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The Denver Broncos advanced to the AFC Championship game following a 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs last week, but the victory came at a cost.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle on the team's game-winning drive, forcing him to undergo season-ending surgery. Denver will now turn to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who received a strong endorsement from coach Sean Payton.
"[H]istorically speaking, all bets weren’t off with [Jeff] Hostetler," Payton said, referencing Phil Simms' backup who won a title with the New York Giants. "They weren’t off in Philly. We lost [Drew] Brees midseason against the Rams, and [Teddy] Bridgewater won five in a row. All bets can be off. They weren’t off for Houston this year when [Davis] Mills came in. I don’t know if he lost a game." (Mills went 3-0 as a fill-in starter this season.)
Payton's right — losing a starting quarterback does not automatically sink a team's season. In fact, multiple backup QBs have won a Super Bowl. Here's a quick recap.
1. Earl Morrall with the Baltimore Colts: Following the 1970 season, Johnny Unitas was knocked out of Super Bowl V with a rib injury in the second quarter. Morrall finished the game and helped secure a victory. Morrall previously stepped in for an injured Unitas in 1968 and started in a Super Bowl III loss. Later in his career, Morrall stepped up for an injured Bob Griese during the Miami Dolphins' perfect 1972 season, but Griese returned to start in the Super Bowl VII win.
2.Roger Staubach with the Dallas Cowboys: Craig Morton started in Week 1 of the 1971 season and four of the Cowboys' first seven games that year before Staubach finally took over as the full-time starter in Week 8. He went on to win Super Bowl VI. He kept the starting job after that and later won XII.
3. Terry Bradshaw with the Pittsburgh Steelers: Bradshaw had a rocky start to his pro career and did not start the first six games of the 1974 season. After replacing Joe Gilliam in Week 7, he held onto the starting job and went on to win Super Bowl IX (and three more titles later in his career).
4. Jim Plunkett with the Oakland Raiders: Plunkett was an experienced QB when he joined the Raiders in 1978, but he spent two years as a backup before replacing Marc Wilson five weeks into the 1980 season. He went on to win Super Bowl XV. Punkett later replaced Wilson again during the 1983 season on his way to a win in Super Bowl XVIII.
5. Doug Williams with the Washington Redskins: Williams replaced Jay Schroeder in Week 18 of the 1987 campaign and kept the starting job going into the playoffs, ultimately leading Washington to a win in Super Bowl XXII.
6.Jeff Hostetler with the New York Giants: After Phil Simms suffered a season-ending injury in Week 15 of the 1990 season, Hostetler took over and helped New York win Super Bowl XXV.
7. Kurt Warner with the St. Louis Rams: Trent Green went down with a season-ending injury during preseason ahead of the 1999 season. Warner then led the team to a win in Super Bowl XXXIV.
8. Trent Dilfer with the Baltimore Ravens: Five weeks into the 2000 season, Baltimore benched Tony Banks and turned the offense over to Dilfer. Led by a crushing defense, the Ravens went on to win Super Bowl XXXV.
9. Tom Brady with the New England Patriots: After Drew Bledsoe went down two games into the 2001 season, Brady took over and went on to win Super Bowl XXXVI (and a few more after that).
10. Nick Foles with the Philadelphia Eagles: After spending the first three years of his career in Philly, Foles spent time with two other clubs before returning to the Eagles as a backup ahead of the 2017 season. After starter Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending injury in Week 14, Foles led Philly to a win in Super Bowl LII.
The list of backups who led their team to the Super Bowl but lost includes Vince Ferragamo, Jack Delhomme and Colin Kaepernick. Stidham will hope to join the winners' list this postseason. The first step toward that goal would be upsetting the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: 10 backup quarterbacks who won a Super Bowl
Continue reading...
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle on the team's game-winning drive, forcing him to undergo season-ending surgery. Denver will now turn to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who received a strong endorsement from coach Sean Payton.
"[H]istorically speaking, all bets weren’t off with [Jeff] Hostetler," Payton said, referencing Phil Simms' backup who won a title with the New York Giants. "They weren’t off in Philly. We lost [Drew] Brees midseason against the Rams, and [Teddy] Bridgewater won five in a row. All bets can be off. They weren’t off for Houston this year when [Davis] Mills came in. I don’t know if he lost a game." (Mills went 3-0 as a fill-in starter this season.)
Payton's right — losing a starting quarterback does not automatically sink a team's season. In fact, multiple backup QBs have won a Super Bowl. Here's a quick recap.
Backup quarterbacks who won a Super Bowl
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1. Earl Morrall with the Baltimore Colts: Following the 1970 season, Johnny Unitas was knocked out of Super Bowl V with a rib injury in the second quarter. Morrall finished the game and helped secure a victory. Morrall previously stepped in for an injured Unitas in 1968 and started in a Super Bowl III loss. Later in his career, Morrall stepped up for an injured Bob Griese during the Miami Dolphins' perfect 1972 season, but Griese returned to start in the Super Bowl VII win.
2.Roger Staubach with the Dallas Cowboys: Craig Morton started in Week 1 of the 1971 season and four of the Cowboys' first seven games that year before Staubach finally took over as the full-time starter in Week 8. He went on to win Super Bowl VI. He kept the starting job after that and later won XII.
3. Terry Bradshaw with the Pittsburgh Steelers: Bradshaw had a rocky start to his pro career and did not start the first six games of the 1974 season. After replacing Joe Gilliam in Week 7, he held onto the starting job and went on to win Super Bowl IX (and three more titles later in his career).
4. Jim Plunkett with the Oakland Raiders: Plunkett was an experienced QB when he joined the Raiders in 1978, but he spent two years as a backup before replacing Marc Wilson five weeks into the 1980 season. He went on to win Super Bowl XV. Punkett later replaced Wilson again during the 1983 season on his way to a win in Super Bowl XVIII.
5. Doug Williams with the Washington Redskins: Williams replaced Jay Schroeder in Week 18 of the 1987 campaign and kept the starting job going into the playoffs, ultimately leading Washington to a win in Super Bowl XXII.
6.Jeff Hostetler with the New York Giants: After Phil Simms suffered a season-ending injury in Week 15 of the 1990 season, Hostetler took over and helped New York win Super Bowl XXV.
7. Kurt Warner with the St. Louis Rams: Trent Green went down with a season-ending injury during preseason ahead of the 1999 season. Warner then led the team to a win in Super Bowl XXXIV.
8. Trent Dilfer with the Baltimore Ravens: Five weeks into the 2000 season, Baltimore benched Tony Banks and turned the offense over to Dilfer. Led by a crushing defense, the Ravens went on to win Super Bowl XXXV.
9. Tom Brady with the New England Patriots: After Drew Bledsoe went down two games into the 2001 season, Brady took over and went on to win Super Bowl XXXVI (and a few more after that).
10. Nick Foles with the Philadelphia Eagles: After spending the first three years of his career in Philly, Foles spent time with two other clubs before returning to the Eagles as a backup ahead of the 2017 season. After starter Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending injury in Week 14, Foles led Philly to a win in Super Bowl LII.
The list of backups who led their team to the Super Bowl but lost includes Vince Ferragamo, Jack Delhomme and Colin Kaepernick. Stidham will hope to join the winners' list this postseason. The first step toward that goal would be upsetting the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: 10 backup quarterbacks who won a Super Bowl
Continue reading...
