It wasn’t much, but former CFL quarterback Chris Streveler earned his game cheque honestly for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, taking a pair of snaps in 31-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Active in the backup role for the first time this season due to an ankle injury to former first overall pick Kyler Murray, the 2019 Grey Cup champion tagged out starter Colt McCoy on two plays in the first quarter. The first was a handoff, while Streveler attempted to take off outside on the second, being tripped up for a two-yard gain.
McCoy took every snap the rest of the way, finishing 22-of-26 for 249 yards and a touchdown in a dominant outing from the 8-1 Cardinals.
Streveler dressed every game last season behind Murray. The live snaps Streveler had prior to the last game of the regular schedule — two — came in Week 1. He converted a third and short situation for a first down in a 24-20 victory over San Francisco. It was the first time a former CFL quarterback recorded an NFL statistic since 2009.
Streveler saw his first extended action in the NFL during final week of the regular season with a playoff spot on the line. After Murray was injured during the opening series against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, Streveler took the field following a Jordan Hicks interception early in the first quarter.
The former Winnipeg Blue Bomber played until Murray returned for a portion of the fourth quarter. Streveler finished the game completing 11-of-16 passes for 105 yards with one touchdown and one interception, which was brought back 84 yards for a touchdown just before halftime.
The 26-year-old Streveler made $628,094 in his first NFL season and is slated to collect $780,000 this year.
He threw for 2,698 yards in two seasons with the Bombers along with 19 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. He has rushed for 1,167 yards and 22 touchdowns averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Streveler was especially effective for Winnipeg during the 2019 CFL championship run in the post-season. He rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown in the West Semi-Final in Calgary and threw a touchdown pass to Andrew Harris in the Grey Cup.
