Playoff QBs Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen all quick on their feet – elcajon newson Elcajon News only

It appeared Jayden Daniels would be tackled for a crucial loss, thus dimming one of the great underdog stories in many NFL seasons.

Converging fast, Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey had the angle on Washington’s rookie quarterback. And Kancey, a fast 280-pounder, had the tools to finish the job. “Violent tackler who uses proper form and quick acceleration to slam opponents into the dirt,” the former NFL scouts at OurLads.com wrote of Kancey.

In today’s NFL, though, tackling a QB is by no means a cinch.

Daniels mustered an escape with a stiff arm and lateral burst. The savvy one-two averted a critical loss near the goal line. The Commanders, instead of losing their playoff opener, broke through to win  23-20 two weeks ago at Tampa. A poised leader and 69% passer, Daniels became the first rookie quarterback to lead the D.C.-area franchise to a postseason victory since Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh, who did it in 1937.

It was a dazzling play by Daniels. But among the four NFL quarterbacks still playing, run-game excellence has become close to unsurprising.

Start with the Commanders’ Daniels, who broke the NFL season record for rushing yardage by a rookie quarterback. The 24-year-old former LSU and Arizona State star — lithe, slender and stronger than he may appear — averaged 6 yards per rush in the regular season. He finished third among QBs in rushing success rate, which accounts for down and distance.

The rookie’s Eagles counterpart in the NFC championship game, Jalen Hurts, ran through a gaping hole last week for a 44-yard score. His lethal sneaks have Philadelphia’s fourth-down conversion rate atop the league at nearly 70%.

Hurts, 26, may be less mobile Sunday. A knee injury slowed him late in last week’s win over the Rams.

Headed to the AFC’s Super Bowl qualifier, the Bills’ Josh Allen poses the roughest test for tacklers due to his rare blend of power and speed. He ran for two TDs last week as Buffalo weathered the rush threat of Lamar Jackson, the best rushing QB in NFL history. Allen, 28, led QBs in rushing success rate this season.

Bills defenders, meantime, will try to hem in Patrick Mahomes.

Like Allen, the Chiefs star saves his best rushes for the more important moments. Mahomes, 29, owns three Super Bowl rings in part due to demoralizing scrambles and option-style runs he made in those three victories.

None of this is to say these QBs are run-first stars. No matter how elusive a QB may be, he won’t succeed for long unless he can throw the ball on time and on target. All of these QBs have career completion percentages of at least 63%.

The baseline for mobility, though, seems to be rising at the NFL’s most important position.

It’s dangerous to make sweeping conclusions about where a sport is heading, but in light of how many pass-and-run QBs have become NFL stars, here’s a question worth pondering:

Will we see any more Super Bowl-winning QBs as mobility-challenged as Tom Brady, who won seven Super Bowls between the 2002 and 2020 seasons; and the likes of Eli Manning and Nick Foles, who won a total of three Super Bowls opposite Brady?

Those lumbering QBs combined for half of the Super Bowl victories in a 20-year stretch that ended five seasons ago.

Their 40-yard dash times entering the NFL caused few defenses to respect their run dimension: Brady clocked at 5.28 seconds, followed by Foles at 5.14, and Manning at 4.92.

Two excellent current QBs with modest sprint speed are Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff.

Mobile as first overall draft pick, Stafford was a 4.84 runner entering the NFL. Deft in the pocket, he’s also lethal at throwing strikes on the move. Stafford, who led the ’21 Rams to the trophy, had another strong this year and still appears capable of winning a second Super Bowl. He’ll be 37 in April.

Goff, a  4.80 runner out of Cal, is the least-mobile, high-achieving NFL QB going.

At 30, he’s hard to surpass at pocket passing and play-action prowess, but his relative immobility squeezes his margins of error and opportunity. Last week’s loss in the Divisional Round, in which Goff had four turnovers and the Daniels-led offense scored five touchdowns, was a large blow to Goff’s attempts to lead the Lions to their first Super Bowl trophy. Now, he’ll go forward without Ben Johnson, the Lions’ coordinator the past three seasons whom the Bears are hiring as their new coach.

In this entertaining era of hybrid playmaking, NFL teams have reason to be greedy.

QBs who excel as passers, scramblers and designed rushers have become more prevalent. Can they stay healthy? That’s often the question.

The answer, this year, is yes. Allen and Daniels haven’t missed a game. The only contest Mahomes sat out was the season finale because the Chiefs had clinched the AFC’s top seed. Concussed by the Commanders in December on a first-quarter scramble, Hurts has come back this month to lead the Eagles to a pair of postseason wins.

Expect a variety of run and pass highlights from all four QBs on Sunday.