The quarterback is the most important position in the NFL, so it’s no surprise that of the four remaining teams in the 2020 playoffs, none of them lack a top-tier flag. The Chiefs have the current Super Bowl MVP in Patrick Mahomes. Bills has a current MVP candidate in Josh Allen. Packers have the current MVP favorite in Aaron Rodgers. And the Buccaneers have the most successful Super Bowl QB in NFL history in Tom Brady.
But injuries can change a QB’s situation in the blink of an eye, as evidenced several times just in this postseason: Alex Smith’s absence from the Washington wild-card game paved the way for an emergency start by Taylor Heinicke, Lamar Jackson’s forced fall against the Bills almost erased The Ravens ‘return changes in the divisional round, and Mahomes’ early exit against the Browns forced Kansas City to win without his best superstar.
With that in mind, here is a summary of each reserve QB set to grace the side lines at conference championships. If they are forced to do their duty, here’s how we would rate their ability to step in and help their team to the Super Bowl:
1. Chad Henne (Chiefs)
Was: 35
College: Michigan
NFL Experience: 13th season
Career begins: 54
Henne is easily the most experienced of the number 2 QBs still alive and also the most reliable. He hasn’t started a meaningful game since 2014, when he opened the year as the Jaguars’ QB, but has now spent three full years under Andy Reid’s tutelage and has replaced Mahomes on four occasions. Originally a second-round pick for the Dolphins in 2008, Henne was never a particularly “safe” QB as a full stopwatch, throwing at least 10 interceptions each season as a starter, but he knows how to play conservatively at this stage in his career. In the confines of Reid’s charged attack, his experience makes him quite capable of managing a game. He also showed some fighting after replacing Mahomes against Cleveland, notably reaching potential contact on the way to a late first down.
2. Matt Barkley (accounts)
Was: 30
College: USC
NFL Experience: 8th season
Career begins: 7
What Barkley lacks initial experience it makes up for with recent actions for Bills, appearing in eight games replacing Josh Allen since the end of 2018 – and five games this year alone. Stylistically, he is very different from Allen, preferring a more traditional pocket pass approach. He is also not particularly accurate, posting a career completion percentage below 59. And yet, his time in the account system, along with some promising snippets of early experience, make him relatively reliable in trouble. Originally a second-round pick for the Eagles in 2013, Barkley’s best performances came in 2016, as a six-game match for the Bears; and 2018, when he replaced Nathan Peterman and an injured Allen to take Buffalo to a 41-10 win and end a four-game losing streak.
3. Blaine Gabbert (privateers)
Was: 31
College: Missouri
NFL Experience: 10th season
Career begins: 48
Technically, he is much more experienced than Barkley in terms of early career. But its production has been average at each step. Less accurate than Barkley and Henne throughout their term in the NFL, the Jaguars’ 10th overall pick appeared as a replacement for Colin Kaepernick in 2015 with the 49ers, throwing 10 touchdowns and running 185 yards in eight matches. But otherwise he was hit or not. He looked pretty well scoring Tom Brady’s appeaser in 2020, but given anything close to a full action game, he would be a serious risk of turning point, with 47 interceptions and 33 fumbles in 60 career games.
4. Tim Boyle (Packers)
Was: 26
College: Eastern Kentucky
NFL Experience: 3rd season
Career begins: 0
The good thing for Boyle is that no one has any films about him. The guy appeared in just three games in his career and released only four passes in his career, most appearing as the expert kneeling at the end of Rodgers’ victories. But let’s not be fooled: in case the A-Rod goes down, Green Bay will be in trouble. A UConn transfer that struggled hard in college, playing 12 touchdowns for 26 interceptions, Boyle can at least say he spent three years watching Rodgers. The real X factor with the Packers’ reserve point, of course, is probably behind him on the depth chart, where first-round rookie Jordan Love remains number 3.
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