Multiple NFL teams are now having to rely on backup quarterbacks during the final stretch of the 2023 season to help keep playoff hopes alive.

The growing list continued this week after the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals announced that Deshaun Watson and Joe Burrow will be out for the remainder of the season due to different injuries. These two announcements mark the third consecutive week that a starting quarterback suffered a season-ending injury.

As it stands going into the Sunday slate of Week 11, six backup quarterbacks are expected to start for their individual teams (backup quarterback meaning they were not the Week 1 starters). Overall, there have been 48 different starting quarterbacks in 2023, according to CBS Sports.

Twelve of the 32 teams in the NFL have used multiple quarterbacks at some point during the first 10 weeks of the season. Some of those quarterbacks have shined (i.e. Josh Dobbs) and some have struggled to keep their respective teams afloat.

The Chicago Bears understand how these teams feel after having to rely on undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent during the last four weeks of the season after starting quarterback Justin Fields was injured in Week 6.

The Bears went 2-2 with Bagent under center during the last four games. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus addressed the growing concern sweeping across the league while speaking with reporters on Friday following the team's practice.

"Every tape I turn on I'm like 'this guy's now playing quarterback' and you try to watch these crossover games and it's happened a lot," Eberflus said. "I think it's a historic rate. So, those guys have to be ready to go and our guy was and it was good that he was in there and my hat's off to the coaches."

The Bears were able to float with a .500 record with their backup at the helm but faced a completely different circumstance compared to other teams dealing with the same trend. The Bears were 1-5 when Bagent made his first start in place of Fields. Chicago was in no way a contending team nor attempting to make a push during the final weeks of the season.

Teams such as the Browns, Bengals, and Vikings now are having to rely on their backup quarterbacks while still having a legitimate shot to reach the playoffs. The Bears however, did have a similar situation to the New York Giants in terms of having to turn the keys over to an inexperienced and undrafted rookie quarterback.

The Giants are expecting to start quarterback Tommy DeVito for the remainder of the season after losing both Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. Even though Fields is returning for the Bears in Week 11, Eberflus discussed some of the struggles his staff faced and commended the efforts they made over the past few weeks to get Bagent ready to go.

"It's certainly an important position and my hat's off to [offensive coordinator] Luke Getsy and [quarterbacks coach] Andrew Janocko," Eberflus said. "To be able to train a rookie to come in there to go to and to be able to function the way he functioned and my hat's off to Tyson to be able to do that."

This unfortunate trend that has affected the Bears and many other teams around the league will hopefully come to an end for the betterment of the sport. However, each game every weekend has the possible occurrence of a freak injury potentially occurring for any player at any position.

If anything, this season has shown how important the backup quarterback position can be and how much of an advantage it is to have a solid one on the roster ready to step in at a moments notice.

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