Matt Ryan’s season is off to a rocky start.
His Atlanta Falcons currently sit at 1-2, and Ryan has not performed spectacularly as quarterback, a position he’s manned since 2008. Sometimes teams like to shake things up when they’re off to a less-than-stellar start, such as firing coaches or coordinators, trading players or promoting backups to starting positions. While the Falcons are certainly not going to bench Ryan, the 2016 NFL MVP, in favor of career journeyman Matt Schaub, other teams around the league have found surprising success with their backup quarterbacks.
During week one of the NFL’s regular season, we were blessed with Gardner Minshew, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ backup quarterback who filled in for starter Nick Foles after Foles fractured his clavicle.
Essentially, Minshew is an American hero. The outright absurdity of his name, his neatly groomed mustache and goatee, his self-cut jean shorts and his impressive play through three games have quickly made Minshew a fan favorite. However, Minshew isn’t the only backup quarterback making a name for himself this season.
The New York Giants benched their longtime starter Eli Manning before their week three matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and promoted this year’s No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones to starter. Fans and analysts alike scrutinized the Giants for taking Jones sixth overall; most mock drafts projected him as a first-round prospect but not a top-six talent.
Despite the criticisms, Jones balled out in his first NFL game. He led the Giants back from an 18-point halftime deficit to defeat Tampa 32-31 for their first win of the year. The Duke University (N.C.) alum completed 23 of his 36 passes for 336 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions without star running back Saquon Barkley, who left the game early with an ankle injury, in the backfield.
The Carolina Panthers went without former MVP quarterback Cam Newton this week as he recovers from a foot injury; instead, backup Kyle Allen was entrusted with leading the Panthers to their first win of the season. And Allen did not disappoint.
Allen only threw for 261 yards, but he connected with his receivers for four touchdown passes in an emphatic 38-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals. His performance has some people hoping Allen is named the full-time starter, and they may have a point. In the Panthers’ last 10 games, Allen is the only quarterback to win one. Newton is 0-8 in his last eight starts as the Panthers’ quarterback, and former teammate Taylor Heinicke, who has spent most of his career on the practice squad, is 0-1 in his only start.
The recent success of backup quarterbacks shows an interesting trend in the NFL that has been happening for a few seasons — backup quarterbacks playing much better than their title suggests. In 2017, the two quarterbacks that started the NFC Championship Game, Foles and the Washington Redskins’ Case Keenum, started the season as backups. Foles went on to win the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles that same season against the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time. Last season, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took over for former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco in the middle of the season when Flacco was benched, and Jackson led the Ravens to the playoffs.
So far this season, backup quarterbacks are lighting up box scores. Maybe the overall talent pool among NFL quarterbacks is increasing, or maybe these quarterbacks shouldn’t have been backups to begin with. Either way, I’m excited to see the legend of Minshew grow and more backups make a name for themselves in the NFL.
