The NFL Insider: Backup plan works well for several teams in Week 3

Carolina: Jake Delhomme left the game due to an injury and David Carr came in to lead the Panthers to 10 points in the fourth quarter to win the game. Carolina is a contending team with what amounts to two starting quarterbacks, by virtue of Carr's experience in the NFL. But this is Delhomme's team by virtue of his success at Carolina, so when Delhomme is healthy, he should be the starting QB.

Signing Carr was a good move, as evidenced by his success Sunday. Last year, the lack of successful play by backup quarterbacks kept the Panthers out of the playoffs. Also, at 28, Carr is four years younger than Delhomme and could be viewed as Delhomme's successor in a couple of years.

Oakland: Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper are in Oakland to man the position until JaMarcus Russell is ready. On Sunday, McCown left the game with an injury and Culpepper came in to lead the Raiders to a victory.

Daunte Culpepper is looking more like his old self, and might be ready to become Oakland's starter. (AP)

When I saw Culpepper this summer, he looked like a completely different player than he was with the Dolphins last year. He looked healthy and was able to move around in the pocket to avoid the rush. Culpepper is an accurate passer -- in fact, he is the fifth leading active passer in the NFL based on passer rating. I thought he outplayed McCown in preseason, but McCown had more experience in the offense and thus started the first three games.

Only the Oakland coaches know whether Culpepper is ready to handle the offense as the starter. Culpepper's problem was he was not signed until training camp and missed all the offseason practices.

The Culpepper I saw in training camp was the guy the Dolphins thought they were trading for -- not the injured, immobile player they ended up with.

Minnesota: Kelly Holcomb started in place of Tarvaris Jackson, who was injured. Minnesota believes Jackson is its QB of the future. With this being the case, the Vikings need to play him and find out by the end of the season whether they have a QB or need one. This is a team that -- with a productive QB -- could go to the playoffs, but I do not think Holcomb is that guy to lead them. If he were, I would say go with him and let Jackson sit and learn. Minnesota has a playoff defense, a Pro Bowl running back and a good enough offensive line.

Depth at quarterback is certainly important, and in the case of Baltimore, Carolina and Oakland, the millions of dollars they spent on backups certainly paid off on Sunday.