Alabama Football: Two QBs starting in NFL Playoffs
By Dakota Cox
Can an Alabama football quarterback make it to the Super Bowl?
Since the start of Nick Saban’s tenure, Alabama football‘s quarterbacks have rarely started in the NFL. That changed in 2020 when both Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts were drafted. Mac Jones went in the first round in 2021, and there are now three teams in the NFL with former Tide quarterbacks leading the charge.
None of the three teams had incredibly high expectations before the season began. The Dolphins hoped to make the NFL Playoffs, but they weren’t seen as a Super Bowl contender. The same can be said about the Patriots, who were starting a rookie at quarterback. The Eagles were seen as one of the worst teams in the NFL, and many thought that Hurts was not the long-term option at quarterback.
Tagovailoa suffered from multiple injuries during the season. Despite helping the Dolphins come back in the second half of the season, Miami wasn’t able to make the NFL Playoffs.
However, both the Patriots and the Eagles clinched playoff spots with a week to spare. The Patriots beat the Jacksonville Jaguars to win their tenth game of the season, and they will end the regular season against the Dolphins in a matchup between former Alabama football quarterbacks.
Hurts somehow carried the Eagles to the NFL Playoffs with a new head coach and concerns across the roster. He’s raised the floor of the team, and his future seems bright despite Philly’s ability to use draft capital to replace him. He’s proven that he should be the guy, and he will likely return as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback next year.
With a starting quarterback in both the AFC and NFC Playoffs, there remains a chance of a Super Bowl consisting of two Alabama football quarterbacks. That is highly unlikely, but it can’t be ruled out until one of these teams is eliminated.
We will likely see more Alabama football quarterbacks once Bryce Young is eligible for the NFL, and others will be waiting behind him. The first step is getting quarterbacks in the NFL. We are now seeing them in the postseason, and the final step will be seeing them in the Super Bowl.