Ryan Lindley Was Worst Quarterback to Ever Start a NFL Playoff Game, and He Didn't Disappoint With Record-Setting Performance

In this week’s Pigsplosion preview, Ryan asked if Ryan Lindley was the worst quarterback to ever start a playoff game. After looking over a list of quarterbacks, the answer was most likely yes. Lindley came into this game having thrown 264 passes, and averaging 5.0 yards per attempt. He had thrown 11 interceptions to 2 touchdowns, and completed just over half of his passes.

I ran through a series of names from Todd Marinovich to Quincy Carter to Todd Blackledge to T.J. Yates who had started in the postseason, and Lindley blew them all away. The closest, I suppose, is Scott Zolak, who had a career yards per attempt of 5.3 when he was forced into action after the 1998 season for New England when Drew Bledsoe was hurt. But Zolak threw more touchdowns than interceptions for his career.

Zolak didn’t exactly light it up, but he did have 190 yards passing and only threw one interception, so there really is no debate.

Ryan Lindley already had the “worst quarterback to ever start a playoff game” pretty much wrapped up, and then he went out and led an offense to the fewest yards in a playoff game in NFL history.

Arizona would have finished with the second-worst yardage total, but then they got one last play, where Lindley threw a short pass and lateral hilarity ensued. Lindley got crushed in what was likely his last play ever in a NFL uniform. Few quarterbacks get to walk of a playoff field as their final game, so . . . congrats?

[GIFs by @mshamburger1]