When Taylor Heinicke took the field for the Washington Football Team in January 2021, he wasn't just stepping into a playoff game—he was making his first start of the entire season. This rare occurrence represents one of the most challenging scenarios in professional football, where a quarterback must lead his team in a win-or-go-home situation without the benefit of regular-season game experience. The phenomenon of NFL quarterbacks with first start of season in playoffs is so uncommon that only a handful of signal-callers have faced this daunting task in the Super Bowl era.
Taylor Heinicke's Memorable 2020 Playoff Debut
Taylor Heinicke made his first start of the 2020 season for Washington in the wild-card round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Alex Smith still recovering from a late-season calf injury, the club called upon backup Taylor Heinicke to replace Smith. What made Heinicke's situation even more remarkable was his journey to that moment—he was literally about to take final exams when Washington came calling for emergency help in December.
Making just his second career start in the NFL and his first in the postseason, Heinicke threw for 306 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for another score. Though Washington fell 31-23, Heinicke's gutsy performance against the eventual Super Bowl champions earned widespread respect. After the 2020 season, his playoff showing earned him a two-year contract worth up to $4.75 million.
Connor Cook Makes History With the Raiders
Perhaps no quarterback faced a more difficult debut than Connor Cook of the Oakland Raiders in 2016. With NFL MVP candidate Derek Carr out with a broken leg suffered in the fourth quarter of Game 15, Cook became the first QB in the Super Bowl era to have his first career start come in the playoffs. This wasn't just Cook's first start of the season—it was his first career NFL start at any level.
In the first action of Cook's NFL career during a Week 17 relief appearance, he passed for 150 yards and a touchdown with an interception and a lost fumble while completing 14 of 21 passes. However, the wild-card playoff game against Houston proved overwhelming. Cook, the first NFL quarterback to make his first start in a playoff game, went 4-of-14 for 41 yards and an interception in the first half, with the Texans defense tipping passes at the line of scrimmage. The Raiders ultimately lost 27-14.
Joe Webb's Emergency Start for Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings faced their own quarterback crisis during the 2012 playoffs. Joe Webb started a 2012 wild-card game for the Minnesota Vikings and became just the second QB since 1950 to start a playoff game without a single passing yard on the season. Webb, known primarily as a mobile threat and gadget player, was thrust into the starting role against the Green Bay Packers in a divisional rivalry game.
The Vikings lost 24-10, as Webb struggled to establish a passing rhythm against a Packers defense that could focus on limiting his mobility. His performance illustrated the extreme difficulty of making your first start of the season in the postseason, particularly when facing a division opponent familiar with your tendencies.
Why This Feat Is So Rare
The scarcity of NFL quarterbacks with first start of season in playoffs underscores just how unusual the circumstances must be for this to occur. Typically, backup quarterbacks see at least some action during the regular season, whether through injury to the starter, garbage time in blowouts, or planned rest in Week 18. For a quarterback to reach the playoffs without a single start requires a perfect storm: a team must make the postseason, the starting quarterback must stay healthy all season, and then suffer an injury at precisely the wrong moment.
The pressure on these quarterbacks is immense. Unlike regular-season debuts where there are future games to learn and improve, playoff football offers no margin for error. Every snap could be the last of the season, and these quarterbacks must perform without the benefit of in-game experience to build timing with receivers or adjust to NFL game speed.
The Importance of Quarterback Depth
These rare occurrences highlight why NFL teams invest heavily in backup quarterbacks despite hoping they never need them. The difference between a prepared backup and an unprepared one can determine whether a promising season ends in the first round or continues toward a championship. While Heinicke's performance showed that success is possible, Cook's struggles demonstrated the more common outcome when a quarterback lacks regular-season preparation.
As the NFL continues to evolve with expanded playoffs and increased focus on quarterback health, teams must balance the desire to keep their starters fresh with the need to ensure backups are ready for any scenario—including the ultimate test of making their first start of the season when everything is on the line.
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