3 QBs who should be benched after Week 8 and who would replace them

The early Sunday slate for Week 8 is officially in the books, which means fans around the league have a better sense of whether their teams can be legitimate playoff contenders — or whether it's time to start thinking about next spring's NFL Draft. The 1 p.m. ET games had a little bit of everything, from another New York Jets disaster class against the New England Patriots to the Detroit Lions throwing up a 50-burger to big statements from the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.

It also featured some ... less-than-stellar quarterback play. Here are three in particular who deserve to have a seat after Week 8.

3 quarterbacks who should be benched after Week 7

3. Mason Rudolph, Tennessee Titans

What are we doing here, exactly? It's bad enough that the Titans cut bait on Malik Willis so early, hitching their wagon to Will Levis without a ton of evidence in support of him as a franchise guy. But now a team that should be in the business of taking as many young upside swings as it can while planning for the future is stuck with the retread's retread at quarterback.

Rudolph is the definition of a known quantity, and we know that the quantity isn't great: The veteran was picked off twice while completing 22-of-38 passes for 266 yards in a 52-14 pasting at the hands of the Detroit Lions, cooling off considerably after a strong first quarter or so. It's organizational malpractice that this team doesn't have any other younger option to turn to with Levis sidelined, but anything is better than Rudolph at this point, if only to inject some life into the rest of the roster.

Replacement: Trevor Siemian

2. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

The Colts, on the other hand, are just looking for a steady hand right now. It was another really rough day for Richardson, particularly in the pocket: He completed just two of his first 15 passes, finishing 10-of-32 for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The explosiveness and physical gifts are still very much there with the second-year pro, but he just cannot execute well enough on a down-to-down basis for Shane Steichen to stick with him as a starter.

This Colts roster is very much viable for an AFC Wild Card spot if it can just give Jonathan Taylor a little help and execute Steichen's offenses, and it just so happens to have the perfect veteran steward behind Richardson in Joe Flacco. We know what Flacco is at this point in his career, but we also know that Indianapolis has the weapons, the line and the scheme to support him. Steichen owes it to the rest of this team not to sacrifice this season at the altar of development for a quarterback who doesn't seem to be taking steps forward.

Replacement: Joe Flacco

1. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

This isn't so much about the 2024 Jets; Rodgers, for all his fault, is still better than New York's backup, Tyrod Taylor. Rather, this is about the future: After another fall-from-ahead loss to the New England Patriots in Week 8, it's time to pull the plug on the Rodgers experiment in New York and commit to tanking for the rest of the season. This version of the Jets clearly isn't going anywhere, for reasons that both are and aren't Rodgers' fault — the veteran delivered a late lead for his defense, only to watch Jacoby Brissett march right down the field for the winning TD. The Jets can play out the string and remain mired in mediocrity, or it can bite the bullet, see what it can get for Rodgers in a trade and try to amass enough draft capital to make a run at a young QB in the 2025 draft.

Replacement: Tyrod Taylor