There have been many spectacular quarterback performances this NFL season, from both the regular suspects and signal-callers who didn’t appear expected to take center stage.
Stars who are already well-known, including as Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes, have already declared themselves to be somebody to watch each week. However, 2023 has also seen a fair handful of unexpected celebrity cameos.
As the year comes to a close and the NFL regular season approaches its conclusion, we decided to ask our panel of NFL reporters and columnists the following questions:
The comeback of Joe Flacco with the Cleveland Browns
If Kirk Cousins had not suffered a season-ending knee injury, Joshua Dobbs would have been the answer a month ago. Dobbs helped save the Minnesota Vikings’ season. Now, though, it’s Flacco. His situation and that of Dobbs, who has been benched, demonstrate how drastically things can change in the NFL in the span of thirty days. Until the Browns selected Flacco to be their fourth starting quarterback of the season, nobody in the NFL was interested in him, even in this year of the backup quarterback.
The New York Jets also required an emergency starter, didn’t they? With a Super Bowl MVP and an indisputable road warrior, the Browns (9-5) have a better than average chance of winning on the road in the playoffs as the postseason approaches. Stated differently, the valiant display may continue for several more weeks. The Browns are currently 2-1 when Flacco begins, and they are coming off of a tremendous, 200-plus yard fourth quarter in the Bears’ comeback. This weekend’s game versus Houston will be played in Houston.
Jake Browning taking the lead as the primary
I was among many, I suppose, who believed that the Cincinnati Bengals were doomed to failure following the season-ending injury to quarterback Joe Burrow. The night his wrist came loose in Baltimore, I went into their locker room and observed a dejected, glum group. There was little indication from QB2 Jake Browning’s performance at MT&T Bank Stadium and in the subsequent 16-10 loss in Cincinnati against the Steelers that the defending AFC North champions were going anywhere but downhill.
But after resilient, devastating performances (to the opposition) while blowing massive holes into playoff-caliber teams like the Jaguars, Colts, and Vikings the past three weeks—two of those victories coming in overtime—Browning, who was essentially a career practice squader prior to this season and had never taken a snap during the regular season, has since made an old Army guy reminisce about the M2 Browning machine gun. In those three games, he has thrown for almost 1,000 yards, completed 77% of his passes for a QB rating of 112.6, and even scored two touchdowns on the ground. Although Browning will never be Burrow, a lot of teams will undoubtedly give him a close examination this offseason. Furthermore, the Bengals are undoubtedly out of the postseason even though it’s unlikely that they will make it back.
Josh Allen’s impressive performance in a losing effort
Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills had an equally gritty and star-studded performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in a Week 12 overtime loss, even though his team didn’t win the game. Allen completed 29 of 51 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns. He also gained 81 yards and two more scores on nine rushes. Third down, the bills were 13 of 22 (59%) for the yard. Allen bruised, twisted, and extended his way to extra yards and big plays throughout the whole game.
Was he flawless? Not at all. He made a pass interference. He may have won the game by throwing a game-winning pass to Gabe Davis in overtime, but the receiver may have erred by choosing the incorrect route after outpacing his defender off the line of scrimmage. But throughout that game, he combined his desire to play hero ball with enough smart plays to give his club more than a puncher’s chance against a Philadelphia team whose weaknesses had been exposed in three straight losses.
After the game, Allen sat in his locker feeling defeated by the 37-34 result. But because of what their quarterback did that day, there was still optimism in a Buffalo season that had not gone at all as planned. Following their bye, the Bills have since won two straight: last Sunday at Dallas and at Kansas City.
C.J. Stroud’s outstanding debut campaign
This season, the likely NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has shown nothing short of extraordinary. Without a doubt, Stroud has played like the best quarterback to enter the league since Justin Herbert. It has been a wonderful surprise to see his composure, maturity, and processing abilities against strong defenses. Stroud’s 98.7 passer rating ranks fourth in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 13 starts, and he has already surpassed the record for passing yards in an NFL rookie game.
There are no household names or stars on the Texans roster. They didn’t start the season as a favorite to make the playoffs. But Stroud has helped guide the young Texans into the postseason, where they are a contender to go for the first time since 2019. That seems heroic to me, particularly for a rookie quarterback.
Joshua Dobbs’ outstanding fill-in performance five days after being traded
Don’t allow what happened after that to degrade a fantastic performance. Yes, the other quarterbacks on this list won with more panache and style points, and they have all proven to be more durable. But what Dobbs accomplished for the Minnesota Vikings in their hour of need this November was a one-of-a-kind performance.
There was no reasonable expectation that Dobbs could contribute effectively to the Vikings on the field just five days after being acquired from the Arizona Cardinals at the NFL trade deadline. When rookie Jaren Hall sustained a first-quarter concussion against the Atlanta Falcons after being named Kirk Cousins’ replacement after the veteran tore his Achilles, Minnesota was out of options as primary backup Nick Mullens was on injured reserve.
Dobbs’ performance has become legendary by this point: Despite not knowing many of his teammates’ identities, he scored three touchdowns and threw the game-winning touchdown in the final minute to lead his side to a 31-28 victory. Dobbs would go on to have another strong start until being benched in the fourth quarter of the team’s 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. While Dobbs has faded into the background, his impact on the Vikings’ season – at a time when the offense was still struggling to keep afloat without Justin Jefferson – cannot be emphasized as they fight to hang on to a wild-card spot.
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