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3 Backups Making The Most Of One Play

This is how you do a job.

Written by NFL QB Consultant Jordan Palmer & The QB Summit Team

This week, we're diving into three individual plays from three quarterbacks who weren’t the starters in their respective matchups.

These plays caught my attention, and I think they highlight something important that often goes overlooked—the role of a backup quarterback.

Now, we’ve all talked about the importance of having a solid backup for when your starter goes down for an extended period, like when Jake Browning stepped in for Joe Burrow last year, or even the famous case of Tom Brady filling in for Drew Bledsoe.

But this is not that. These three quarterbacks didn’t step in to lead their teams for multiple weeks—they played one play each.

Just one. But that one play mattered.

And we’re not talking about a checkdown, a screen pass, or a safe run play.

These were high-leverage throws that made an impact.

Steelers

Kyle Allen of the Steelers

Let’s start with Monday Night Football.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had an ugly loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Justin Fields went down for a play, and in comes Kyle Allen off the bench, cold. Now, when a backup comes in for just one snap, most coaches would dial up a run or a quick, safe pass.

But what do the Steelers do? Allen rips a seam bender to tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Cold off the bench, and Allen just delivers this beautiful strike down the middle of the field. You could argue that it was the best throw the Steelers had all night.

I might be biased, but it shows you the value of being ready when your number is called, no matter how cold you are or how quick the moment comes.

This one play illustrates something I tell young quarterbacks all the time: you don’t know when your opportunity is going to come, but you can control how ready you are when it does.

Kyle Allen was ready, and in a game where the Steelers needed a spark, he gave them one—if only for a moment.

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Vikings

Nick Mullens of the Vikings

The second play that grabbed my attention this week took place across the pond in London, where the Minnesota Vikings faced off against the New York Jets.

Sam Darnold, in a bit of irony, gets dinged up in a game against his old team. With Darnold out, here comes Nick Mullins, cold off the bench.

Now, like most people, I’m expecting Mullins to play it safe, hand the ball off to Aaron Jones, or maybe throw a short screen to get himself warmed up.

But no—that’s not what happens.

Instead, Mullins comes out and delivers a wheel route down the sideline to Aaron Jones.

And here’s where it gets fun. Aaron Jones jumps up and makes a spectacular catch for a 20-something-yard gain.

Now, there’s an asterisk here because if Mullins had hit Jones in stride, maybe it’s an even bigger play—heck, maybe it’s a touchdown. But that’s not the point.

What’s important here is that Mullins didn’t come in to just manage the moment; he came in ready to make a play.

And this is another example of something I always tell quarterbacks: you don’t get to pick and choose your moments.

You can’t control when you’ll be thrown into the fire, but you can control how prepared you are for it.

Mullins came in, no warm-ups, no easing into the game, and immediately ripped off a high-leverage throw.

Cold off the bench, no rhythm, and he made it happen.

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SMU Athletics

Preston Stone of SMU

The third play that stood out to me this week comes from Preston Stone at SMU.

After being removed from the starting role earlier in the year, Stone found himself back on the field for just one play this weekend.

That’s right—one single play. But what did he do with it? He went one-for-one with a 10-yard touchdown pass.

One shot, one play, and it was a difference-maker.

If you’ve been following me for a while or listened to any of my talks, you’ve heard me say this before: backups go in for one of a few reasons.

Either the starter gets hurt, the starter gets benched, or sometimes the starter just needs a breather. And when that moment comes, you’re either in for the long haul or you’re in for a single play.

The question is, how do you handle it?

This week, I saw three different quarterbacks at two different levels come in for a single play.

What impressed me the most wasn’t that they simply completed passes or made plays—it was that they didn’t approach it cautiously. They weren’t skittish, they didn’t hesitate, and they didn’t just check it down.

The coaches trusted them to go in and make real plays, and these quarterbacks delivered.

That brings me back to something I constantly tell the guys I work with, especially those in backup roles or preparing for their shot at being a starter.

You can’t control when or where your opportunity is going to come. But what you can control is how prepared you are for it when it does.

Preston Stone is the epitome of that. He didn’t go into that game expecting to light it up for four quarters.

He knew he might only get one play, but he didn’t let that limit him. He was ready, he was confident, and when his number was called, he didn’t just go through the motions—he threw a touchdown.

These three plays, from Kyle Allen to Nick Mullins to Preston Stone, are all great examples of living that mindset to the fullest.

You may only get one shot, but you’ve got to be ready to grip it and rip it.

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