Quarterbacks are marked men in the NFL, but things are getting ridiculous for signal callers across the league.
Injuries have hit the position harder than ever before, and on Sunday things only got worse for those directing offenses.
After Cam Newton was literally knocked out of the game against the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the day, starting quarterbacks have begun to go down like flies in the late games as well.
Following Newton’s concussion, it was Denver Broncos starter Trevor Siemian who was carted off the field after taking an awkward hit to the ground on a scramble play.
Broncos starter Trevor Siemian was carted off the field in Tampa Bay.
Rookie Paxton Lynch is now in at QB for Denver. pic.twitter.com/lRHphPx4vs
— ESPN (@espn) October 2, 2016
Then, not too long after, it was the third quarterback knocked out of a game on the day. This time it was Arizona Cardinals starter Carson Palmer, who also left the game with a potential concussion.
Carson Palmer has gone to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion.
Drew Stanton takes over with Arizona down 4, 2 minutes left. pic.twitter.com/N9yGQSA0lJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 2, 2016
Palmer would be replaced by former Michigan State standout and journeyman backup Drew Stanton, and it looks like Stanton might be starting next week, too
The bad news for Siemian isn’t just in the form of whatever injury he actually has sustained. It also is in the fact that rookie Paxton Lynch has stepped right in and looked the part of a starting quarterback as well.
Could there be a quarterback controversy in Denver?
It certainly wouldn’t be the only team with one due to injury, as Brian Hoyer has stepped up in a big way for the injured Jay Cutler in Chicago. His play has made it so that even the talking heads on the national shows are questioning if we have seen the last of Cutler in a Bears uniform directing this team at QB.
Then there is an apparently obvious changing of the guard happening in Dallas as Dax Prescott has gotten off to a flying start in place of the injured Tony Romo for the Cowboys.
Given the apparently fragile nature of QB these days in the league, we shouldn’t count anything out of the realm of possibility and while it seems like the days of Cutler and Romo may be numbered with their current teams, they still may be called on as the season progresses.
It certainly has been a wild start to the always unpredictable NFL season, and a horrific one for its quarterbacks.
