5 Backup Quarterbacks Get Mixed Reviews for Week 3

Five NFL teams fielded backup quarterbacks, with varied results.

Carson Wentz (11) of the Minnesota Vikings warms up against the Atlanta Falcons before the game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sept. 14, 2025. David Berding/Getty Images

While Week 3 ended on Monday with two of the NFL’s top starting quarterbacks—Lamar Jackson and Jared Goff—taking the field, five teams fielded backup quarterbacks on Sunday.

Carson Wentz, Mac Jones, Tyrod Taylor, Jake Browning, and Marcus Mariota all filled in for their respective teams and delivered mixed results. For Wentz and Browning, their teams went head-to-head, so only one team was going to come away truly pleased with the result.

​Homecoming for Carson Wentz

​Wentz grew up a Minnesota Vikings fan, and the former No. 2 pick suited up for his childhood team on Sunday.

The Bismarck, North Dakota, native delivered with a 14-20 passing for 173 yards and two touchdowns in a 48–10 blowout of the Cincinnati Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Wentz started in place of the injured J.J. McCarthy, who has a high ankle sprain. While he recovers, the Vikings will give Wentz another start for Week 4 in Dublin, Ireland, against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Running out there, it’s been a while since getting a chance to do this, but then obviously being in the Purple and Gold means a little extra something to me personally,” Wentz told reporters on Sunday. “So yeah, I definitely had a lot of emotions, but I was able to channel them to the best of my ability, go out there and have a lot of fun with those guys.

“That’s what it was; it was a ton of fun,” he said. “I had a blast out there.”

It wasn’t a blast for Jake Browning, the Bengals’ backup quarterback replacing starter Joe Burrow, who was sidelined by a turf toe injury. Browning went 19-27 for 140 yards and a touchdown versus two interceptions, and one resulted in a pick-six by Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who had two defensive touchdowns on the day.

Cincinnati dipped to 2–1 for the season with the defeat, and the Bengals could be hard-pressed to make a quarterback change soon. Browning has a 67.8 percent completion rate for 381 yards and three touchdowns versus five picks in place of Burrow for the past two games, but Bengals head coach Zac Taylor didn’t tip his hand whether or not the team will make a change.

“But again, nobody was good, nobody can say, ‘I played great, man. I did everything I could to support Jake and do my part.’ There’s none of us that are gonna be able to say that, so that’s on all of us,” Taylor told reporters on Sunday.

Mac Jones Flips Script

Making his second start in place of Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones did something he has seldom done in his young career—engineer a fourth-quarter comeback.

Jones did just that against the Arizona Cardinals, which took a late lead on a safety. He guided the 49ers downfield on a 10-play, 63-yard drive in the final minutes, and kicker Eddy Pineiro walked off the Cardinals with a 35-yard field goal for the 16–15 victory.

“I’ve failed a lot in that situation in the NFL, to be honest,” Jones told reporters afterward. “And I just know the guys had my back. And like we talked about on the sidelines, ‘Let’s go out there and rip it.’ One play at a time and erase everything that had happened.”

“I’ve had a lot of potential game-winning drives in my career, and a lot of quarterbacks have,” he said. “I’ve done well in them, and I’ve done pretty bad in them, too, so I really was just motivated to change the narrative. And this team, I feel like they have my back.”

Marcus Mariota Shines

Marcus Mariota took care of business for the Washington Commanders on Sunday in place of the injured Jayden Daniels for a 41–24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Commanders didn’t miss a beat on offense as Mariota went 15-21 for 207 yards and a touchdown, plus another 40 yards rushing and a touchdown run. Mariota hadn’t started a game since December 2022, when he played for the Atlanta Falcons.

“First of all, God is good. I just... This means a lot to me,” Mariota told reporters afterward. “So it was awesome. It was such a good group of guys that were dedicated to doing their best and executing. And it was fun to be a part of today.”

“Just thinking about my journey. That’s about it. You know, the ups and the downs. And I was a part of a great franchise with the Raiders. And to see some of these guys and to play against them, it was a lot of fun for me, and I’m just a part of such a great culture, and I'll never take that for granted, and I’m just truly blessed and truly appreciative of it,” Mariota said.

Tyrod Taylor Falls Short

Tyrod Taylor, filling in for Justin Fields with the New York Jets on Sunday, was gifted with a big play by the Jets’ special teams.

Will McDonald IV blocked a late field goal and gave the Jets a 27–26 lead with 1:49 remaining in the game. Taylor could only watch afterward as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield rallied his team for a 29–27 victory on a game-winning drive as time expired. Taylor otherwise did his part as he completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns versus a pick.

“It’s tough, it’s frustrating,” Taylor told reporters afterward. “As players, you put your cleats, your helmets, your shoulder pads on, you strap up day in and day out to put in the work to go out there and win, and you want to see those rewards.

“There’s no moral victories, we accept that in our locker room, but we’re changing in a good way,” Taylor said. “Although that was a loss today, that was a lot for us to learn from as we keep shifting where this Jets team is going.”