NFL quarterback is a perilous position and signal callers can expect to receive some type of injury in the 16-week season. It seems like this year several marquee QBs have been sidelined for long amounts of times, forcing backups to take over.
In the past two weeks Green Bay;s Aaron Rodgers, Arizona;s Carson Palmer and Miami’s Jay Cutler were out indefinitely with injuries. Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone, Carson Palmer broke his left arm and Cutler reportedly cracked two ribs.
They join Indianapolis Colt’s Andrew Luck, who underwent shoulder surgery in January and recently suffered a setback in his rehabilitation process. He will most likely be out the remainder of the season. Palmer and Rodgers are joining him on the sidelines for the season and Cutler is out for an undetermined amount of time.
Backups Take Over
The Colts have had the entire offseason to prepare for Luck’s time off the roster, while the other teams have had to adjust in less than a week. Indianapolis has had second-year player Jacoby Brissett in the pocket since Week 2, when he replaced preseason starter Scott Tolzien, who threw two interceptions for touchdowns and was replaced mid game by Brissett.
Since the change Brissett has led the team to a 2-4 record, but more importantly to gamblers he is 3-3 against the spread, including two recent losses that weren’t even close. They got seven points on the road against Tennessee and lost by 14. Last week they hosted Jacksonville and were a 3-point underdog and were blown out 27-0.
Brett Hundley took over for Rodgers last week when Green Bay played the much-improved New Orleans Saints. Hundley was 12-25 for 87 yards and an interception, though he did have a rushing touchdown. The team, which was getting four points, lost 26-17. The team has a bye this week.
“All I can say is don’t write us off,” he said after the loss. “That’s the biggest thing. We’ve got to get better, we will get better. We’re not out.”
Beware of Point Spreads
This week one of the two backups will make his debut as Miami’s Matt Moore will take over behind center in their Thursday night game against the Baltimore Ravens. Fans have been clamoring for Moore to replace Cutler and he was impressive when he took over for him last week. He was 13-21 for 188 yards and two touchdowns and an interception. His quarterback rating was 102.9.
The performance was against the New York Jets, a team that beat them in Week 3. In this contest the line was 3 and they pushed. Against Baltimore they are again 3-point favorites. The inclination would be to put money on the Ravens, especially since the game is at Baltimore.
If any team needed a bye week it is Arizona. After getting clobbered 33-0 in London and losing Palmer, the team gets to reassess and get backup Drew Stanton ready for their November 5 contest against San Francisco. Stanton replaced Palmer Sunday and was 5-14 for 62 yards with an interception. It could be a long year for the 3-4 Cardinals.