The Two-Way Impact: How Backup QBs Alter Offensive And Defensive Game Plans

No longer just clipboard holders, high-priced backup quarterbacks are now viewed as essential season insurance policies. It’s not just about having a backup plan, but it’s the sheer volume of starting quarterbacks going down. Just two weeks into this season, six teams have already been forced to turn to backups due to injury. Replacing a starting quarterback isn’t just an offensive issue. It completely changes how the defense plays. On “FOX NFL Kickoff,” analysts Charles Woodson and Julian Edelman broke down how a quarterback change forces both sides of the ball to adjust. Woodson focused on the predatory mindset of a defense facing an unproven passer. “From a defensive standpoint, you’re licking your chops because you’re thinking to yourself that this guy doesn’t have the time on task that the regular guy does,” Woodson said. “He doesn’t work with the ones. As a defense, you’re throwing the entire kitchen sink at the backup because you think you can get him rattled.” However, Woodson pointed out that the message on the backup’s team is completely different. He revealed what players and coaches should be telling their QB2. “You tell him, ‘Hey man, we got your back,’” Woodson said. “‘Don’t turn the ball over, we’ll be fine.’ That’s the situation today with Seattle and Washington. For the past couple of weeks, [the Seahawks] had Drew Lock. He came in and held it down.” Edelman, on the other hand, pointed to the surge of energy a backup can bring to an offense, focusing on how having the right player under center can motivate an entire locker room. He pointed to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as a prime example. “Penix comes back from injury and what happens? The Atlanta Falcons look like a completely different football team,” Edelman said. “I mean we were talking about Atlanta potentially losing to a college football team before Week 3. It looked really bad.” The return of Penix not only shows the impact of a difference-making quarterback, but Edelman thinks his return is bigger than we think. He went so far as to say the Falcons could now win the NFC South. That’s how much a quarterback means to his team. “The NFL is so week-to-week,” Edelman said. “It’s so unbelievable. We were writing these guys off for dead and now they could potentially win the [NFC] South because the run game travels and that offensive line travels. It’s going to be really interesting.”