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Play John Elway's Quarterback (US edition · English) Online
John Elway's Quarterback
Play John Elway’s Quarterback online. Choose plays, aim passes and make diving tackles in the NES game’s straightforward American-football matches.
Browser play
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) / Famicom — EmulatorJS controls
Default Player 1 keyboard mapping. Change keys in Controller Settings.
| Console button | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ / ← / → | ↑ / ↓ / ← / → |
| A / B | Z / X |
| START / SELECT | Enter / V |
Open Controller Settings to configure your keyboard or gamepad. Touch controls are available on mobile.
How to Play John Elway's Quarterback
Quick start
Press a button at the logo to reach team selection. Choose a city with the D-pad and confirm with A or B. Follow the number above your player during the kickoff. At a play-selection screen, choose a formation and confirm with either action button. For an early passing attempt, hold B while still behind the line of scrimmage, move the target with the D-pad and release B to throw. On defense, use B to reach a nearer defender before attempting an A-button tackle.
Controls
D-pad moves the controlled player and menu cursor. Hold B on offense to move the passing cursor instead of the quarterback; release B to throw. A jumps vertically while stationary, or dives in the movement direction while running. On defense, B switches to the defender nearest the ball. For kicking, B activates the kick setup and the D-pad directs its cursor. A or B confirms team and play selections. SELECT is unused; the original manual does not provide a pause command.
John Elway's Quarterback — About this game
John Elway’s Quarterback presents football from a vertically scrolling overhead view. The NES game focuses on individual matches rather than a season campaign. Before a down, select an offensive or defensive formation, then control the marked player as the play unfolds. Passing involves positioning a target cursor instead of simply tapping a receiver button. On defense, switching to the player nearest the ball helps recover from a broken formation. Running, kicking, diving and attempting interceptions provide alternatives to throwing every down. Team selection changes the match’s labels, while the two sides remain visually identifiable by their blue and red uniforms.
Cheats
No cheats have been added for this edition.
Player verification and sources
Browser play was reviewed before this edition was published in the catalogue. The date below is the catalogue publication date, not the game’s original release date.
- Browser test and catalogue publication date
- Browsers and devices
- PC: Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Mobile: Chrome on Android and Safari on iPhone and iPad.
- Player engine and core
- EmulatorJS 4.3.0-pre · nes
- Tested by
- rwEmulator
Sources and editorial basis
rwEmulator reviews edition metadata, release information, game manuals and first-hand browser-play notes. Available manuals are linked below; the editorial policy explains how facts are checked and corrections are handled.