Only 10 NFL quarterbacks started all 17 regular-season games for their teams last season. So it should not be a surprise to fans, or customers at Virginia sportsbooks, that the total number of quarterback starters last season set a record.
The number of players who lined up behind center as a starter was an astounding 68.
That set a record for a non-strike season. In 1987, when the league played three of its games with replacement players, reportedly there were 87 QB starters over the course of the season.
In 2022, two of the NFL’s 32 teams had four starters, the Arizona Cardinals, and the L.A. Rams. Quite a few teams started three quarterbacks.
One of them was the Washington Commanders, who enter the 2023 season with +8000 odds at BetMGM Virginia Sportsbook to win the Super Bowl in February.
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Sam Howell Picks Up Where He Left Off
In fact, the guy who started the last game of 2022 for Washington, Sam Howell, is slated to start the first one in 2023.
Howell has the distinction of being undefeated, so far. In Week 17, he led Washington past the archrival Dallas Cowboys, 26-6, completing 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Howell also had five rushing attempts for 35 yards and another TD.
That all added up to a starting job for Howell, a 22-year-old from the University of North Carolina who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
This season you can track the Washington Commanders playoff chances at BetVirginia.com.
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QB Carousel in Washington in 2022
The Commanders started 2022 with Carson Wentz as a supposed answer at quarterback. In short order, they were leaning on Taylor Heinicke. Neither player is with the team any longer.
So, if there’s any reason that Howell does not start a game, what’s Plan B for Washington? That would be veteran Jacoby Brissett, who has been both a starter and a backup during his seven-year career. Washington could do worse.
We wondered how Brissett stacks up against all of the other projected No. 2 quarterbacks in the league entering the 2023 season.
So BetVirginia.com, your source for the best Virginia sportsbook promotions, used data on all 32 backup QBs from Pro-Football-Reference.com. We considered games started, quarterback rating, touchdown percentage and interception percentage to compile an aggregate ranking of the most valuable backup QBs in the league. Based on those criteria, Brissett was ranked the eighth-best backup quarterback on NFL rosters.
In the various categories measured, Brissett was tied for No. 8 in games started; No. 12 in rating; No. 22 in TD% and No. 1 in INT%.
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Ranking NFL Backup Quarterbacks Entering 2023 Season
| Team | Backup QB | Aggregate Rank | Games Started | QB Rating | TD % | INT % |
|---|
| Colts | Gardner Minshew | T-1st | 15th | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd |
| Eagles | Marcus Mariota | T-1st | 3rd | 4th | 6th | T-9th |
| Panthers | Andy Dalton | 3rd | 1st | 7th | 5th | T-11th |
| Giants | Tyrod Taylor | 4th | 7th | 5th | T-10th | 3rd |
| Lions | Teddy Bridgewater | 5th | 4th | 3rd | 15th | T-5th |
| Steelers | Mitch Trubisky | 6th | 2nd | 8th | 2nd | 22nd |
| Saints | Jameis Winston | 7th | T-5th | 9th | T-10th | 8th |
| Commanders | Jacoby Brissett | 8th | T-8th | 12th | 22nd | 1st |
| Raiders | Brian Hoyer | 9th | 10th | 14th | T-16th | T-5th |
| Falcons | Taylor Heinicke | 10th | 14th | 10th | T-7th | T-15th |
| Bengals | Trevor Siemian | T-11th | 12th | 16th | 9th | T-11th |
| Patriots | Bailey Zappe | T-11th | T-27th | 1st | 1st | T-19th |
| Cowboys | Cooper Rush | 13th | 24th | 11th | T-12th | 4th |
| Texans | Davis Mills | 14th | 13th | 13th | T-12th | T-15th |
| Vikings | Nick Mullens | 15th | 19th | 6th | T-7th | T-23rd |
| 49ers | Sam Darnold | 16th | T-5th | 20th | T-16th | T-19th |
| Cardinals | Colt McCoy | 17th | 11th | 18th | 23rd | T-9th |
| Jaguars | CJ Beathard | 18th | 20th | 17th | T-16th | T-11th |
| Bills | Kyle Allen | 19th | 18th | 15th | 14th | 18th |
| Seahawks | Drew Lock | 20th | 17th | 19th | T-16th | 14th |
| Chiefs | Blaine Gabbert | 21st | T-8th | 24th | 20th | T-19th |
| Ravens | Tyler Huntley | 22nd | 21st | 21st | 28th | T-5th |
| Jets | Zach Wilson | 23rd | 16th | 25th | T-25th | T-15th |
| Broncos | Jarrett Stidham | 24th | T-27th | 23rd | 4th | 28th |
| Dolphins | Mike White | 25th | T-22nd | 22nd | 24th | 25th |
| Browns | Josh Dobbs | 26th | T-27th | 26th | T-25th | T-23rd |
| Bears | PJ Walker | 27th | T-22nd | 27th | 27th | 26th |
| Rams | Brett Rypien | 28th | T-25th | 28th | 21st | 29th |
| Titans | Malik Willis | 29th | T-25th | 29th | T-29th | 27th |
| Bucs | Kyle Trask | 30th | T-30th | 30th | T-29th | T-30th |
| Packers | Sean Clifford | T-31st | T-30th | T-31st | T-29th | T-30th |
| Chargers | Easton Stick | T-31st | T-30th | T-31st | T-29th | T-30th |
How Brissett Ranks Among Backup QBs
You can keep up with the Washington Commanders Super Bowl odds all season at BetVirginia.com.
As a starter, Brissett has a career record of 18-30 with four teams. Last season, Brissett was 4-7 with the Cleveland Browns while being in the awkward position of being a placeholder at quarterback until DeShaun Watson came off his suspension that resulted from sexual assault allegations.
In the BetVirginia.com analysis of backup quarterbacks, based on pro-football-reference stats, Indianapolis’ Gardner Minshew and Philadelphia’s Marcus Mariota were tied for No. 1. Carolina’s Andy Dalton was ranked No. 3, the New York Giants’ Tyrod Taylor was No. 4, and Detroit’s Teddy Bridgewater was No. 5.
Interestingly, Heinicke, who was 12-11-1 over two seasons when he did get to start in Washington, including 5-3-1 last season, is now the backup in Atlanta where Desmond Ridder is expected to be the starter.
Stick with us at BetVirginia for our legal Virginia betting apps reviews as well as more news coverage as football season draws closer.
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