SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- AJ McCarron snapped a 25-year-old winless streak in the NFL for former Alabama quarterbacks Sunday, when he led the Cincinnati Bengals to a 24-14 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Making his first career start, McCarron helped the Bengals clinch a playoff berth and snapped a 13-game losing streak for former Alabama quarterbacks in games they started, a streak that began in 1987. McCarron, a 2014 fifth-round pick, was starting in place of Andy Dalton, who hurt his right thumb in last week's loss to the Steelers.
Jeff Rutledge was the last former Crimson Tide quarterback to win an NFL start, leading the New York Giants to a 20-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1987 season. It was one of two victories Rutledge, a former ninth-round draft pick, had in his career.
Since that win and before McCarron's start Sunday, the only former Crimson Tide QBs who started games were Brodie Croyle and Greg McElroy. Neither is currently in the league. Croyle posted an 0-10 career record, and McElroy, who served one year as a backup in Cincinnati, was 0-1. McElroy did come into a 2012 game late to rally the Jets to a 7-6 win over the Cardinals after starter Mark Sanchez was benched. McElroy's fourth-quarter touchdown pass was the difference maker.
Rutledge lost a start following his last win and lost another start for Washington in 1990.
The three former Alabama quarterbacks had a combined 2-18-1 career record as NFL starters.
"That's history. I'm not really worried about history," McCarron said last week. "I'm worried about what we have right now; the team we have and my job at task."
Of course, the history of former Crimson Tide quarterbacks includes its share of stars. Ken Stabler, Joe Namath and Bart Starr all won Super Bowls in the 1960s and 1970s. Starr led the Packers to wins in the first two Super Bowls, and Namath led the Jets to victory in Super Bowl III. Stabler led the Raiders in Super Bowl XI.
