An NFL team's playoff success tends to come down to their quarterback.
One of, if not the, most important positions in professional sports often dictates just how deep an NFL squad will go in the postseason -- most of the game's greatest passers have multiple Super Bowl rings to show for it.
Consistent playoff success can be difficult to achieve, but some quarterbacks have had longevity with their postseason runs. In terms of all-time playoff passing touchdowns, one well-known name completely stands out among the rest.
Here is the list of all-time playoff passing touchdown leaders.
MORE: Who has the most all-time passing yards in the playoffs?
1. Tom Brady, 88 touchdowns (2000-22)
Teams:
- New England Patriots (2000-2019)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-2022)
Playoff accolades/stats:
- 13,400 yards (1st), 1,200 completions (1st), 89.8 rating (23rd)
- 7x Super Bowl champion, 5x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: Does Brady need an introduction? Most of his all-time playoff numbers are more than double the second-best quarterback, including passing touchdowns. Brady totaled 88 playoff touchdowns via a throw over his multi-decade career, including his time with both the Patriots and Buccaneers.
New England was a dynasty behind Brady throughout the 2000s and late 2010s. Add in his title with Tampa Bay, and Brady won seven Super Bowls in total — with that many deep playoff trips, he skyrocketed up the career playoff touchdowns list rather quickly.
By the time Brady retired, he was just adding onto plenty of records he already held. It will be extremely difficult for any quarterback to reach 88 passing touchdowns in the playoffs, considering it took Brady 22 years of excellence.
MORE: Ranking the greatest Patriots players of all time
2. Patrick Mahomes, 46 touchdowns (2017-25)
Teams:
- Kansas City Chiefs (2017-present)
Playoff accolades:
- 5,814 yards (6th), 511 completions (3rd), 105.4 rating (2nd)
- 3x Super Bowl Champion, 3x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: Patrick Mahomes got out to one of the quickest starts of any quarterback in NFL history. By his second season as a starter, he was a Super Bowl champion.
Mahomes' huge arm, knack for big plays and precise passing made him an immediate star. By age 30, he was a three-time Super Bowl champion, tracking to join the NFL's all-time greats, potentially even building a "GOAT" case next to Brady along the way.
Andy Reid built a dynasty of Chiefs teams behind Mahomes, who became an annual playoff threat. Fairly early in his career, the Texas Tech product reached second all-time in playoff passing touchdowns.
MORE: Ranking the greatest Chiefs players of all time
T-3. Aaron Rodgers, 45 touchdowns (2005-25)
© Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Teams:
- Green Bay Packers (2005-2022)
- New York Jets (2023-2024)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2025-present)
Playoff accolades:
- 5,894 yards (4th), 501 completions (4th), 100.1 rating (8th)
- 1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: The bulk of Aaron Rodgers' career came with the Packers, with whom he was one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks for nearly two decades. In his prime, there may not have ever been a better deep-ball passer.
Rodgers also had stints with the Jets and Steelers late in his career, and he did lead Pittsburgh to one playoff appearance. However, almost all of his 40-plus career passing touchdowns in the postseason came with Green Bay, consistently making the team a title threat in the NFC.
As the heir to Brett Favre in Green Bay, Rodgers exceeded all expectations by bringing a Lombardi Trophy home and remaining elite for years and years. Super Bowl XLV was the peak of his playoff career, but countless appearances also resulted in plenty of highlights.
MORE: Ranking the greatest Packers ever
T-3. Joe Montana, 45 touchdowns (1979-94)
Teams:
- San Francisco 49ers (1979-92)
- Kansas City Chiefs (1993-94)
Playoff accolades:
- 5,772 yards (7th), 460 completions (8th), 95.6 rating (13th)
- 4x Super Bowl Champion, 3x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: "Joe Cool" Montana is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of all-time for a reason. Playoff success is one of them, having led the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories in his career.
The Hall of Famer won two MVPs and three Super Bowl MVPs in his career, becoming one of the most decorated quarterbacks of all-time. In 1981, 1984, 1988 and 1989, San Francisco was on top of the football world thanks to Montana.
Montana threw plenty of playoff touchdowns along the way, reaching 45 by the time he retired in 1994 following a stint with the Chiefs.
MORE: Complete list of Super Bowl MVP winners throughout the years
5. Brett Favre, 44 touchdowns (1991-2010)
Teams:
- Atlanta Falcons (1991)
- Green Bay Packers (1992-2007)
- New York Jets (2008)
- Minnesota Vikings (2009-2010)
Playoff accolades:
- 5,855 yards (5th), 481 completions (T-6th), 86.3 rating (31st)
- 1x Super Bowl Champion
Playoff history summary: Brett Favre became one of the best quarterbacks ever after being traded by the Falcons following his rookie season. Green Bay wound up getting a steal, landing an all-time passer via trade in 1992.
A three-time MVP winner, Favre led the Packers to plenty of playoff trips and one title in Super Bowl XXXI. While Favre also played for the Jets and Vikings later in his career, he didn't quite find the same level of postseason success.
Between Favre and Rodgers, the Packers owned two of the best all-time playoff quarterbacks for around three decades.
MORE: 10 oldest quarterback matchups in NFL history
6. Peyton Manning, 40 touchdowns (1998-2015)
Teams:
- Indianapolis Colts (1998-2011)
- Denver Broncos (2012-2015)
Playoff accolades:
- 7,339 yards (2nd), 649 completions (2nd), 87.4 rating (T-27th)
- 2x Super Bowl champion, 1x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: One of the few quarterbacks to lead multiple franchises to a Super Bowl, Peyton Manning can be fully appreciated by both Colts and Broncos fans.
In the 2006 season, Indianapolis came out on top with its superstar quarterback. Manning cemented himself as a growing legend, and his numbers would continue to back that up until his 2015 retirement.
Manning also went out on top, however, as Denver won the Super Bowl in 2015 with the veteran under-center.
MORE: NFL quarterbacks with the highest career passer ratings in history
7. Drew Brees, 37 touchdowns (2001-20)
Teams:
- San Diego Chargers (2001-2005)
- New Orleans Saints (2006-2020)
Playoff accolades:
- 5,366 yards (8th), 481 completions (T-6th), 97.1 rating (11th)
- 1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: Easily the best quarterback in the history of the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees was another 2000s star who played in the NFL for multiple decades and made plenty of playoff trips.
One of Brees' many records is consecutive games with a touchdown pass, doing so in 54-straight games. In the playoffs, he was just as excellent.
Brees' career reached a peak in the 2009 season, when he guided New Orleans to a Lombardi Trophy as the Super Bowl MVP.
MORE: Ranking the best QBs taken with picks 1-32
8. Ben Roethlisberger, 36 touchdowns (2004-21)
Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Teams:
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2004-2021)
Playoff accolades:
- 5,972 yards (3rd), 498 completions (5th), 86.7 rating (30th)
- 2x Super Bowl Champion
Playoff history summary: Not many quarterbacks can say they spent their entire career with one franchise. Even fewer can say they led that team to multiple Super Bowl wins.
Ben Roethlisberger checks both of those boxes, becoming Mike Tomlin's steady presence at quarterback for two Steelers titles. Pittsburgh won Super Bowl XL over the Seahawks and Super Bowl XLIII over the Cardinals with Roethlisberger.
"Big Ben" became one of the most beloved Steelers ever, racking up some playoff numbers along the way.
MORE: Ranking the greatest Steelers players of all time
9. Dan Marino, 32 touchdowns (1983-99)
Teams:
- Miami Dolphins (1983-1999)
Playoff accolades/stats:
- 4,510 yards (10th), 385 completions (9th), 77.1 rating (50th)
Playoff history summary: Somebody has to hold the record for most all-time passing touchdowns without a Super Bowl win. That distinction goes to Dan Marino.
Famously regarded one of the best professional sports players to never win a championship, Marino was a superstar for the Dolphins from 1983-99. Miami didn't struggle to make the playoffs with Marino. Winning in the postseason, however, proved difficult.
Still, Marino racked up star-level statistics in the playoffs, including 32 touchdown passes.
MORE: Ranking the greatest Dolphins of all time
10. Kurt Warner, 31 touchdowns (1998-2009)
Teams:
- St. Louis Rams (1998-2003)
- New York Giants (2004)
- Arizona Cardinals (2005-09)
Playoff accolades/stats:
- 3,952 yards (12th), 307 completions (15th), 102.8 rating (4th)
- 2x Super Bowl Champion, 1x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: Kurt Warner was once an undrafted free agent. He became a two-time Super Bowl champion, including a Super Bowl MVP.
As one of the NFL's most unlikely all-time success stories, Warner became a star by 1999 as a member of the Rams, guiding the "Greatest Show on Turf" offenses. As the Rams became a premiere NFL team, Warner was at the center of it all.
By the end of his career in 2009, Warner had taken both the Rams and Cardinals to the postseason on multiple occasions.
MORE: Best two-way players in NFL history
11. Terry Bradshaw, 30 touchdowns (1970-83)
Teams:
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1970-83)
Playoff accolades/stats:
- 3,833 yards (15th), 261 completions (20th), 83.0 rating (42nd)
- 4x Super Bowl Champion, 2x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: Like Roethlisberger, the Steelers had another quarterback spend their entire career with their squad a few decades earlier. Terry Bradshaw was one of the earliest star quarterbacks in Pittsburgh.
Bradshaw made the Steelers an annual playoff team, making the field nine times in his career. That includes four trips to the Super Bowl with four wins.
A two-time MVP in those Super Bowls, Bradshaw had the Steelers on top of the NFL in 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979.
MORE: Most Super Bowl wins in history by player
T-12. John Elway, 27 touchdowns (1983-98)
Teams:
- Denver Broncos (1983-1998)
Playoff accolades/stats:
- 4,964 yards (9th), 355 completions (10th), 79.7 rating (46th)
- 2x Super Bowl Champion, 1x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: Long before he was in the Broncos' front office, John Elway was one of the best quarterbacks in Denver's history.
When Elway retired in 1999, he held the NFL record for wins by a quarterback. Naturally, that means he made a lot of trips to the playoffs, leading the Broncos to two Super Bowl wins.
Notably, Elway started in five Super Bowls, losing the first three before winning his final two. Until 2015, he held the record for quarterback starts in a Super Bowl.
MORE: The 10 most shocking draft slides of all time
T-12. Russell Wilson, 27 touchdowns (2012-25)
Teams:
- Seattle Seahawks (2012-2021)
- Denver Broncos (2022-2023)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2024)
- New York Giants (2025-present)
Playoff accolades:
- 4,056 yards (11th), 295 completions (16th), 96.8 rating (12th)
- 1x Super Bowl Champion
Playoff history summary: As one of the most dynamic quarterbacks of the 2010s, Russell Wilson became a star in Seattle.
The Seahawks had terrific defenses in the 2010s, but Wilson was their guiding force offensively and led the team to multiple Super Bowls, including a victory in 2013.
Wilson also went on to play for Denver, Pittsburgh and New York, although he never found the same playoff success with those teams as he did in Seattle.
MORE: What are the most valuable NFL franchises?
T-14. Joe Flacco, 26 touchdowns (2008-25)
Teams:
- Baltimore Ravens (2008-2018)
- Denver Broncos (2019)
- New York Jets (2020, 2021-2022)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2021)
- Cleveland Browns (2023,2025)
- Indianapolis Colts (2024)
- Cincinnati Bengals (2025)
Playoff accolades/stats:
- 3,530 yards (18th), 287 completions (18th), 87.9 rating (25th)
- 1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x Super Bowl MVP
Playoff history summary: Joe Flacco made a name for himself as the longtime quarterback of the Ravens. But throughout his lengthy career, becoming a journeyman in his later years, he made playoff appearances for another team as well.
Baltimore won Super Bowl XLVII in the 2012 season behind Flacco, who remained QB1 for John Harbaugh up until it was time for the Ravens to promote Lamar Jackson. Later in his career, Flacco guided the Browns to a playoff appearance as well.
Primarily due to his postseason trips with the Ravens, Flacco ranks among some of the playoff leaderboards for quarterbacks.
MORE: Ranking the greatest Ravens of all time
T-14. Josh Allen, 26 touchdowns (2018-25)
Teams:
- Buffalo Bills (2018-present)
Playoff accolades/stats:
- 3,632 yards (17th), 330 completions (12th), 102.4 rating (5th)
Playoff history summary: While he has yet to make it to a Super Bowl, primarily due to Mahomes and the Chiefs' dominance, Josh Allen can be regarded as one of the best offensive talents in NFL history.
With a cannon for an arm and a willingness to tuck the ball and run up the middle, Allen's dual-threat skill set made him an MVP by 2024. Once he hit his stride in the NFL, Allen was guiding his Bills teams to the playoffs annually.
Most of what's missing from Allen's resume is a Super Bowl, as he has long come up short in the AFC as the second-fiddle to the Chiefs.
MORE: 16 NFL stars you didn't know were also drafted by MLB teams