By Marvin Moore October 17, 2023
When the Las Vegas Raiders visit Soldier Field on Sunday to battle the Chicago Bears, football fans will be treated to a matchup featuring journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer facing off against Tyson Bagent. Tyson who?
Both Justin Fields and Jimmy Garoppolo are inactive for the Week 7 encounter, and the bookies have noticed. The battle of the backups has a projected 37.5 points, a testament to the quarterbacks under center.
Deshaun Watson remains a question mark for the Cleveland Browns this week. If the $230 million signal-caller misses his third straight game, look for P.J. Walker and Gardner Minshew to showcase their elite skills in a high-scoring shootout. Oops, that’s a bad joke. My bad.
The New York Giants’ mediocre quarterback, Daniel Jones, still hasn’t been cleared for contact and didn’t take any snaps this week in practice. Thus, all signs point to Tyrod Taylor making his second start in an NFC matchup opposite Sam Howell. Two struggling offenses with a pair of underwhelming quarterbacks have also caught bookmakers’ attention in another anticipated low-scoring affair.
The worst fears of the NFL are slowly taking shape. Rules to protect quarterbacks are not working. The faces of the franchises are falling like flies, and the 2023 slate is just 30% complete. The league lives and dies by its robust TV ratings. But cloudy skies lie ahead with matchups like Bagent vs. Hoyer, Walker vs. Minshew, and Taylor vs. Howell. Heck, Jones vs. Howell isn’t really an upgrade.
The NFL already lost future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers to injury after just four offensive plays. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen avoided a trip to the IR after X-rays on his throwing shoulder this week. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a knee injury late in Sunday’s game but should play this week. Two close calls that could have been devastating news for the passer-driven league.
But that is just the beginning. Week 6 also saw Justin Fields and Jimmy Garoppolo go down with injuries that will prevent both from suiting up on Sunday. And promising rookie Anthony Richardson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill exited in the third quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. The Titans have a bye this week, so Tannehill might not miss any time. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a contusion on his left hand during Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. However, Mayfield will be under center this weekend after his X-rays came back negative.
Despite the NFL treating quarterbacks like fragile pieces of crystal glass, the game of football is too violent to protect its biggest targets. The pass-happy league is fueled by its big-name passers, and TV ratings depend on these franchise quarterbacks slinging passes each week. NFL fans are not fans of low-scoring games with weak-armed passers and punting competitions. That’s bad for business.
Last week was not an anomaly for the league and its sacred cows. Garoppolo and Derek Carr were knocked out of games in Week 3, while Justin Herbert, Matt Stafford, and Kenny Pickett endured injuries in Week 4. The rules committee and the yellow flags are not keeping quarterbacks off their backs, and that’s bad news for the NFL.
Americans love their dose of violent sports action every Monday, Thursday, and Sunday. The league added another game to the schedule a few years back to increase its profits. But with added revenue comes added problems. The NFL has a safety issue at its most important position. And it’s a problem that is only getting worse.
