This year seems to be the year of the backup quarterback. Depending on whether or not CJ Stroud is cleared from the concussion protocol in time to play this week, there will have been at least 16 starting quarterbacks who have been injured & missed at least a start.  There are also quarterbacks who have been benched for poor play, which adds to the number of backups & third stringers playing this year.  In fact, 54 different quarterbacks have started for the 32 teams so far this year.  Last year 68 played & that was a record.  With 4 more weeks of the regular season, that number is likely to grow.

It really says something about knowing your job & being prepared that so many of the backups have had success.  In that spirit, I’m just picking backup quarterbacks this week.

My favorite backup quarterbacks of the week are…

Bailey Zappe Patriots quarterback

I almost skipped Zappe since in some ways he was the player of the week for the first half & then went into hibernation for the 2^nd half.  That said, he was impressive in the 1^st half & I think that the biggest thing that slowed him down in the 2^nd half was that he was only allowed to throw 8 passes in the half as the Patriots tried to run out the clock on a rare lead.  Pittsburgh also changed up their coverage in the second half, which probably had an impact.

In the end, I felt like Zappe being the first Patriots quarterback to throw for 3 touchdowns in the first half since Tom Brady was there, & the shock of seeing the Patriots offense looking competent made him a logical choice.  Zappe completed 19 of 28 passes for 240 yards & 3 touchdowns with one interception on a tipped ball. He had a 115.2 passer rating for the day.  The biggest change was that he hung in the pocket when he could & made smart scrambles when he had to.  Zappe was working with the remainders of the skill position players.  Rhamondre Stevenson was out, Pop Bailey was out, DeVante Parker & Kayshon Boutte were out & Kendrick Bourne & Trey Nixon are on IR.  That’s pretty impressive.

Jake Browning Bengals quarterback

Browning had a second excellent performance completing 18 of 24 for 275 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, & a 122.7 passer rating.  He led the Bengals to a 34-14 win over Indianapolis to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Zach Wilson Jets quarterback

Wilson showed why he was a #2 overall pick by throwing for 301 yards & 2 touchdowns on 27 for 36 passing.  I doubt there were many who expected that performance.

Joe Flacco Browns quarterback

It took multiple injuries for joe Flacco to get signed by a team this year, but he has looked good so far. Flacco completed 26 of 45 passes for 311 yards with 3 touchdowns & 1 interception to help the Browns edge Jacksonville 31 to 27.

Will Levis Titans quarterback

I think most people expected the Dolphins (playing for the #1 seed) to roll over the Titans.  Since Mike Vrabel became coach though they have been a tough out no matter what.  Will Levis was promoted to starting quarterback when Ryan Tannehill was injured.  He has been up & down, but has held onto the starting job even after Tannehill was cleared to play.  On Monday night Levis completed 22 of 38 passes for 327 yards.  He threw 1 touchdown & 1 interception.  He made a bad pitch to Derrick Henry that resulted in a fumble in the 4^th quarter that allowed Miami to take a 14-point lead. He was able to shake that off & lead 2 touchdown drives (& a 2-point conversion) in the final 4 ½ minutes.  How improbable was that comeback?  It had never happened in NFL history that a team had come back from 14 points down to win in regulation with under 3 minutes left.

My favorite wine of the week was…

Fratelli Mossio In Chino Vino Chinato Vino Aromatizzato Non-vintage $39

100% Langhe Nebbiolo base wine that has been fortified and infused with cinchona calisaya bark, quassia, and a special blend of herbs and spices before resting for a prolonged aging process.

According to their website, in Serralunga d’Alba around 1870, a druggist, Giuseppe Cappellano, developed a vermouth using the local Nebbiolo wine. He called it Chinato (Cinchona Officinalis (quinine) was one of his main ingredients). This Vino Aromatizzato was endorsed by the House of Savoy and soon became famous as a digestif. You can also chill it for an apéritif, use it as a substitute for Vermouth in any cocktail, or it can be mixed with a Prosecco and soda to make a spritz.

The herbs are macerated in the alcohol to infuse the flavors and then that is poured into the fermenting wine to stop fermentation & retain some residual sugar.

This is a great wine if you enjoy Amaro.  It has a distinct bitter note to it but there are honey & chocolate notes that keep it from being too bitter.  It’s a terrific wine for the holiday season, or really all of winter.  It has cinnamon & clove notes along with mint or eucalyptus note & coriander.  There’s also a nice streak of orange along with some traditional cherry that you expect from Nebbiolo.

It has a long warm finish that almost belongs by the fireplace on a cold night.