NFL Playoff Predictions: Projecting the Top QBs of the 2012 Postseason

As we look ahead to Week 17 of the NFL season, it is almost time for the NFL to turn its attention to the postseason. Right now is the time when players step up and leaders emerge.

Quarterback is the one position where leadership is the most important and where one bad performance can end a season. Right now there are three signal-callers who I see as likely to dominate this postseason. 

Here is my list of the three guys who I expect to dominate the playoffs this year and could lead their teams to the promised land.

Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is all but a lock to win the NFL's MVP award and may be having the best season by a quarterback in NFL history.

No one should expect that to change in the postseason.

Through 15 games, Rodgers has completed 343-of-502 (68.3 percent) for 4,643 yards, with a league-high 45 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

He also leads the NFL in yards per attempt (9.25) and his passer rating of 122.5 is a ridiculous 14.1 points higher than second place (Drew Brees, 108.4). 

Rodgers has led Green Bay to a 14-1 record and the top seed in the NFC. He has been absolutely fantastic this season and has been the consummate leader on offense, getting all of his weapons involved.

To wit, seven different players have 25 or more catches for the Packers this season. That is incredible.

After leading the Packers to a Super Bowl title last season, Rodgers has now led the team to wins in 20 of its last 21 games. There is no reason to believe the Packers won't make another Super Bowl run this season, and we should all be prepared for Rodgers to dominate along the way.

Tom Brady

While Rodgers is in the midst of an MVP season, the league's reigning MVP is having quite a year himself.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has done nothing to diminish his standing as one of the all-time bests at his position this season.

The 34-year-old Michigan product has completed 378-of-576 (65.6 percent) for 4,897 yards, with 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His quarterback rating of 105.1 ranks third among NFL passers.

While Brady has been outstanding during the regular season, we've all seen him elevate his game in the postseason before, and there is no reason to expect things to be different this season.

Brady has led the Patriots to four AFC championships and three Super Bowl titles, and New England has the roster to compete for those titles again this season.

He currently has the Patriots on a  seven-game win streak, and they are playing as well as anyone in the NFL this season. New England is peaking at the right time, and Brady is the reason why.

The Pats will be tough to beat in the postseason.

Drew Brees

If not for Aaron Rodgers, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees would be the runaway favorite for the NFL's MVP award this season. 

On Monday night, Brees broke Dan Marino's single-season passing yardage record, and he still has a game left in which to improve upon that number.

Through 15 games, Brees is leading the NFL in attempts (622), completions (440), completion percentage (70.7) and passing yards (5,087).

He has also thrown 41 touchdown passes with just 13 interceptions and is second in the league in passer rating (108.4). 

Brees has the Saints at 12-3, and with Monday night's 45-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons, they clinched the NFC South. New Orleans has now run off seven wins in a row and is peaking on both sides of the ball at the right time.

Like Rodgers, Brees has been incredibly efficient in getting all of his weapons involved. As a result, New Orleans leads the NFL in total offense, averaging 457.1 yards per game.

Brees led the Saints to a win in Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, and we all know how dominant he can be. The 32-year-old is playing as well as he ever has, and we should all expect him to continue playing that way in the postseason.