10 NFL QB observations for Week 14: C.J. Stroud vs. Zach Wilson in a tale of two picks, backup mania continues

Just when there’s a calm in the storm, three more starting signal-callers go down with injuries in Week 13. Here’s my 10 quarterback observations for Week 14, starting right there:

1. Trubisky is NFL’s 53rd different starting QB this season

The QB carousel will not stop spinning as the injuries continue to mount. Trevor Lawrence (high-ankle sprain), Kenny Pickett (ankle surgery) and Derek Carr (concussion) all went down in Week 13. Here’s the latest on QB injuries around the league:

If C.J. Beathard starts for Lawrence and Winston for Carr then we’ll be up to 55 different starting QBs and 17 teams who have used multiple starters this year. Maybe the craziest part is the four through seven seeds in the AFC entering the week (Jaguars, Steelers, Browns, Colts) could all be using backup QBs.

That doesn’t mean they should be counted out, as several backups have proven this year.

Jake Browning has the highest completion rate (81 percent) through two career starts in NFL history (beating out Chad Pennington) and led the Bengals to a 34-31 overtime win on Monday.Josh Dobbs was the first QB in NFL history to have a pass TD and rush TD in each of his first three games with a franchise (Vikings). Will Levis (who was a backup at the time) tied an NFL record for touchdown passes in a debut (four).

Backup QB mania has been fun, but has hardly softened the blow of what’s been a chaotic season of QB injuries. If you don’t believe me, here’s a list of every starting QB change this year. 

2. Allen vs. Mahomes is best QB rivalry since Brady vs. Manning

On Thursday I wrote about how Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes will renew the NFL’s best QB rivalry since Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. The cliff notes:

Mahomes (2.5) and Allen (2.4) rank 1-2 all time in pass + rush touchdowns per game.They rank 1-2 in QB wins, total touchdowns and total yards in the last four seasons.They’ve combined for 3,401 pass + rush…


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Author : Douglas Clawson

Publish date : 2023-12-08 14:44:17

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