Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Insider
In chilly, sunny Santa Clara, Brock Purdy stood as a sideline spectator last weekend, the NFC’s No. 1 seed already in possession of the San Francisco 49ers and their impressive QB.
Over in Baltimore, Lamar Jackson did the same, albeit while in downright torrential conditions, making the most of his and the Ravens’ superb campaign to take Week 18 as a time of recuperation ahead of the postseason.
Elsewhere, a trio of Super Bowl winners in Patrick Mahomes, Joe Flacco and Matthew Stafford all left the rigors of game action to their deputies, in an effort to be as healthy as can be for the bruising nature of the wild-card round this weekend.
In each case, it didn’t seem like much of a decision at all.
If a team had something to either strive for or defend in Week 18, from the all-or-nothing chase of a bracket spot like that claimed by C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans, all the way to the Detroit Lions and Jared Goff seeking the unlikely (and ultimately fruitless) prospect of jumping to a No. 2 seed, they started their QB.
If they didn’t, they rested him. The only tweak is that the Los Angeles Rams could theoretically have dropped from No. 6 to No. 7 in the NFC had they lost to the undermanned 49ers, with backup Carson Wentz under center in place of Stafford. They beat them anyway, 21-20, and will now travel to Stafford’s old stomping grounds in Detroit.
NFL teams do things for a wide variety of reasons, the main ones being common sense, perceived future advantage, and, increasingly, data-driven evidence. However, the last of those doesn’t quite mingle with the “rest or rust” debate when it comes to season-ending quarterback activity.
Since 2005, 26 teams have gone into their first postseason game having taken the opportunity to sit their starting QB. The results have been mixed at best, with those squads posting a 10-16 record in that subsequent playoff…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/theory-of-resting-qb-in-final-week-will-be-tested-again-in-playoffs
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Publish date : 2024-01-10 13:52:22
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