No. 9 – Jarious Jackson
Dec. 28, 2003 at Green Bay Packers
Loss, 3-31
Passing: 4-for-9, 41 Yds, 0 TD, 1 INT
Jackson was the fourth and final quarterback to earn a start for the Broncos in 2003 – three of those starts being that particular QB’s first ever start as a Bronco. (Steve Beuerlein burned his “orangeshirt” the previous year.) At 10-5, despite starting three different quarterbacks, Denver was locked into a Wild Card spot (mostly on the back of Jake Plummer) and so Mike Shanahan gave Jackson the start in the season finale to rest Plummer.
Of the “new” Broncos starters in ’03, Jackson had possibly the worst performance of the lot. Yes, he threw less interceptions than both Plummer (3) and Danny Kanell (2), but he also completed just four passes for 41 yards and was replaced mid-game by Kanell.
Jackson was intercepted with just three minutes gone in the second quarter and Mike Shanahan had seen enough. It didn’t matter that Green Bay’s Brett Favre threw a pick on the very next play; Danny Kanell took over and proceeded to prove just about as lackluster as Jackson. Kanell connected on just nine passes on the day, also throwing a pick in the blowout loss.
The following week, Denver met Indianapolis in the Wild Card round and handed Peyton Manning his first-ever playoff win, a 41-10 shellacking. Jackson never played another NFL game.
