On an incredibly strange game day in the NFL, Week 8 saw five backup Quarterbacks take the field, with four of them coming away with a win.
The NFL is always full of surprises, and Week 8 was no exception, with the backup crew out in full force, and none of them were pushovers.
In New York, with Zach Wilson out and Joe Flacco not ready after his midweek trade from the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Jets turned to a relative unknown, Mike White. His challenge was to take on Joe Burrow and the AFC’s No. 1 seed, Cincinnati Bengals.
In what’s possibly the headline of the day, White and co stole the show, rolling over the Bengals 34-31. White threw for 405 yards and two touchdowns, being only the second QB in NFL history to notch up 400+ yards in the first start, joining Cam Newton on that exclusive list.
NFL Week 8: Mike White and the day of the backup quarterbacks
Sunday was the revenge of the backup: Cowboys QB Cooper Rush, Jets QB Mike White, Seahawks QB Geno Smith and Saints QB Trevor Siemian combined for nine total TDs and all contributed in wins for their teams. Rush and White both got wins in the first start of their NFL careers.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 1, 2021
For the Seattle Seahawks, Geno Smith continued at QB in the absence of Russell Wilson. Smith finally notched his first win against the Jacksonville Jaguars completing 20/24 passes, throwing two touchdowns, and even running one in for himself. Smith showed he still has a lot of football left, and sets up the Seahawks in an okay position, with the possibility of Wilson returning for the next game.
Down in the Superdome, the New Orleans Saints had the daunting task of Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jameis Winston gave them a good start, but was pulled down and has reportedly torn his ACL and injured his MCL, leaving him done for the year. Up steps former Denver Bronco, Trevor Siemian, who with the help of his defense, walked away 36-27 victors over the reigning Super Bowl champions, leaving the Saints at 5-2.
Week 8’s final game on Sunday, came between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. The big question surrounding the Sunday Night Football matchup was whether Dak Prescott would start.
Following warmups, the answer was no. This left the Cowboys with backup Cooper Rush, who had never started an NFL game, despite being in the league since 2017.
The primetime game was gritty and hard-fought, with both defenses showing out for the most part. Despite this, Rush did exactly what was needed, throwing for 325 yards and two touchdowns, including leading the game-winning drive, in which he connected with Amari Cooper in the endzone to leave Minnesota with the win.
Week 8 was full of surprises, but none bigger than the rise of the backup QB’s. For the Jets, head coach Robert Salah has already announced White will start on Thursday night. It’s possible that Siemian could start the Saints next game, with Winston’s predicament. Smith and Rush have both set up their lead guys for the next game, should they both return from injury.