Backup Quarterbacks Are Playing a Bigger Role Than Usual Early in the 2026 NFL Season

Two weeks into the 2026 NFL season, six teams have already turned to their backup quarterbacks.

The Vikings, Falcons, Bears, Seahawks, Commanders and Giants all saw their starters go down within their first two games. Tua Tagovailoa sustained a back injury before he was slated to start in Week 1 for the Falcons, who also were missing Michael Penix Jr. as he continued to work back from a torn ACL. In Week 1, the Seahawks lost Sam Darnold and the Vikings lost Kyler Murray. Then in Week 2, the Bears’ Caleb Williams, Commanders’ Jayden Daniels and Giants’ Jaxson Dart all exited due to injury.

ORR: How the Bears Can Survive Without Quarterback Caleb Williams

Despite the NFL’s efforts to protect players at the game’s most important position, quarterbacks continue to be sidelined each week.

This marks the fourth consecutive year in which the beginning of the NFL season has been marred in part because of injury. In 2023, it was Aaron Rodgers going down with a torn Achilles on the first series of the game in prime time. In 2024, both Tagovailoa and Jordan Love sustained injuries in the first two weeks of the season after signing extensions with their teams in the offseason. Last year, Brock Purdy, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson all sustained injuries within the first month of the season. Now, several of the league’s most promising young quarterbacks are slated to miss time.

Yet, if the quarterback injuries already feel excessive to start this season in particular, that wouldn’t be an overstatement. According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, 38 different quarterbacks have thrown at least five passes through the first two weeks of the season, the most since 2021. The last time more than 38 quarterbacks threw at least five passes was 2001, when 39 quarterbacks did so.

NFL will have 38 QBs throw at least five passes through the first two weeks of the season if Stafford stays healthy. Through two weeks in years past...

2021: 38
2016: 36
2011: 37
2006: 37
2001 (31 teams): 39
1996 (30 teams): 39
1991 (28 teams): 33
1986: 36
1981: 35 https://t.co/fK1gPnASh1
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) September 22, 2026

The number of quarterback injuries perhaps feels even more jarring since the last generation of quarterbacks were incredibly durable. Philip Rivers, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning all had consecutive starts streaks that spanned more than 200 games. Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford and Joe Flacco all held consecutive starts streaks that lasted more than 100 games, with Brady holding three such streaks throughout his career. Rivers, Ryan, Wilson, Stafford, Flacco and the Manning brothers account for seven of the top-10 consecutive start streaks by a quarterback all time. While Stafford and Flacco are still active, much of their primes overlapped with the last generation of quarterbacks in the 2010s. The other three streaks in the top 10 belong to Ron Jaworski (116), Josh Allen (124) and the all-time leader, Brett Favre (297).

The newer generation of quarterbacks have not proved as durable. Some of this is because these quarterbacks have not been in the league long enough to create such a streak. The majority of quarterbacks, though, have missed at least a game due to injury over the past four seasons. Outside of Allen, only two quarterbacks have a consecutive starts streak of at least 50 games: Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff. Mayfield has started 57 consecutive games while Goff’s streak is 71 starts and counting.

More: Ranking the NFL’s 32 Backup QBs of 2026: Jameis Winston Cracks the Top Five

Perhaps the last generation of quarterbacks had better luck. Or the league’s current quarterbacks are more susceptible to injury due to playing style. The NFL’s current stable of signal-callers are much more mobile, and thus, more exposed to hits that can cause injury. The season is also longer, SI’s Conor Orr has written that coaches are concerned about fewer offensive linemen coming out of college NFL-ready to protect their quarterbacks, and there are many other variables.

Notably, plenty of star quarterbacks prior to the 2000s also dealt with their affliction of injuries. Steve Young, Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman all dealt with concussions before retiring. Joe Montana missed time due to back and elbow injuries. Jim Kelly and Phil Simms each missed playoff games in the 1990s because of injury.

Quarterback injuries are nothing new, though the number of them to start this season is certainly discouraging. These early season quarterback injuries quickly defuse any excitement to begin the year, and cast a shadow over the remainder of the year ahead.

Teams best positioned to handle losing their quarterback

The good news is that no starting quarterback has been ruled out for the entire season thus far in 2026. Both Murray and Penix are slated to return in Week 3. Williams got better news on his leg injury than expected, and Darnold is “week to week” after hurting his glute.

The return of these quarterbacks, however, might not matter much if their teams aren’t able to remain afloat while they are sidelined. Having a premier backup quarterback is more important than ever with all these quarterback injuries. What’s most important, though, is having a team that can carry the loss of the starting quarterback.

There was no better showcase of this than last season, when the Bengals and 49ers both lost their starters in the first two weeks. The Bengals went just 1–8 after Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury. Even though Joe Flacco was a solid fill-in for Burrow, the Bengals’ defense was one of the worst in the league and kept them from winning more games. The 49ers, meanwhile, went 5–3 with Mac Jones at the helm, keeping them in position to make a playoff push when Purdy returned. Thanks to great coaching and the presence of stars such as Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers have survived the injury bug better than most.

Outside of the 49ers, the Seahawks and Vikings have proved to be well-suited to handle a quarterback injury. Both teams are 2–0 despite losing their starters early in their season openers. The Seahawks are a defensive-led team, so they are less reliant on their quarterback in general. Plus, they have one of the best receivers in the game in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Life is much better on a backup when he can count on Smith-Njigba to get open and cash in for a touchdown. The Vikings likewise can lean on their Brian Flores–led defense. Minnesota is also used to quarterback turmoil, going 9–8 last season despite starting three quarterbacks.

Beyond these three squads, the Texans might be the next best recent example of a team managing a backup quarterback situation. Davis Mills went 3–0 last season as Houston relied on its defense to remain in the playoff race. The Packers typically also are well-prepared for the worst-case scenario. Malik Willis played great when Jordan Love missed time over the past two seasons, and current backup Tyrod Taylor is an experienced veteran.

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