NFL: Three Unheralded Quarterbacks Surprisingly Shining in 2025
Samuel Smith | September 30, 2025
Three weeks into the 2025 NFL season, and quarterbacks have crashed out at a dizzying rate. Every Sunday, another franchise cornerstone hobbles to the injury tent or limps to a press conference podium. It’s been carnage for the game’s most valuable position.
Joe Burrow—down, seemingly taking Cincinnati’s playoff hopes with him. Brock Purdy—the Bay Area’s miracle worker—is out. Jayden Daniels, crowned as Washington’s future, and Minnesota’s sophomore debutant, J.J. McCarthy, each cut down before their banners could be fully raised. All of those knocks have affected the betting odds, but the three familiar faces from preseason remain unscathed and in contention.
One can bet on NFL at Bovada, and the popular betting site’s contenders remain unchanged since week one. The Buffalo Bills remain Bovada’s surprise favorites at +450, with Josh Allen continuing in the kind of form that saw him claim his maiden MVP award last term. Baltimore (+500), Green Bay (+700), and reigning champions Philadelphia (+750) are all considered frontrunners.
But while those powerhouses have been ploughing on, with Levi’s Stadium next February firmly in their sights, some teams have had to turn to the afterthoughts in order to find a willing playmaker under center. Luckily, these three unheralded stars have managed to thrive in their unexpected starting berths.
Daniel Jones
No player has engineered a more dramatic reversal of fortune than Daniel Jones. Exiled from the Big Apple under heavy clouds after a disastrous five years with the Giants—benched, battered, dissected by fans and media alike—the 2019 sixth overall pick has found himself in Indianapolis. Here, football resurrection is not just a trope; it’s unfolding in real time. Under Shane Steichen’s no-nonsense approach, Jones has weaponized what was always raw potential into real mastery.
Consider these numbers: Through three weeks, Jones is completing 71.6% of his passes, good for 816 yards—fourth highest in the league. Three touchdowns, zero interceptions; his decision-making has become almost Zen-like, reflected in his career-best 111.7 QBR. The old criticisms—carelessness, slow processing, happy feet—have melted away. His feet are now an asset: 17 carries, 55 yards, 3 rushing TDs. Not flashy—relentless.
Watch his tape and notice the command at the line, the way he resets the pocket, or pulls the safeties with his eyes before darting upfield for a first down. Indy sits undefeated, a feat unthinkable barely a month ago. Is Daniel Jones suddenly a franchise quarterback? Hell, is he an MVP candidate? For a fan base starved for leadership since the days of Andrew Luck, he’s currently writing the answer himself, drive after drive.
Daniel Jones said We Will Not Punt!
Colts might never punt again
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) September 21, 2025
Carson Wentz
If the NFL is a stage, then Carson Wentz’s third-act comeback in Week 3 captivated like nothing else. Languishing as a backup after years of nomadic wandering following his shattered Philadelphia dreams, the 32-year-old was thrust back into the limelight, with Minnesota requiring a savior following J.J. McCarthy’s injury.
In just his third start in as many years, the veteran lined up against a Bengals side also reeling following Joe Burrow’s potentially season-ending toe injury. With both teams knowing that the game was imperative, courtesy of their tough upcoming schedules, it was Wentz who stole the show. In a display that was part throwback, part revelation, the former Super Bowl LII champion dismantled the Bengals in a 48-10 annihilation—the biggest loss in Cincinnati franchise history.
173 yards, two touchdowns, a spotless record in the turnover column. But performance only tells half the story. It was Wentz’s leadership in high-leverage moments—his laser-guided strikes to Justin Jefferson, his vocal command in the huddle—that changed Minnesota’s season narrative in a single afternoon. At 32, Wentz doesn’t offer a future blueprint, but his composure and flash of prime ability remind the NFL world that experience, when summoned in the right moment, still swings games.
In a league trending young, Wentz’s mastery under pressure has turned skeptics into believers—at least for now. And if young McCarthy falters when he returns to the fold, the wily old Wentz will be waiting, ready to take advantage of any opportunities.
Marcus Mariota
Is it possible to turn back the clock in just one electrifying game? Marcus Mariota answered that question with an emphatic yes. The 2015 No. 2 pick, long a backup and seldom a headline, was called up for the Commanders amid Jayden Daniels’ untimely injury. In week three, the former Heisman winner started his first game in three years. What followed was a performance brimming with nostalgia and newfound maturity.
In a 41-24 demolition of the Raiders, Mariota completed 15 of 21 passes for an efficient 207 yards and a touchdown, error-free. Factor in 40 rushing yards and another score on the ground, and he recorded a dazzling 118.6 QBR. The plays? Vintage: read-options, smart improvisational dashes, and a swagger that brought echoes of his two-time Natty-winning Oregon mastery.
For a young offense desperate for cadence, Mariota became both mentor and playmaker, stabilizing chaos with poise. The Commanders’ fan base, yearning for further progress toward contention after last season’s NFC Championship berth, was treated to a worthy backup to the injured face of their franchise, Daniels. Mariota proved that he, too, is capable of leading the capital city outfit to wins, and that will be crucial in the coming weeks as the current price of Washington remains on the shelf.
— image created for free by Grok
