Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes put on a show in their AFC Divisional Round matchup, which will go down as one of the greatest NFL postseason games ever played.
It was a reminder of just how much incredible talent the conference has at the quarterback position. It also was a reality check for the New England Patriots, who appear to be far apart from the elite teams such as the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City Chiefs.
But what if, in an alternate universe, the Patriots switched signal-callers with their AFC rivals? What if Allen or Mahomes had been under center for New England in 2021 and Mac Jones was the QB for Buffalo or Kansas City?
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Our friends at Strat-O-Matic simulated the 2021 NFL season with those QBs in Foxboro, swapped with Jones. Here's a look at the significant impact those changes made.
Josh Allen on the Patriots
It turns out having an All-Pro quarterback can drastically alter a team's fate. Who knew?!
With Allen as their signal-caller, the Patriots finished the 2021 campaign with a 14-3 record and the top seed in the AFC. The dual-threat QB completed 341 of his 501 passes on the season (68.2%) for 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
New England Patriots
Find the latest New England Patriots news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
New England breezed past the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round, 24-3. Allen and Co. met up with Mahomes and the Chiefs in the conference championship and squeaked out a 23-20 victory.
Allen propelled the Patriots to their seventh Super Bowl title with a 35-25 win over the Los Angeles Rams. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
Mac Jones on the Bills
Going from Allen to Jones brought the Bills from 11-6 and the No. 3 seed to 9-8 and the No. 6 seed.
During the regular season, Jones completed 321 of his 501 passes (64.1%) for 24 TDs and 16 INTs. For comparison sake, he was 352-521 (67.6%) with 23 TDs and 10 INTS during his rookie season in New England.
Patrick Mahomes on the Patriots
The results with Mahomes as the Patriots QB were almost identical to the results with Allen.
Mahomes also led New England to a 14-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC, completing 355 of 550 passes (64.5%) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His excellence continued in the playoffs where he led the Patriots to a 35-18 win over the Bengals in the Divisional Round and a 40-3 blowout victory over the L.A. Chargers in the conference championship.
The season with Mahomes under center culminated in a Super Bowl matchup against -- you guessed it -- the Rams. Like Allen, Mahomes managed to lead New England to another title in a nail-biter, 20-17.
Mahomes' Super Bowl appearance with the Patriots wasn't quite as impressive as Allen's. He threw for only 215 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception in the big game. New England scored its points on two field goals, a pick-six, and a Damien Harris touchdown run.
Regardless, the simulated 2021 Patriots are Super Bowl champions with Mahomes at quarterback.
Mac Jones on the Chiefs
Apparently, Jones doesn't translate well to the Chiefs' offense. Kansas City finished its 2021 season at 6-11 with the 2021 first-rounder as its QB.
During the underwhelming season, Jones completed 316 of 525 passes (60.1%) for 21 TDs and 13 INTs.