Football Outsiders' DYAR ratings ranked the Final Four quarterbacks in order with Tom Brady coming in first, followed by Joe Flacco, Eli Manning and Alex Smith. Flacco struggled against the Texans, but had a strong game in the AFC Championship Game against New England. "If anyone tells you that the Giants' win over San Francisco was due in any significant way to Manning's late-game heroics, ignore them," writes Vince Verhei. "In his last 29 dropbacks, starting late in the third quarter and going into overtime, Manning went 12-of-25 for 100 yards, only five first downs, and four sacks."