Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel is most well-known for being the only starting quarterback in NFL history to be granted the starting quarterback job after having been exclusively a 2nd string QB in college at USC to Matt Leinart, impressing everyone after he took over for Tom Brady after his season ending injury a few years ago. With Cassel out, backup quarterback Tyler Palko is expected to start in his first NFL game next week against the New England Patriots. With the Chiefs in their new situation, the AFC West just got much more interesting, unless the Raiders continue to improve with Carson Palmer at the helm.
Texans quarterback Matt Schaub was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, but traded to the Texans in exchange for various draft picks. The Texans released QB David Carr, paving the way for Schaub to be their QB of the future. In his short time with the Texans, Schaub has been a quiet success for the young franchise, improving year after year. The injury to Schaub is devastating because they have the best record in the AFC and are only 2 games ahead of the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South. Should the Texans fall out of playoff contention, it opens the door for a multitude of teams including the Jets, Bills, and any team in the AFC West to all win the #2 Wild Card.
With Schaub out, infamous aforementioned quarterback Matt Leinart will get the starting job, although it's very likely given his past that he will be benched in favor of rookie T.J. Yates from the University of North Carolina. Matt Leinart is well-known for being a big-time draft bust, being the successor at USC to Carson Palmer, currently playing for the Raiders (2 mentions of the Raiders in 1 article!), and winning the Heisman trophy in 2004, 2 years after Palmer did it. Upon entering the NFL, he was expected to be the QB of the future for the Arizona Cardinals, but eventually lost the job to veteran QB Kurt Warner after consistently throwing more interceptions than touchdowns and an average completion percentage. Leinart was eventually released by the Cardinals in favor of Derek Anderson and was not considered by his former coach at USC, Pete Carroll, for a spot for the Seattle Seahawks. This is something of a 2nd chance for Leinart, the interception machine, who may be able to prove that his past performances were just youthful mistakes.
I'm not sold on either of these replacement quarterbacks taking their teams to the playoffs, but then again, Alex Smith is one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season with the 8-1 49ers, so anything can happen. At this point, Rex Ryan has to be thanking the gods of football for Schaub's injury.
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