It was a wild NFL Sunday. The Titans beat the Colts in overtime in an instant classic, New England sent a chill down the spine of haters everywhere by putting together a solid performance on both sides of the ball to beat the Chargers, and the Lions, who everyone (including me) swore would get their first win at home against the hapless Eagles, instead got their doors blown off.
But the big storyline of the week?
Backup quarterbacks.
THREE backup quarterbacks engineered wins in the most improbable of circumstances.
Cooper to Cooper
On Sunday night, in a game everyone thought was over for the Cowboys when Dak got pulled late for a calf injury, Cooper Rush FINALLY got a start in front of his family and guess what? He led the Cowboys on a game-winning drive to beat the Vikings 20-16. He also became the first quarterback to throw a touchdown to a receiver with the same last name as his first name. Keep up those trivia questions, Cris Collinsworth.
No one, and I mean NO ONE, loses games they’re supposed to win more than the Vikings. Also no one loses to more rookie and/or first start QBs than Minnesota. It’s just what you do when you’re the world’s most inconsistent franchise.
But did anyone see this one coming? Rush was 24-40 for 325 yards and a game-winning DIME to Amari Cooper with just under a minute left in the game. Who would have thought a backup would be called on to throw the ball 40 times? Of course, the most important thing was that he didn’t do anything to lose, which is pretty much all you can ask of a guy who’s spent a lot of time watching others be a hero.
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All of this goes to show you that a good backup can go a LONG way. In January, when Dallas doesn’t have to go on the road for a playoff game and gets a nice long week off? Jerry will be dropping off an extra large gift basket for Cooper, and we’re not talking Amari.
And if they get to the Super Bowl, at least they know they have someone competent behind Dak in case, God Forbid, anything happens to the franchise.
Mike White?
The Cincinnati Bengals drilled the Ravens last week and immediately became everyone’s darling. Then, when Vegas came out with the line putting Cincy at -3.5 only over the Jets, so much money came in on the Bengals. So. Much. Money.
Why? Ja’Marr Chase and Joey Burrow, that’s why.
But anyone who’s ever watched any Bengals teams of the past 20 years play football knows this is their M.O. Rise up and beat good teams, sink down and lose to bad ones. You can set your clock by it. They consistently and constantly play down to the competition.
You know who else Vegas didn’t take into account? Mike White.
You know, the guy the Jets so undervalued they started a rookie over him. And when that rookie (who’s been historically bad) got hurt? Send in Mike White as a sacrificial lamb.
What could hurt?
White went 37-45 for 405 and 2 TDs which is the second time a rookie QB has thrown for 400 yards in his first start since 1950. Which is impressive for two reasons. One, because virtually no one knew who Mike White was before yesterday, and two, who knew the Bengals secondary was this bad? Thirty-seven completions is an all-time record for a first-time starter in the NFL. I mean, every QB who’s ever made a Pro Bowl has started a first game and not one of them -- Brady, Elway, Montana, Otto freaking Graham -- has had 37 completions. Go figure.
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I don’t think this makes the Bengals frauds. I think it means Mike White caught lightning in a bottle, and he did something no quarterback is likely to do again for a very, very long time.
Someone Check On John Elway
If I were to tell you that the Saints, yet again, beat the Buccaneers in NOLA without Drew Brees would you have believed me? Probably, given how short of a leash Sean Payton has had Jameis Winston on. And probably even more if I told you Taysom Hill was filling in for Jameis because of a knee injury.
But what about Trevor Siemian, yes, the same Trevor Siemian whom Denver Bronco fans relentlessly jeered until they ran him out of town?
GTFO.
Yep. Because of a concussion to Taysom Hill, and Ian Book being inactive, Trevor f’ing Siemian had the rock and was given the reins to lead a 65-yard go-ahead drive against the defending champs.
The guy had only completed SIX passes in the last three years.
What a world.
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Yeah it was that kind of week in the NFL. The kind of weekend that reminds you that just because a team loses a star player or gets a coach fired, doesn’t mean they all of a sudden just stop playing football.
Even dudes you don’t even know (or in Trevor’s case, remember) can/will sling the rock.
What a crazy, wild slate of games. Can’t wait to get back to it again next weekend!
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