On NFL's Backup QB Day, Wentz Wins, Mariota's Magnificent & Browning Bombs

It was the Day of the Backup QB in the NFL on Sunday as five new starting quarterbacks took over for injured starters. So in went Carson Wentz, Marcus Mariota, Jake Browning, Tyrod Taylor and Mac Jones.

And as backup quarterbacks are apt to do, it was inconsistent as a group.

The best day was delivered by Wentz, who was starting because Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has a high left ankle sprain. 

Wentz threw two touchdowns, had a 129.8 passer rating, led a touchdown drive on the Vikings' first possession, and generally was part of the solution instead of the problem.

Wentz played well enough that the next conversation Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell has with McCarthy might be to remind his starter he's still injured and needs more rest.

"All I can is I had a blast out there," Wentz said afterward. "It was a ton of fun. Also, it was a ton of fun watching the defense play like that – I think it was five turnovers."

Mac Jones Delivers Winning Drive

The 49ers are definitely going back to Brock Purdy once his toe and shoulder are healthy. And in the meantime, the 49ers are winning with Mac Jones.

Jones struggled to get the 49ers into the end zone against the Arizona Cardinals, but he found clarity early in the fourth quarter and when he threw his only TD pass. And then again in the final 1:46 when he drove his team 63 yards in 10 plays for the game-winning field goal.

So that's some good and some bad by Jones. Nobody is going to remember that.

People will recall the final drive. And the fact the 49ers are undefeated and in first place in the NFC West despite not having their starting quarterback. 

Marcus Mariota Helps Author A Blowout

Wentz would have to share the crown for best game of the day with Mariota. 

People forget this guy was once the No. 2 player selected in the draft. Yes, that was 2015, and he's become something of a journeyman since then. 

But the guy who showed up Sunday was more the high pick than the journeyman.

Mariota, playing because Jayden Daniels is nursing a sprained knee, completed 15 of 21 passes (71.4 completion percentage) for 207 yards with one touchdown. He also rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Bottom line: A team that some would argue is a one-man squad because Daniels was so dynamic last season, showed it's more than that. 

Minor, Bloody Problem Of Mariota's Day

There was, however, a hiccup on Mariota's day.

He helped his team blow away the Raiders, but he also blew up Dan Quinn in a sideline collision that left the Washington coach bloodied and actually needing attention from trainers. Granted, it wasn't totally Mariota's fault because he was pushed into his coach by a tackler, but my goodness, it looked ugly.

"I tried my best to hold him up as much as I could," Mariota sheepishly said afterward. 

"He went into the training room and got bandaged up and was, like, ‘OK, let’s keep going.' I think that's really what got the guys going in the second half."

On the sideline across from Wentz, the Cincinnati Bengals gave the ball to Jake Browning because Joe Burrow's turf toe injury and surgery means he's out the remainder of the season, as OutKick first reported early last week.

Browning Day's Worst Performance

And Browning delivered a different kind of outing than what Wentz did. He threw an interception that Isaiah Rogers returned 87 yards for a touchdown. He had another interception later.

His passer rating was a predictably terrible 63.8.

"That was bad," Browning said. "I'm sitting in it right now, being miserable. Got to be able to bounce back."

Browning said he needs to "find ways to survive plays" like the interception by throwing incompletions – which also isn't good, but at least not catastrophic for his team.

It was so rough that when reporters suggested to Browning that the Bengals running back was also MIA on Sunday, he declined to take the excuse.

"I'm not going to sit here and talk about the run game when I don't feel I played very well," Browning said.

Taylor Some Good Some Not

Moving on …

Tyrod Taylor had great moments. And a terrible moment.

Mac Jones, meanwhile, also offered some good and some problems.

So, inconsistent from both

The good? Taylor threw two touchdown passes against Tampa Bay, which is one more than Justin Fields had the first two games of the season combined. He led the team in rushing with 48 yards.

But Taylor also threw a pick-6 just before halftime. So, the question here is: Do the Jets stay with Taylor and give him another chance or go back to Fields as soon as he's cleared to play? This performance suggests two things:

New York will probably go back to Fields. But if Fields continues to struggle, coach Aaron Glenn might be more quickly tempted to move on to Taylor.