Nick Foles, Kurt Warner, and Jeff Hostetler all hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as backup quarterbacks thrust into a starting role for the postseason and ultimately the Super Bowl, and several playoff contenders are hoping repeats itself this season.
The 2023 NFL season, especially in the AFC, has become a test of attrition.
Of the 14 teams that would make the NFL Playoffs, if the season were to end today, five of them are playing backup quarterbacks with multiple teams' postseason aspirations tied to their backup's performance for the rest of this season.
That's because Anthony Richardson and Deshaun Watson are both out for the season, for the Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns, respectively. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence and could miss multiple games, and Kenny Pickett's regular season could potentially be over.
Aaron Rodgers' season ended, and along with it the New York Jets' Super Bowl aspirations, only four snaps into the 2023 campaign.
That's just in the AFC.
In the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins for the season two days before the NFL trade deadline, and just might have salvaged their season by trading for Joshua Dobbs.
This NFL season really has been the year of the backup quarterback, especially when you take the teams making a playoff push with their backups behind center and add in Joe Burrow's season-ending injury for the 6-6 Cincinnati Bengals, and the 4-8 New York Giants' playoff hopes hanging by a thread with undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito leading the charge after Daniel Jones tore his ACL.
As the final five-game finishing stretch of the NFL season begins, which quarterback gives their team the best chance to survive and potentially make a run at winning the Super Bowl? FanBuzz spoke to a half-dozen current and former NFL executives, coaches, and scouts for their insight while ranking the best backup quarterbacks as the playoffs loom:
1) Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts
Minshew was thrust into action when Richardson suffered a season-ending AC joint injury on Oct. 8 that required surgery to repair, and has the Colts in the throes of the AFC South race.
"I'd take Minshew in a heartbeat," an NFC quarterbacks coach told FanBuzz.
A 27-year-old journeymen, who appeared in five games for the Eagles in 2022, seems to have found his groove in Colts head coach Shane Steichen's system. In 11 games this season, Mineshew has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,284 yards while leading the Colts to a 7-4 record in those contests.
"Minshew's my choice," former NFL Executive of The Year Jeff Diamond told FanBuzz. "He's 5-3 as a starter this season, he's made 32 career starts, knows Shane Steichen's offense from their time together in Philadelphia, and he's coming off a clutch overtime win in Tennessee."
2) Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings
Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
Despite a rough two-game stretch, Dobbs has played a key role in the Vikings keeping pace in the NFC Wild Card chase.
"Dobbs is definitely a guy that I'd feel comfortable going to battle with," an NFC offensive coach told FanBuzz.
Since arriving in Minnesota, in the aftermath of Kirk Cousins' injury, Dobbs has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 832 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 142 rushing yards and three more scores.
"Dobbs would have been my choice after his first two games with the Vikings," Diamond admitted. "But, he's come back to earth the past two games with six turnovers."
With Justin Jefferson primed to return, Dobbs and the Vikings' offense could be adding an element of explosiveness down the stretch, which could be a difference-maker in a tight race for the final NFC Wild Card spot.
3) Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
If Joe Flacco is in fact elite at anything, it might be at having staying power.
The 38-year-old former Super Bowl champion arrives with the Cleveland Browns, aiming to both hold off the charging Houston Texans and climb the AFC playoff hierarchy despite leading a roster that has been besieged by injuries at key positions.
"I would take Flacco," an AFC Offensive Coordinator told FanBuzz. "Especially because he has a really strong defense and dominant running game he can lean on."
As the coordinator points out, Flacco doesn't need to do it all, but if he is able to manage the game and limit mistakes, the Browns are going to have a puncher's chance at punching their postseason ticket.
4) Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
Just when the Steelers seemed to be gaining some momentum on offense, following offensive coordinator Matt Canada's firing, Kenny Pickett suffered an ankle injury against the Arizona Cardinals that seemed to derail everything Pittsburgh had done relatively well the week prior.
Trubisky finished 11-of-17 for 117 yards with one touchdown against the Cardinals, but the offense was just one-of-three in the red-zone. That number will need to be dramatically better, and Trubisky will need to maintain a high-level of consistency if the Steelers are going to survive the upcoming gauntlet and return to the playoffs.
5) C.J. Beathard, Jacksonville Jaguars
The bad news for the Jacksonville Jaguars is that test revealed Trevor Lawrence suffered a high-ankle sprain in the latter stages of Monday night's overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. However, there is some level of optimism that Lawrence could return as early as Sunday afternoon against the Browns.
Beathard dragged the Jaguars' offense into overtime, after Lawrence's departure, but Jacksonville's defense ultimately couldn't get off the field against Jake Browning and the Bengals' offense in the extra frame. Despite sitting at 8-4, if Lawrence is forced to miss significant time, it could prove significantly difficult for Jacksonville to survive with Beathard behind center.
