If The Super Bowl Starting Quarterbacks Are Sidelined, Who Are The Backups?
With Super Bowl 60 kicking off this weekend, questions remain about the injury status of both starting quarterbacks.
The injury report posted on each team’s websites includes New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, pictured at left, and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, right.
On the Patriots' website, Maye’s game status was listed Friday as “unspecified” because of a right shoulder injury. He was one of six players on New England’s injury report two days before the game. However, Maye was listed as a full participant in Wednesday and Thursday practices. (As a side note, Maye this week finished second in league MVP voting to Matthew Stafford, the Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback. Stafford finished with one more first-place vote than Maye.)
Also on Friday, Darnold was one of 14 Seahawks on that team’s posted injury report. His oblique injury had him listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice but a full participant by Thursday. His game status also was listed as “unspecified."
The Super Bowl this Sunday pits the AFC champion Patriots against the NFC champion Seahawks (-4.5) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
On Sunday, Darnold and Maye are expected to be ready to go and can be counted on to be under center for the full game, barring unforeseen circumstances.
But if either should be sidelined, fans and bettors will look to the backups. (This happened last month regarding Denver Broncos starting quarterback Bo Nix. During the earlier divisional round win against the Buffalo Bills, Nix suffered a broken ankle, leaving him unable to play in the conference championship game against New England. Seldom-used Jarrett Stidham replaced Nix in the championship game. The Patriots won, 10-7.)
Backup Quarterbacks
If Maye (quarterback rating 113.48) is forced out on Sunday, the listed Patriots backups on the unofficial depth chart are:
- Joshua Dobbs (QB rating 87.5)
- Tommy DeVito (N/A, no game action this season)
If Darnold (QB rating 99.11) is sidelined, the quarterbacks listed on the Seahawks unofficial depth chart are:.
- Drew Lock (QB rating 78.47)
- Jalen Milroe (N/A, no game action this season)
The quarterback ratings above are based on game action during the 2025-26 regular season. The backups for the Seahawks and Patriots saw limited action, if any at all.
For more on betting strategies, go to Gambling.com's video interview on “The Edge” this week with Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading and lead oddsmaker for Caesars Entertainment and William Hill. During the interview, Mucklow discusses quarterback injuries.
Super Bowl 60 Time, TV Network
Who: AFC champion Patriots vs. NFC champion Seahawks
Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
When: 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
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