Next Man Up: Why the Backup Quarterback Decides Seasons.

Written By: Daunte Lee Jones

College Football, Film, & MMA Contributor

Drew Lock has looked like the best backup over the past 2 weeks.

Cooper Rush has looked terrible against every opponent he has gone against.

Jameis Winston takes over as QB1.

Nick Foles the ultimate backup beats Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

To be a starting quarterback is the toughest job in the NFL. You are the one completely responsible for not only your team’s offense but the management, progression, and momentum of the game. You must also have a complete knowledge and understanding of your team’s playbook while being ready to throw everything out the window and call audibles or shift formations depending on what you see from opposing defenses pre-snap which will undoubtedly be different post-snap.

But what happens once the starting quarterback gets injured? The answer should be easy; the backup quarterback takes the role of starter and performs well enough to keep the team competitive. Unfortunately, in a league where dozens of teams still search to find a starting level quarterback, a good backup is even more sparse. So, let’s not take the position of backup quarterback lightly and examine the impact it has made in modern football. 

In this current NFL season, we’ve already seen a concerning amount of starting quarterbacks get injured. Sam Darnold’s unexpected hip injury during the first drive of the season opener, Jayden Daniels once again dislocating his right elbow against the Cowboys, and Jaxson Dart’s brutal knee injury against the Rams ending his year early are some prominent examples. It seems like the theme of this season will be the importance of quarterback depth.

Over in Seattle this theme is being showcased with Drew Lock. Lock is not performing like a good backup quarterback; he is performing like an excellent starting quarterback. QBR is a statistic that evaluates a quarterback's performance to how it contributed to the team’s win or loss. Coming off his 3 passing touchdown performance against the Cardinals, Lock currently leads the NFL in QBR which is statistical proof of how impactful his performances are to the Seahawks’ victories. 

Meanwhile, we have seen many unprepared teams fail with backup quarterbacks. In Atlanta we all expected a battle between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. to decide who would be the starting quarterback but with both quarterbacks being injured we’d see backup Cooper Rush step in to lead the team. Rush’s performances have been nothing short of uneventful, within his last two games he has only thrown one touchdown to four interceptions with an abysmal 56.4% completion rate.

No matter how many weapons the Falcons have around him and even if the defense was performing well, having a terribly performing quarterback like Rush will always act as an anchor to keep the franchise from moving forward. Throughout the league we’ve seen many more anchors appear like Marcus Mariota on the commanders who plays well but cannot be relied on to win competitive games and Jameis Winston on the Giants who still proves to be the same inconsistent quarterback that stunted his career in Tampa Bay. 

Looking into past seasons, we can also see how important the backup quarterback position has always been. Last year we watched as Mac Jones revived his career in San Francisco after Brock Purdy’s unfortunate turf toe injury. Jones showed grit as he willed a heavily injured 49ers squad in eleven games to 8 wins and 3 losses.

This gutsy showing from the former Patriot would not only lead them to a playoff berth but also kept them in the running to claim the #1 seed in the NFC. The best example of a backup quarterback’s importance to a franchise comes in 2017 when perennial underdog Nick Foles became a hero to the city of Philadelphia after Carson Went’s tore his ACL against the Rams in week 14 of the season.

Foles would contribute heavily to the team claiming the #1 seed to earn a first week bye, then battle past the Falcons and Vikings to beat Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Superbowl, bringing the first Lombardi to the city of brotherly love. Oddly enough, Tom Brady himself began his career as backup quarterback to Drew Bledsoe until he was given the chance to be the starter and never looked back.

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