In the regular season, Marcus Mariota threw 13 touchdown passes, Blake Bortles threw 21 touchdown passes, and Nick Foles threw 5 touchdown passes. If the Patriots win Super Bowl LII, New England will have done so by beating teams starting quarterbacks who threw just 39 touchdown passes in the regular season.
How unusual is that? Well, no Super Bowl champion has faced quarterbacks in the playoffs who threw fewer than 40 touchdowns since 1982, which was the year the regular season was shortened to 9 games by the player strike. Washington faced four quarterbacks who combined for 38 touchdowns in the regular season; that’s an average of 9.5 per team, but on a per-16 team game basis, those quarterbacks still averaged 16.9 touchdowns.
If we look at things on a per team and per-16 team game basis, the Patriots opposing QBs — who threw for 13 TDs per team per 16 team games — would be the third lowest in history, and the lowest since 1979.
| Team | Year | Gms | Opp QB TDs | Avg Per Tm | Avg Per 16G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | 1979 | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| DAL | 1977 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 11.0 |
| NWE | 2017 | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| SFO | 1994 | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 13.3 |
| STL | 1999 | 3 | 42 | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| DAL | 1971 | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 14.9 |
| WAS | 1987 | 3 | 45 | 15.0 | 16.0 |
| SFO | 1988 | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 16.3 |
| NYG | 1986 | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 16.3 |
| CHI | 1985 | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 16.3 |
| MIA | 1972 | 3 | 44 | 14.7 | 16.8 |
| WAS | 1982 | 4 | 38 | 9.5 | 16.9 |
| OAK | 1976 | 3 | 45 | 15.0 | 17.1 |
| PIT | 1978 | 3 | 52 | 17.3 | 17.3 |
| IND | 2006 | 4 | 70 | 17.5 | 17.5 |
| BAL | 1970 | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 17.5 |
| NYG | 1990 | 3 | 53 | 17.7 | 17.7 |
| MIA | 1973 | 3 | 47 | 15.7 | 17.9 |
| GNB | 1996 | 3 | 55 | 18.3 | 18.3 |
| BAL | 2000 | 4 | 74 | 18.5 | 18.5 |
| SFO | 1989 | 3 | 56 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| SFO | 1981 | 3 | 56 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| PIT | 1975 | 3 | 51 | 17.0 | 19.4 |
| RAI | 1983 | 3 | 59 | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| PIT | 1974 | 3 | 55 | 18.3 | 21.0 |
| DAL | 1995 | 3 | 63 | 21.0 | 21.0 |
| DEN | 1997 | 4 | 85 | 21.3 | 21.3 |
| TAM | 2002 | 3 | 64 | 21.3 | 21.3 |
| DAL | 1993 | 3 | 66 | 22.0 | 22.0 |
| GNB | 2010 | 4 | 89 | 22.3 | 22.3 |
| DAL | 1992 | 3 | 67 | 22.3 | 22.3 |
| WAS | 1991 | 3 | 70 | 23.3 | 23.3 |
| NWE | 2003 | 3 | 72 | 24.0 | 24.0 |
| SFO | 1984 | 3 | 73 | 24.3 | 24.3 |
| OAK | 1980 | 4 | 100 | 25.0 | 25.0 |
| PIT | 2005 | 4 | 102 | 25.5 | 25.5 |
| NWE | 2001 | 3 | 77 | 25.7 | 25.7 |
| DEN | 1998 | 3 | 77 | 25.7 | 25.7 |
| BAL | 2012 | 4 | 104 | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| PIT | 2008 | 3 | 78 | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| GNB | 1967 | 3 | 71 | 23.7 | 27.0 |
| NWE | 2016 | 3 | 82 | 27.3 | 27.3 |
| KAN | 1969 | 3 | 72 | 24.0 | 27.4 |
| GNB | 1966 | 2 | 50 | 25.0 | 28.6 |
| NWE | 2014 | 3 | 87 | 29.0 | 29.0 |
| NYJ | 1968 | 2 | 51 | 25.5 | 29.1 |
| DEN | 2015 | 3 | 92 | 30.7 | 30.7 |
| NOR | 2009 | 3 | 92 | 30.7 | 30.7 |
| NYG | 2007 | 4 | 127 | 31.8 | 31.8 |
| NWE | 2004 | 3 | 97 | 32.3 | 32.3 |
| NYG | 2011 | 4 | 130 | 32.5 | 32.5 |
| SEA | 2013 | 3 | 115 | 38.3 | 38.3 |
So if you think New England facing two mediocre quarterbacks and one backup quarterback in the playoffs is a pretty unusual way to win the Super Bowl, well: you’re correct.