Backup QBs Are 8-4 After Daniels Leads Bucs Past Cowboys

Jalon Daniels' upset win in Dallas on Thursday night means NFL teams are now 8-4 when starting a backup quarterback this season — proving losing a starter is no longer a death sentence.

Backup QBs Are 8-4 After Daniels Leads Bucs Past Cowboys

The NFL's backup-quarterback trend continued on Thursday night. Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels went 19 of 25 for 189 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers, adding 23 rushing yards, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stunned the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 in Arlington for their first win of the season — with Bucky Irving starring on the ground and Todd Bowles' defense doing the rest.

After Daniels' composed first road start, NFL teams are now 8-4 in the 12 games started by backup quarterbacks this season. The Giants are 2-0 with Jameis Winston, the Bears 2-0 with Case Keenum, while Carson Wentz (Vikings), Drew Lock (Seahawks) and Marcus Mariota (Commanders) have all won starts. Only Atlanta, at 0-2 with third-stringer Cooper Rush, has failed to win with a backup.

The defeat was historically embarrassing for Dallas: just the sixth time in franchise history the Cowboys have lost to a team that entered 0-4 or worse, and only the second time at home. Dak Prescott, picked off on the final drive, had a heated tunnel exchange with a stadium worker who shouted "embarrassing" at him as he left the field.