Week 18 in the NFL is a bizarre landscape, as some teams are preparing for the playoffs while others are just trying to get to the offseason. That mindset lends itself to a lot of backups playing for teams that don’t have to worry about playoff implications.
Therefore, many games this weekend will feature two teams playing quarterbacks that weren’t their intended starter to begin the season.
The Kansas City Chiefs have locked up the No. 3 seed, so they will start Blaine Gabbert over Patrick Mahomes vs. Los Angeles Chargers backup Easton Stick, who’s filling in for the injured Justin Herbert. The Cleveland Browns also know they will be the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, so they are resting Joe Flacco and instead starting Jeff Driskel vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, who are still starting Jake Browning with Joe Burrow out for the year.
