Colin Maruscsak, Staff Writer
When seven backup quarterbacks started last week in the NFL, one can imagine the amount of chaos that was present for last week’s games. Out of those seven that started, five of them won, which could mean anything for the rest of the season as injuries begin to plague playoff hopeful teams.
Leading off the rookie charge, Gardner Minshew lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 20-7 victory against the Tennessee Titans in last Thursday night’s game. Minshew threw for 204 yards and threw two passing touchdowns. The Titans had an impressive night in the air but could not capitalize on Marcus Mariota throwing for over 300 yards. The Jaguars will look to snag their second win of the season against the Denver Broncos this Sunday while the Titans will face off against the Atlanta Falcons.
Next up on the backup list, quarterback Jacoby Brissett and the Indianapolis Colts took on the Atlanta Falcons. It was a close game ending 27-24 in favor of the Colts. Both quarterbacks had impressive nights throwing for over 300 yards and multiple touchdowns. Julio Jones had a strong outing with 128 receiving yards and one touchdown. The Colts will look to improve to 3-1 against the Raiders next week.
The Carolina Panthers beat the Arizona Cardinals 38-20 last weekend with an insane showing from the Panthers offense. Backup Kyle Allen threw four touchdowns and had over 250 yards passing, while Christian McCaffery rushed for 153 yards and one touchdown. The Panthers will rely on their offense to break through the Houston Texans defense next weekend. The Cardinals are still looking to secure their first win and hope to secure it against Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
One of the closest games this weekend featured a backup turned starter in Daniel Jones of the New York Giants. The Giants played against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game that came down to the last seconds of regulation as the Buccaneers missed a potential game-winning field goal. Jones led the Giants to a 32-31 victory, throwing for 336 yards, two passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns. This was the Giants’ first win of the season, and they will look to continue their winning ways this week against the Washington Redskins.
The last backup quarterback that came up big for their team this week was Teddy Bridgewater for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints beat the Seattle Seahawks 33-27, and while Bridgewater did have a respectable outing, throwing for two passing touchdowns, it was Alvin Kamara who came up big by rushing for 69 yards and one touchdown while also compiling 94 yards and one touchdown receiving. Russell Wilson for the Seahawks had an impressive day throwing for over four hundred yards and had two throwing touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough compared to the Saints offense.
Looking ahead to this week, we will see if these quarterbacks can reproduce the success they had last week and potentially solidify their spot as a QB1. Also keep in mind big injuries that have been plaguing teams such as the New York Giants, who lost running back Saquon Barkley midway through last week’s game with an ankle injury. Week four should have more interesting games so be sure to stay tuned this Sunday.
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