Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
Replacement: Kyle McCord
Don't be fooled by what the final numbers ended up looking like for Malik Willis. The Dolphins and their quarterback padded their stats when the game was well out of reach, which was largely due to a truly abysmal performance from Willis before the score was entirely too lopsided. And to be clear, I say that even with Willis only throwing for 137 yards and one touchdown on the day, though he did rush for 74 yards and another touchdown.
Willis also turned the ball over three times in this game, tossing two interceptions and losing one fumble. He also put the ball on the ground another time, but was able to recover it. It was sloppy and Willis continues to look like what we saw from him when he was called upon as the backup in Green Bay was nothing more than some LaFleur magic and less about the quarterback. Miami took a roll of the dice on him in free agency, but it's clear that it's not going to be a long-term answer for the Dolphins.
At a certain point, the Dolphins are going to be better off giving the keys to Kyle McCord instead of Willis to at least just get a look at what they have in the former Syracuse standout.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Replacement: Tanner McKee
Jalen Hurts does deserve some grace in the fact that he was in a bad spot on Sunday. Not only was he making the tough trip across the Atlantic to play in London, but he was without Lane Johnson, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, Tank Bigsby and eventually even Will Shipley in this game against the Jaguars. And with Johnson out, it's also worth noting that the offensive line as a whole has been shuffled around after the Cam Jurgens trade and injuries.
And yet, the veteran quarterback was still not good. In the 19-17 loss, Hurts did get Philly the late go-ahead score that was immediately undone by poor kick return coverage on special teams. On the whole, though, he was only 21-of-40 for the day and led an offense that averaged only 3.9 yards per play and only 5.1 yards per pass. If it wasn't for a number of timely defensive plays, the Eagles wouldn't have been in this game on the strength of Hurts' own efforts.
I'm not sure that the Eagles have it in them to actually bench Hurts. But right now, it appears that the fears about the quarterback in this offense as they try to revamp things on that side of the ball are completely founded and that this might end up leading to the end of the Hurts era in Philadelphia. The only question really feels like when that will happen.
Tyson Bagent, Chicago Bears
Replacement: Case Keenum (Or really Caleb Williams)
For a couple of years now, the Chicago Bears have been telling anyone who will listen how much they love Tyson Bagent and how valuable they believe he is as a backup. Based on what he looked like in this rivalry matchup with the Packers on Sunday, I'm not so sure that the Bears organization wasn't talking about another Tyson Baget that they have stowed away somewhere, because this definitely wasn't it.
Bagent got the start and was sub-lackluster throughout. Not only did he throw two interceptions in this game while taking two sacks for a 17-yard total loss, but he also threw for only 87 yards on his 12-of-21 passing on the day. Considering that Green Bay's defense has been plenty generous this season, that's not exactly confidence-inducing when it comes to Bagent.
He was already benched in the loss to the Packers, and it should be noted that Case Keenum came in and only looked slightly better, throwing for a bit more efficiency and yardage, but also committing two turnovers. What this really comes down to is the fact that Ben Johnson can only do but so much while he's without Caleb Williams. Thankfully if you're a Bears fan, though, it does appear that Williams is on the cusp of getting back on the field, potentially as soon as next week.
Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Replacement: Mitchell Trubisky?
Circumstances matter tremendously in the NFL. We all know that the Tennessee Titans aren't going to bench Cam Ward. He's the former No. 1 overall pick and they're trying to get the best look at him to see if he's their franchise quarterback, even though the situation in Nashville around the young passer is truly atrocious and he's paying the price for it. So all this is to say, this isn't a realistic option in the same manner the other quarterbacks on this list are.
At the same time, woof! Ward has been truly awful this season and, for all their faults this season, the Texans defense put that on full display in this game. The numbers were bad, going 23-of-36 but for only 170 yards with no scores and one interception, as well as being sacked four times in this game. And for the third time in five games, the Titans scored 10 points or fewer. It's ugly.
Tennessee's backup is Mitchell Trubisky, which is not exactly an upgrade, nor is it anything that the Titans would be motivated to move with given the importance of Ward to their future with the draft capital that they've invested in him. But this is getting tough to watch with Ward, even if it's not entirely his fault given the poor O-line and lack of overall skill position talent.
Add us as a preferred source on Google