3 QBs to bench after Week 11 and who should replace them
The afternoon slate for Week 11 of the NFL schedule provided us with several quality QB performances.
Tommy DeVito found his stride as the New York Giants' momentary heir to Daniel Jones. C.J. Stroud tossed a few picks, but also made several trademark dimes en route to another Houston Texans win. Jordan Love threw for 322 yards and a couple touchdowns, perhaps his best performance of the season in a Green Bay Packers win.
But, alas, there was also a few stinkers. That's what we will focus on in this particular column. Here are the Week 11 QBs who may have earned a one-way ticket to the bench.
Raiders should consider benching Aidan O'Connell for Jimmy Garoppolo
The Las Vegas Raiders fell below .500 with a 20-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The defense continues to shine with Antonio Pierce at the helm, but a lack of offense doomed the Raiders in a lower-scoring affair than initially expected.
Holding Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins to 20 points — especially in a game in which Tyreek Hill broke loose for 146 yards — is no small feat. The Raiders, unfortunately, committed too many offensive mistakes. Rookie Aidan O'Connell, in his fourth NFL start, was responsible for several of those mishaps.
He completed 24-of-41 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown, finding Davante Adams on seven of 13 targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. O'Connell can absolutely sling it and move the ball down field, but it's difficult to win high-leverage football games when you commit three interceptions. On multiple occasions, Las Vegas' momentum was stymied by their QB's youthful inaccuracy.
The Raiders are at an organizational crossroads after firing Josh McDaniels, but Vegas entered the game 5-5 with a lot of momentum on their side. The defense did its job and the Raiders were within striking distance, but O'Connell couldn't execute under pressure.
Jimmy Garoppolo is by no means a great quarterback, but he's a proven veteran who has led multiple postseason teams. He has been a difficult campaign for the 32-year-old — nine interceptions to only seven touchdowns — but there's an argument to be made that he is the Raiders' best option in the short term as the team looks to remain in the wild card hunt.