8 Most Clutch Quarterbacks in the NFL

When you think of clutch NFL quarterbacks, guys like John Elway, Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas and Roger Staubach come to mind.

As for the current NFL landscape, the times are slowly changing with some new faces on the rise, and the postseason is right around the corner.

That being said, here are the Top 8 most clutch QBs in pro football right now.

8. Andy Dalton, Bengals

A rookie starting QB with a rookie starting WR in Cincinnati, and yet the Bengals are on the cusp of the postseason in 2011.

Andy Dalton isn't one of those QBs who's going to burn the scoreboard, but he gives you a chance to win which is all that matters. And although he's a rookie and surrounded by a lot of other young guys, his production on the field has lifted everyone else's game.

On the year, Dalton has 18 TDs to 13 picks, just over 3,000 passing yards, a 59.0 completion percentage and an overall rating of 81.0.

Being that he is a rookie, these numbers are damn good, and with two games left in the regular season, they're only going to go up. That said, with the Bengals still alive for the playoffs, it's no doubt his play has been clutch.

7. Tim Tebow, Broncos

Despite having an abysmal completion percentage (48.6) and just 1,484 passing yards, Denver QB Tim Tebow has played a major role in the Broncos turnaround this season.

He may have just 11 TD passes, but he's also only thrown two interceptions which is quite low considering his completion percentage. One other reason for Tebow's clutch skills is his ability to scramble.

Heading into Week 16 he has compiled 610 rushing yards, five TDs and a 5.8 yards per carry average. His dual-threat versatility has created problems for defenses late in games, otherwise the Broncos don't make such dramatic comebacks.

Now, he's obviously been helped by the defense, however we'll see a lot more from him provided that Denver can win the AFC West and make the playoffs. There, we will see how truly clutch Tebow can be in the NFL.

6. Mark Sanchez, Jets

Say what you want about Mark Sanchez and his gradual improvement under center as opposed to really having a breakout season.

The man is getting the job done better with each game, period. His rookie season saw 12 TDs to 20 picks, and last season had 17 TDs to 13 picks. 2011 has once again improved, and he currently sits at 23 TDs to 13 interceptions.

You can't ask for much more when a guy is improving and he's just simply won for Rex Ryan. Sanchez's completion percentage has been gradually improving, and for a second straight year he's thrown over 3,000 yards.

The deal-breaker about Sanchez though, is the postseason.

He has two appearances as a No. 6 seed and has a record of 4-2 with a total of nine TDs to just three picks and a postseason QB rating of 94.1. Now, Sanchez and the Jets have yet to get over that AFC title game hump—however, if Gang Green is to make another Super Bowl appearance anytime soon, this will be the guy to lead them.

5. Eli Manning, Giants

Alas we get to the other Manning brother, Eli, who's been taking over Peyton's role as the most clutch QB in the family. Peyton's been out all year, so he's not here (spoiler alert).

Mainly because he plays for the Giants, is obviously located in New York and is a Manning, we tend to not ever let Eli off the hook so easy when he has a bad game. Thing is, right now Eli is carrying the Giants by himself.

Big Blue has the NFL's worst rushing attack and a defense that allows 26.6 points per game (ranked No. 28).

And it's not like any of his receiving targets have been well-established for that long. Granted, they have significantly improved in their threat to opposing defenses, but that's because Eli is making them better.

Lest we forget, each of the past three seasons Eli has topped over 4,000 passing yards, and with two games left in 2011, he's already over 4,300 yards.

And since he must air it out at all times for the Giants to have a shot at winning, Manning has a shot at 5,000 passing yards this season. Include his 2007 postseason to put his clutch ability in a nutshell—six TDs to one pick, 95.7 QB rating.

4. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers

Arguably the NFL's most mobile and best QB on third down, Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger gets it done in crunch time.

Now, he has had the luxury of arguably the NFL's best defense since his rookie year in addition to them helping out vehemently in all three Super Bowls. However, Big Ben's late-game antics have also saved seasons for the Steelers.

He may not have played particularly well in the Super Bowl from an all-encompassed perspective, but his true ability as a passer can be seen on the TD pass to Santonio Holmes against Arizona. That pass sums up Big Ben as a clutch QB.

He's played well enough to help Pittsburgh win, and getting the win is all that matters.

When we talk about Tim Tebow and how he's being helped by the defense and then winning games late by scramble or finding an open target on a busted play, Roethlisberger's been doing that since 2004.

He may have some ups and downs before the final quarter, but it's pure magic when the clocking is ticking down.

3. Drew Brees, Saints

Here we see the man who's likely to break every single passing record known to existence (except INTs thrown) before he retires.

Perhaps the scariest part about the New Orleans Saints offense is this.

For the 2011 season they rank No. 8 in rushing and average over 125 yards per game. You would think averaging so many rush yards would take away from the passing game, right?

Well, we're all wrong, because Drew Brees is on pace to hit over 5,000 yards once again and the Saints rank No. 1 in pass offense. That solid ground game mentioned before is a product of Brees shredding defenses in the first half alone.

The Saints then build such a big lead that they just run the clock out. In regards to clutch, Brees is as good as it gets. Perhaps the home game versus the Houston Texans earlier this season sums it up.

Down 26-17 with under 10 minutes left against arguably the NFL's best defense this year, Brees led New Orleans on a 23-7 run to win 40-33.

As for the postseason, in his last four NFC playoff games, Brees has thrown 10 TDs to zero picks. If that's not clutch, then what is?

2. Tom Brady, Patriots

When the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII, it was not the fault of the offense. Tom Brady proved his clutch-ness by driving the Pats down the field to gain a 14-10 lead against a defense that knew exactly how to stop them.

But they couldn't. Unfortunately for New England, coach Bill Belichick's defense was vulnerable to the pass and the Giants pulled off the upset win (see Eli Manning).

That being said, Tom Brady has a career postseason record of 14-5 and won the first 10 which included three Super Bowls in four years. Now, yes, the NFL playoffs have caught up to Brady as he's just 4-5 since beginning 10-0, but it's not like he's been surrounded with Hall of Fame talent his entire career.

During the Super Bowl years, his best targets were Troy Brown, Deion Branch, David Patten and David Givens. All are great and reliable WRs, however none are on the level of Randy Moss who didn't last long in New England.

Brady has made every RB, TE and WR around him better because of his flawless mechanics, footwork and ability to feel the rush. The proof is in the pudding with two Super Bowl and two NFL MVP awards.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers

So we come to the most obvious of choices right now—Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, who's career began so slow that we almost may never have heard of him...if it were not for Brett Favre's egomaniacal self-centeredness.

Nonetheless, Rodgers sat, watched and learned for three years under Favre, and since taking over the helm in 2008, Aaron has compiled over 17,000 passing yards in not even four full seasons.

2011 is truly his defining season as evidence by throwing 40 TDs to just six picks through 14 games. And the 2010 NFL postseason was almost flawless.

Throwing nine TDs to just two picks and running for two more proved how far he's come in such a short amount of time. Rodgers has the arm strength of Matthew Stafford, the vision of Drew Brees, the mobility of Ben Roethlisberger, the accuracy of Peyton Manning and the toughness of Tom Brady all rolled into one.

Because of Rodgers' all-encompassed attributes, he is the NFL's best and most clutch QB, not to mention its best player.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @Sportswriter27