NFL Week Nine features several starting quarterbacks sidelined with injuries. Deshaun Watson, Sam Darnold, and Kyler Murray will all be sidelined. What will happen if the backup quarterbacks perform well?
Drew Lock
This will be Drew Lock’s third time taking the field this year for the Seattle Seahawks. In his first two outings, he threw for 422 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions with a 127.3 passer rating on 72.9% completion. This weekend, he gets to face a poor Arizona Cardinals defense for the second time this year.
What would a good performance from Lock mean for Darnold and the team? It’s easy for fans to compare Lock’s statistics directly with Darnold’s. Darnold has thrown ten touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 79.5 passer rating.
It’s no secret that Darnold has struggled, but context matters. If Lock plays well this weekend, two of his three outings will have been against the last-ranked Cardinals’ pass defense. On top of that, Darnold just led the team to a Super Bowl less than a year ago. In order for the QB decision to be a real conversation, Lock will have to continue to play well against better competition.
For now, despite the struggles, Darnold should remain the starter when he’s healthy. Even if Lock doesn’t take Darnold’s job in Seattle, another strong performance could help him establish himself as a legitimate starting candidate elsewhere in 2027. Keep an eye on Lock for your NFL Week Nine slate.
Carson Wentz
A good performance for Carson Wentz would lead to some controversy in Minnesota. Unlike Darnold, Murray doesn’t have a long leash because of his subpar performance over the last four seasons coming into 2026. To start this season, Murray has five touchdowns and three interceptions with an 86.6 passer rating.
Like Lock, it will be Wentz’s third outing on the field. He has thrown for three touchdowns and no interceptions with a 106.4 passer rating on 59% completion. Not a perfect stat line, but marginally better than the starter.
A great performance by Wentz in primetime against the Buffalo Bills would spark some debates. Would the Minnesota Vikings be better off with Wentz? Murray has had a passer rating less than 90 in four of the last five seasons, including this one.
For a team with a historically strong defense, quarterback play must at least be adequate. Up until this point, Murray hasn’t even been that. This NFL Week Nine performance by Wentz could shake things up for the rest of the season.
Shedeur Sanders
This is arguably the biggest game of Shedeur Sanders’ life. He will be getting the start in NFL Week Nine as Watson didn’t clear concussion protocol. He will be facing a New Orleans Saints team that is ranked 24th against the pass.
It will be a good opportunity for Sanders to put up a solid performance. With him being a fiftth-round pick, he doesn’t have a long NFL leash. In his rookie year last year, he threw for seven touchdowns and ten interceptions on 56.6% completion with a 68.1 passer rating.
At the start of 2026, Sanders lost the QB battle in training camp and preseason to Watson. While Watson hasn’t been statistically brilliant, he has been good late in games, engineering five fourth-quarter comebacks, leading this Cleveland Browns team to 5-3.
If Sanders plays well, it wouldn’t immediately spark any QB controversy. It would take a string of good games for that to happen. A good game, however, would prevent teams around the league from viewing him as a lifelong backup.
End Of My NFL Week Nine Rant
NFL Week Nine is the week of the backup quarterback. Three notable backups get a chance to start on Sunday. A poor performance wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. That’s why they are backups.
A good performance, though, is where things get interesting. Lock could earn a starting opportunity elsewhere, Wentz could create a quarterback controversy, and Sanders could change how the league views his future. One Sunday could have significant consequences for all three.
Keep an eye out for these quarterbacks and teams in NFL Week Nine.
