under center for New England. With a better set of talent around him on both sides of the ball, Maye will be looking to take that next step and pull off his first road upset of Cincinnati.
Caleb Williams vs. Joe Burrow
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
The Bengals' defense should provide opposing quarterbacks with a soft landing spot this season, and Caleb Williams will have a chance to put together a statement game against one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks when the Bears travel to Cincinnati.
Lamar Jackson vs. Jordan Love
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Because Jordan Love was still serving as a backup in 2021, this season brings the first matchup between Love and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. After a disappointing finish to his second season as a starter, Love will have a chance to welcome Jackson and the Ravens to Lambeau Field and pick up a statement win.
Brock Purdy vs. C.J. Stroud
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
In a fun matchup, two quarterbacks who played like stars in 2023 before taking a step back in 2024 will be looking to prove themselves in Houston. Brock Purdy and the 49ers have their sights set on a bounce-back year, while C.J. Stroud is trying to prove his tempered sophomore season was just a blip on the radar for the Texans.
MORE: Post-draft NFL power rankings
Revenge games
Some quarterbacks will have a particular game circled on their calendar this year.
Jalen Hurts vs. Patrick Mahomes
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Hurts and Mahomes are now 1-1 in Super Bowl matchups against each other. It wouldn't be fair to call this year's game in Kansas City the rubber match, but Mahomes will certainly have a chip on his shoulder against the quarterback — and team — that outclassed him in Super Bowl 59.
J.J. McCarthy vs. Sam Darnold
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Sam Darnold might not have any animosity toward the Vikings after enjoying a breakout season in Minnesota, but he also knows the organization passed on re-signing him in favor of an unproven option. Darnold will have a chip on his shoulder as he and the Seahawks welcome J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings to Lumen Field.
Baker Mayfield vs. C.J. Stroud
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
The Buccaneers and Texans played one of the best games of the 2023 season when Stroud threw five touchdowns in a 39-37 win over Tampa Bay to insert himself into the MVP conversation as a rookie. If Mayfield can answer back and deliver his own special performance in Houston, this could become a sneaky rivalry between two quarterbacks in opposite conferences.
Jared Goff vs. Jayden Daniels
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Jared Goff would like to forget his divisional round loss to the Commanders as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that would be to handle business on the road against Daniels during the regular season. This game could go a long way toward determining how the NFC playoff picture will shake out.
C.J. Stroud vs. Justin Herbert
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Herbert had a disastrous performance against Stroud and the Texans in the wild-card round in January. A win over Stroud at home wouldn't erase the stain of that loss, but it could give the Chargers some added confidence as they try to return to the playoffs.
Jordan Love vs. Dak Prescott
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
The Packers and Cowboys will face off for the first time since Green Bay's upset win over Dallas in the playoffs two seasons ago. After a lost season for Dak Prescott, there is no doubt the Cowboys quarterback will be looking for a lights-out performance against the team that had his number on the big stage.
Jared Goff vs. Matthew Stafford
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Every matchup between Goff and Matthew Stafford is a revenge matchup, regardless of how long it's been since the trade that swapped the quarterbacks. Goff has done a nice job of sticking it to Sean McVay and the Rams in their matchups, while Stafford would like to assert L.A. as a legitimate NFC contender at home against his former team.
Aaron Rodgers vs. Justin Fields?
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Will Aaron Rodgers even be playing in 2025? If he is, it will likely be with the Steelers — and that could set up another matchup of quarterbacks facing their former teams. Rodgers already revealed he felt slighted by the new Jets regime of Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey, while Fields couldn't have been happy to be sent to the bench by the Steelers after leading Pittsburgh to a 4-2 start in Russell Wilson's absence. If Rodgers lands in Pittsburgh, this is a chance for both quarterbacks to get some revenge at MetLife Stadium.
Youth movement
These quarterbacks were all drafted within the last two years.
Caleb Williams vs. Jayden Daniels
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
It will be hard for Williams and Daniels to top last season's matchup, which actually featured virtually no offense for three quarters before Daniels authored an all-time moment with a Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown, but a rematch between these two young quarterbacks in Maryland should be fun.
Bo Nix vs. Jayden Daniels
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Bo Nix was one of the surprises of the 2024 season, overcoming a rough couple of games to start his career and putting together an impressive all-around year with limited weapons around him. A win over a fellow 2024 rookie on the road would assert Nix and the Broncos as a serious playoff contender once again.
Drake Maye vs. Cam Ward
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
The Titans picked up one of their three wins against the Patriots in 2024, but plenty has changed for Tennessee. No. 1 pick Cam Ward will be looking for an early win against one of the AFC's rising quarterbacks, with Maye and the Patriots hoping to make a leap of their own this season.
Michael Penix Jr. vs. J.J. McCarthy
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
How about a matchup with two sophomores effectively playing out their rookie seasons? Michael Penix Jr. only has three NFL starts under his belt, while McCarthy has yet to play a down after missing all of 2024 with a knee injury. A battle in Minnesota could be a prove-it game for both Penix and McCarthy in 2025.
Cam Ward vs. Shedeur Sanders
- Date: TBD
- Time: TBD
Could we get a battle between Ward and the quarterback who was once believed to be competing with him to be the No. 1 overall pick? Shedeur Sanders slid all the way to the No. 144 pick before he was taken by the Browns, but Cleveland offers him a wide open path to starts as a rookie even if he doesn't open the year under center. The Titans and Browns are likely headed nowhere in 2025, but this could be a highlight for each team if the two rookie quarterbacks are on the field.
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