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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 lack a top caller. The Chiefs have the reigning Super Bowl MVP in Patrick Mahomes. The Bills have a current MVP candidate for Josh Allen. The Packers have the current MVP favorite to Aaron Rodgers. And the Buccaneers have the most successful Super Bowl QB in NFL history with Tom Brady.
But injuries can change a QB situation in the blink of an eye, as this playoff series has repeatedly shown: Alex Smith’s absence from the Washington wild card game set the stage for an emergency start from Taylor Heinicke, Lamar Jackson’s hard landing against the Bills all but wiped out the Ravens ‘return changes in the divisional round and Mahomes’ early exit against the Browns forced Kansas City to win without its best superstar.
With that in mind, here’s a recap of every save QB featured in conference championships. If they’re forced to take office, here’s how we’ll rank their ability to step in and help their team at the Super Bowl:
1. Chad Henne (Chiefs)
Age: 35
University: Michigan
NFL Experience: 13th season
Carrier start: 54
Henne is by far the most experienced of the # 2 QBs still alive, and he’s also the most reliable. He hasn’t started a meaningful game since 2014, when he opened the year as QB for the Jaguars, but he has now spent three full years under Andy Reid’s tutelage and replaced Mahomes four times. Originally a second-round pick by the Dolphins in 2008, Henne has never been a particularly “safe” QB as a full timekeeper, throwing at least 10 interceptions per season as a starter, but he knows how to play. conservatively at this point in his career. Within the confines of Reid’s charged offense, his experience makes him very capable of handling a match. He also showed some fighting after replacing Mahomes against Cleveland, including potential contact en route to a late first down.
2. Matt Barkley (Bills)
Age: 30
University: USC
NFL Experience: 8th season
Carrier start: seven
What Barkley lacks in starting experience he makes up for with recent action for the Bills, appearing in eight games for Josh Allen’s relief since the end of 2018 – and five games this year. Stylistically, he’s very different from Allen, preferring a more traditional pocket-pass approach. It is not particularly accurate, showing a career completion percentage of less than 59. And yet, his time in the Bill system, along with a few promising scopes of starting experience, make him relatively reliable in a pinch. Originally a second-round pick by the Eagles in 2013, Barkley’s best performances came in 2016, as a scrappy six-game starter for the Bears; and 2018, when he replaced Nathan Peterman and an injured Allen to lead Buffalo to a 41-10 victory and end a four-game losing streak.
3. Blaine Gabbert (Buccaneers)
Age: 31
University: Missouri
NFL Experience: 10th season
Carrier start: 48
Technically, he is much more experienced than Barkley in terms of the start of his career. But its output has been equally poor around every turn. Less precise than Barkley and Henne during his tenure in the NFL, the former Jaguars’ 10th overall pick replaced Colin Kaepernick in 2015 with the 49ers, throwing 10 touchdowns and rushing for 185 yards on eight starts. But he was otherwise hit or miss. He looked fine climbing the scoring as Tom Brady’s reliever in 2020, but given everything that comes close to a full action game he would be a serious rotational risk, with 47 steals. and 33 fumbles in 60 career games.
4. Tim Boyle (Packers)
Age: 26
University: Eastern Kentucky
NFL Experience: 3rd season
Carrier start: 0
The good thing about Boyle is that no one has a movie about him. The guy has appeared in just three career games and thrown just four career assists, mostly appearing as the kneeling specialist at the end of Rodgers’ wins. But let’s not kid ourselves here: if A-Rod breaks down, Green Bay will be in trouble. A UConn transfer who struggled hard in college, throwing 12 touchdowns in 26 interceptions, Boyle can at least say he spent three years watching Rodgers. The real X-factor with the Packers’ save place, of course, is likely to be found behind him on the Depths map, where big-armed first-round rookie Jordan Love remains No.3.
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