NFL

NFL News: High-Profile Quarterbacks Under the Microscope in Week 14

Quarterback is often referred to as the most important position in football, with many taking it a step further, claiming it to be the most important position in all of sports. They’re scrutinized continuously and placed firmly under the microscope, receiving the most praise when their team wins, and the most blame when they lose. It comes with the territory when your position is the highest-paid in the sport.

Let’s look at some big-name quarterbacks and the news surrounding them in Week 14 of the NFL season.

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Brees will not play Sunday against the Eagles in Philadelphia, but the bigger reveal is that the team will not rush him back for their Week 15 game, either. The significance there is that their opponent next week is the Kansas City Chiefs, by far the most compelling matchup on the card and a potential Super Bowl showdown.

The Saints, who currently occupy the top seed in the NFC, want to make sure Brees is fully healed from his 11 broken ribs and a collapsed lung before putting him back on the field. New Orleans was 5-0 without him last year as he recovered from a thumb injury, and are 3-0 this year with Taysom Hill under center in Brees' absence. After the Chiefs game, the Saints will close out their regular season against the Vikings and Panthers.

Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

As noted, the Saints visit the Eagles Sunday in what will be a battle of backups at the quarterback position. While Brees recovers and watches Hill run the offense, the Eagles turn the reins over to Jalen Hurts. The rookie replaces Carson Wentz, who has struggled mightily this season, leading the NFL in interceptions, sacks, and fumbles. Wentz has been the poster boy for the Philly failures that are organization-wide.

However, despite Wentz’s disappointing season, it was reported Sunday that the team still believes in him and intends to keep him. The Hurts experiment may be week-to-week, but the Eagles are committed financially to Wentz and hope that taking a step back could help him regain his 2017 form that had him in the MVP conversation before a major injury.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants

The Giants’ second-year quarterback missed last Sunday’s win over the Seahawks with a hamstring injury but will return in Week 14 against the Cardinals. Jones was a full participant in Friday’s practice for the first time since he suffered the injury against the Bengals two weeks ago. He was limited in practice and had been listed as questionable for most of the week. But the team liked what they saw Friday and are confident he can be a full-go against Arizona.

The Giants have won four in a row, and despite an identical record as the Washington Football Team, hold the first-place spot by virtue of their season-sweep over Washington. Colt McCoy stepped in in relief of Jones and engineered the big upset last week in Seattle. Giants and Cardinals kick off at 1:00 P.M. Eastern from MetLife Stadium.

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