Common sense tells us that the moment Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle in overtime of the AFC Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, the chance of his team winning the Super Bowl went down exponentially.
Vegas oddsmakers seemed to agree, installing the New England Patriots as 5.5-point favorites on the road in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
History, however, tells us something different.
All is not necessarily lost with Broncos backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham getting his first start in over 2 years, and there is actually a pretty incredible lineage of backup quarterbacks stepping in to win the Super Bowl throughout the course of NFL history.
Example 1: Earl Morrall Wins For Colts, Fins
The late Earl Morrall is perhaps the greatest backup quarterback in football history, regardless of level, and more than once put his team in a spot to win a Super Bowl throughout his 21-year NFL career by coming off the bench.
The most notable instance was in Super Bowl V, when Morrall, who died in 2014, came off the bench for the Baltimore Colts after an injury to starting quarterback Johnny Unitas in the second quarter and led his team to a 16-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
In the 1972 season, Morrall was back at it with the Miami Dolphins, going 9-0 during the regular season for injured starter Bob Griese before winning 2 playoff games and giving the job back to Griese for Super Bowl VI, where the Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins to complete the only undefeated season in NFL history.
Morrall, a 3-time Super Bowl champion, wasn’t always a backup. He was a 5-time NFL All-Pro with 3 different teams — the Pittsburgh Steelers, Colts and Dolphins — and was NFL MVP for the Colts in 1968.
Example 2: Jeff Hostetler Leads Giants To Title
Jeff Hostetler was in his seventh season as the backup quarterback to Phil Simms on the New York Giants — a stretch in which he’d already won one Super Bowl — and was ready to retire from the NFL before history came calling in 1990.
In a Week 15 loss to the Bills, Simms suffered a season-ending foot injury and Hostetler led the Giants to 5 consecutive victories, capped by their 20-19 upset win over the heavily-favored Bills in Super Bowl XXV.
Hostetler actually beat Simms out for the staring job the next season but broke his back in Week 12 and never became New York’s starter again, eventually leaving in free agency and becoming the starter for the Oakland Raiders for 4 years.
Example 3: Nick Foles Wins Philly’s 1st Super Bowl
The greatest example of a backup leading his team to a Super Bowl win is also the latest with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles.
Foles took over for starter Carson Wentz after he tore his ACL in Week 14 of the 2017 regular season and eventually led the Eagles to a 40-33 upset of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, going 28-of-43 passing for 373 yards, 3 touchdowns.
He also became the first player in Super Bowl history to throw for a touchdown pass and catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl and was named Super Bowl MVP.
NFL History Shows Broncos Backup QB Jarrett Stidham Can Win Super Bowl