During each of their news conferences on Wednesday, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow spent some time heaping praise on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. A short time later, news broke that Purdy is in concussion protocol and may not play Sunday against the Bengals.
Enter Sam Darnold, whose only career start against the Bengals came in 2019, and it resulted in Taylor’s first career victory in the NFL, a 22-6 victory against the Jets in Cincinnati.
How Have the Bengals Fared Against Backup Quarterbacks?
While most would view Purdy’s possible availability as increasing the chances for the Bengals to win — and you can count the oddsmakers among them with the point spread dropping to 49ers by 3.5 after opening at 6 — older Bengals fans know the team has a long, tortured history against backup quarterbacks.
#49ers QB Brock Purdy is in concussion protocol, and recent line movement suggests he may not play in Week 8 vs. the #Bengals.
The spread has moved from Niners -5.5 to -3.5 on @DKSportsbook. 👀
Sam Darnold would get the start.
More on @PFNBetting: https://t.co/Z9Hg0AuePy pic.twitter.com/qjp8lQdr2W
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 25, 2023
Even newer fans don’t have to dig too deep in their memories to find an example, as it took a record-breaking 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown to keep the Bengals from losing to Snoop Huntley and the Ravens in last year’s Wild Card game at Paycor Stadium.
At one point last year, Purdy was a backup quarterback. He didn’t make his first start until Week 13 after replacing the injured Jimmy Garoppolo the week prior. Purdy beat Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in his first career start and didn’t lose a regular season game until two weeks ago in Cleveland.
“He’s done a really good job. You talk about intent, he does a great job throwing with anticipation,” Taylor said a few hours before the news broke about Purdy being in concussion protocol.
“He’s got a high level of toughness. You can see that as well,” he added. “Just understanding what they are trying to get out of certain plays that they’ve got, just keeping them on schedule. Just seeing him throw the ball down field with anticipation, trusting his guys to get in the windows. He’s done a really good job executing that system and proving he’s a really good player in this league.”
While Darnold is Purdy’s backup, he’s made 55 starts in the league. The loss to the Bengals in 2019 was his 22nd start after being the No. 3 pick in 2018.
Most of the quarterbacks on the list of backups who have haunted the Bengals include far-less-relevant names and histories, but the déjà vu is strong, nonetheless.
There obviously have been some wins against backup quarterbacks, but those are expected. Here’s a sampling of losses that stand out going back 16 seasons, although the history is much longer.
Limiting the list to 16 years creates a full-circle element, as this head-scratching stretch began with a December trip to San Francisco in 2007.
2022: Cooper Rush makes his second career start for the injured Dak Prescott and leads the Cowboys to a 20-17 win, dropping the Bengals to 0-2 on the heels of their Super Bowl appearance.
2021: Mike White makes his first career start for injured Jets starter Zach Wilson and throws for 405 yards and three touchdowns as the 1-5 Jets pull off a 34-31 upset.
2020: Former Bengal Andy Dalton returned to Cincinnati after taking over for the injured Dak Prescott a few weeks earlier and led the Cowboys to a 30-7 thrashing.
2016: Tom Savage made his first career start against the Bengals on Christmas Eve and led the Texans to a 12-10 win.
2013: The Bengals were coming off back-to-back playoff appearances and the Browns were in the midst of a 4-12 season, but Brian Hoyer was making his third career start for the injured Brandon Weeden when he engineered a 17-6 win in Cleveland.
2011: The Texans’ T.J. Yates beat the Bengals in his second career start, throwing for 300 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 14 win at Cincinnati. Four weeks later, he did it again, winning 31-10 in a Wild Card playoff game in Houston.
2010: Seneca Wallace was making his third start for the injured Jake Delhomme and led the Browns to a 23-20 triumph, one of the five wins they would post that year.
2007: Shaun Hill made his first career start and led the 49ers to a 20-13 win that eliminated the Bengals from the playoff race.
A couple of other notable, older instances:
Cleveland’s Kelly Holcomb was making his only start of the 2004 season for the injured Jeff Garcia and engaged Carson Palmer in a shootout with a career-high 413 yards passing and five touchdowns in a 58-48 Cincinnati win.
Also in 2004, Tennessee’s Billy Volek made his third career start and led the Titans to a 27-20.
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