This is the cover story of ESPN The Magazine's Nov. 13 QBs at a Crossroads issue. It was updated after the print edition went to press to reflect the New England Patriots' Oct. 30 trade of Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers. Subscribe today!
It happened all at once, the way it happens to boxers. He had been baited into throwing a pass to the wrong man, and suddenly he stood exposed, with not only the play but nature itself turning against him. His teammates seemed to have disappeared; he was the last man in position to stop the wrong man from running all the way down the field and turning the game into a rout.