We’re only two games into the season so without trying to overreact, there’s some quarterbacks that are struggling. So much so, it might be time to smash the panic meter on some of them. The quarterback is the hardest position to play on the field so they certainly get some leniency. But these handful of quarterbacks, well their early struggles feel more like a pattern than a slow start.
While Jalen Hurts is winning, helping the Philadelphia Eagles to a 2-0 start with wins over Kansas City and Dallas, he isn’t looking like a prolific passer and with weapons like DeVonte Smith and AJ Brown, the offense shouldn’t be struggling to get the passing game involved.
Here’s a look at some of the quarterbacks who are flashing some red flags in the NFL just two games into the 2025 season.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts has 253 total passing yards in two games this season. While the Eagles are 2-0 and have shown they are ready to defend their Super Bowl title, Hurts isn’t quite looking like the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Hurts has been known to be a threat on the ground and that hasn’t changed, but Hurts needs to do better as a passer.
I don’t know if it’s because Philly has a new offensive coordinator or if Saquon Barkley’s big season forced him to focus more on the run game, but if he doesn’t start utilizing his assets in Smith and Brown in the passing game, I’m going to think he’s simply not good enough to win games as a passer.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but it does mean that when the running game gets contained and the Eagles need him to pass efficiently, they may not be able to rely on him.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
This season should have been about Caleb Williams finally putting everything together with an offensive coach that was going to get the most out of him. Instead, this offense continues to struggle and Williams can’t seem to find his footing. It's no surprise this offense is troubling for him, though there's still time for him to learn it and execute it fully. If he can’t figure it out now, he never will.
Williams is still young, but he needs to look better than he has. He still is scrambling all around the backfield instead of making reads and making the throw. Johnson’s offense isn’t built around trying to create, he schemes players open. If Williams can work with that, it’s going to be a long season for Bears fans.
Justin Fields, New York Jets
Justin Fields gets a slight pass thanks to a concussion he suffered early in Sunday’s game, but he’s run out of excuses. Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets turned to him as their savior and so far, he’s 0-2. His leash is short and if he doesn’t help the Jets look like a contender in the AFC soon, it won’t be good.
If the Cincinnati Bengals potentially lose Joe Burrow and their season flips sideways, that’s one less team to worry about in the wild card race. I hate to say that Fields needs a playoff appearance after never leading a team to the playoffs, but if he doesn’t, people will question if he was the right choice.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young is in his third year of his NFL career and still making the same mistakes he did as a rookie. While he did almost engineer a comeback against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, they got down as much as 27-3 and during that, he didn’t look good at all. Each year is the same thing and at some point, we have to start putting pressure on him and stop giving him the excuse of being on an underperforming team.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
It might be time to start having a serious conversation about Bo Nix. Last year he was a pleasant surprise for the Denver Broncos putting together a rookie season that helped the Broncos return to the NFL playoffs. He doesn’t look like the same quarterback he did a year ago. To be fair, the biggest adjustment for second year quarterbacks with big seasons is facing defensive adjustments.
Teams aren’t playing Nix the same way they did a year ago and so he’ll have to adjust himself. The first two weeks, he hasn’t quite figured it out, but he’ll have some time. If he doesn’t and the Broncos offense continues to struggle, it will be worth questioning him moving forward.