QB1 carnage around the NFL: Ranking the Week 9 backup situations from worst to least bad
QB1 carnage around the NFL: Ranking the Week 9 backup situations from worst to least bad originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Oftentimes, keeping a quarterback healthy is just as critical to an NFL team’s playoff chances as anything else.
There’s arguably no apples-to-apples comparison for how much the quarterback position aligns with a football team’s potential vs. any other position in sports. And already, at the halfway mark of the 2026 NFL season, a collection of teams have been forced to turn deeper into their passing depth charts than anticipated.
Whether due to injuries or poor performance, Week 9 features some unlikely names taking QB1 snaps — with some of those situations being better than others.
Here’s a ranking of the unlikely QB1 situations across NFL Week 9 games, with the lowest-ranked being the best situation, and the highest-ranked being the ugliest situation.
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7. Drew Lock, Seahawks
How they got here
Sam Darnold was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals due to a quad injury, though it will not be a long-term absence. Per ESPN, head coach Mike MacDonald said Darnold is considered week-to-week, will not be placed on IR and will have a chance to play in Week 10 before a Week 11 bye.
Drew Lock is also dealing with an elbow injury that led to him being inactive the last two games, per ESPN, but he’s expected to start as long as he’s ready to go.
Drew Lock throwing at #Seahawks practice today, something he did little of the previous 3 weeks while with an injured right elbow. He’s next to new 4th QB Adrian Martinez. Lock is on track to start for injured Sam Darnold Sunday vs the Arizona Cardinals. @933KJR https://t.co/lNhCXWhRD7
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) November 5, 2026
It likely marks Lock’s second starting stint of the season — Darnold was injured early in Week 1 and missed the following game, also against Arizona.
Where they go from here
Right now, Lock has a case as the best backup quarterback in the NFL. Over Weeks 1 and 2, he totaled 422 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Patriots and Cardinals, both wins for Seattle. For the most part, Lock can run the Seahawks’ offense at the same level as Darnold; his presence in Week 9 against Arizona doesn’t change much, with the Seahawks already significant favorites to grab a win.
There also doesn’t appear to be much concern for Darnold’s long-term outlook. If he’s not back by Week 10, then he should be on the field after Seattle’s Week 11 bye.
Unless Lock is forced to miss Sunday’s game due to his elbow injury — which would thrust Jalen Milroe into his first career start — there’s little reason for the Seahawks to be concerned with their quarterback situation over the next few weeks. Lock has proven himself already.
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6. JJ McCarthy, Giants
How they got here
After Jaxson Dart’s unfortunate early-season injury, initially, the Giants appeared open to allowing Jameis Winston to take over as QB1 for the rest of the season. But as Winston remained unimpressive, and the rest of the NFC East struggled, New York swung a trade for a new starter.
JJ McCarthy struggled in his lone season as a starter in Minnesota, enough so that the Vikings were willing to part ways with their former first-rounder in exchange for 2027 fifth-round pick. After initially taking on a backup role, McCarthy entered the game in Week 6 and hasn’t let go of the starting job since.
Where they go from here
Unexpectedly, McCarthy has already proven himself as a starting-level NFL quarterback over the last few weeks — and he may just be good enough for the Giants to win a bad NFC East this year.
After his lights-out fourth quarter in a loss to the Saints, McCarthy led New York to a win over Houston on Oct. 25, throwing for 252 yards in an overtime victory. It’s been a limited sample size, but McCarthy has been sufficient enough with his offensive weapons, including tight end Isiah Likely and receiver Malik Nabers, to keep the Giants competitive.
J.J. McCarthy finds Nabers downfield! NYGvsHOU on FOX/FOX One Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/VZ5HPcZ4JI
— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026
Based on what John Harbaugh has seen over the last two games, McCarthy may be the perfect filler quarterback in Dart’s absence for the rest of 2026. If he can avoid turnovers, New York has a clear path to the playoffs, making this a best-case backup scenario so far after Dart’s injury.
5. Gardner Minshew, Cardinals
How they got here
This past offseason, the Cardinals decided to run it back with Jacoby Brissett as QB1 after he turned in some decent numbers in 2025 while taking over for Kyler Murray. As Arizona decided upon its next franchise quarterback — whether rookie Carson Beck or a 2027 draft selection — Brissett was supposed to keep the offense afloat, at least to start the 2026 season.
That wound up lasting eight games. Brissett threw seven interceptions and posted a 79.7 quarterback rating, and the final straw for head coach Mike LaFleur was the veteran’s inability to take advantage of a struggling Cowboys secondary in Week 8.
Rather than give Beck his first NFL snaps, LaFleur stuck with another veteran, rolling out journeyman Gardner Minshew to finish out the game against Dallas. And it wound up being the decision that led to Arizona’s third win of the season.
Minshew torched the Cowboys for 188 yards and three
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