4 QBs who should be benched after Week 1 and their likely replacements

The NFL's opening Week 1 slate featured plenty of quality defense and, by extension, plenty of medicore quarterback play. It's generally unwise to rush changes after one game — we encourage deep breaths and peaceful reflection — but it's hard not to get swept up in the emotions of the season opener.

For those who waited all year for football to return and were greeted with immediate disappointment, it's only natural to want a quick fix. Plenty of QBs who struggled this week are going to rebound. You won't see Joe Burrow or Kirk Cousins on this list; both need and deserve more time to establish a rhythm. But, there are quarterbacks who we kinda, sorta expected to underperform.

For those whose seat is hot, a Week 1 underperformance can get the ball rolling in the wrong direction. Here are a few signal-callers who are in danger of a demotion.

4. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans took a 17-3 lead into halftime against the Chicago Bears, whose offense netted 148 yards for the entire game. You may therefore be shocked to hear that Chicago won the game, 24-17, in thrilling, come-from-behind fashion. The game ended on an ugly interception from Will Levis, who lofted the pigskin into traffic after the pocket collapsed. Before that, Levis coughed up the lead with a particularly egregious pick-six.

Levis finished the game having completed 19-of-32 passes for 127 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The Titans didn't score a single point in the second half. Plenty of credit belongs to the revamped Chicago defense, but Tennessee stalled at the worst moments, often due to mistakes made expressly by Levis.

Sure, Levis deserves some patience as an NFL sophomore, but the Titans are theoretically built to contend after splurging on weapons like Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard. Tennessee also paid real money to pry Mason Rudolph away from Pittsburgh, where he started in the 2024 playoffs. Levis appeared to be the frontrunner throughout camp, but Rudolph has prototypical physical tools for the position and he made impressive strides with a mediocre Steelers offense last season.

If Levis can't turn his season around quickly, the Titans are going to start second-guessing the Kentucky product. Rudolph has the experience to pose a real threat and the Titans aren't going to suffer winnable losses lightly. This is officially a job to monitor, despite what was ostensibly a strong rookie campaign from Levis.

3. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

There was, uh, some level of hope that a new coach and offensive coordinator could improve the outlook for Bryce Young in his second NFL season. The former No. 1 pick even has a few shiny new weapons, such as Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette. And yet... it was just as bad as we remember, with the New Orleans Saints stomping the Carolina Panthers 47-10.

Young can't shoulder the blame for such a rotten defensive performance, but he does receive a lion's share of the criticism for 10 combined points on only 193 total yards. Carolina's offensive line remains leaky and there was little progress made on the ground (Miles Sanders led the Panthers with 22 yards on five carries), so Young is operating at a perpetual disadvantage. But, there were still plenty of examples of Young stumbling into boneheaded, unforced errors.

Here was his first throw of the game.

The Panthers are going to let this ride until the wheels fall off — Carolina gave up too much to draft Young — but we are rapidly approaching sunk cost territory. Even if the optics are bad, there may come a point when the Panthers need to bench Young in order to preserve their season. Andy Dalton is an accomplished vet with more than a decade of starting experience under his belt. He stands taller in the pocket, presumably handles pressure better, and should provide Carolina with more stability than the unproven 23-year-old.

This would be a nightmare outcome for the Panthers after firing their coach and investing so heavily in offensive personnel, but Young just does not have it. The team around him certainly isn't built for success. There may even be a case to bench Young until next season for the sake of preservation. There's no point in destroying his confidence by hanging him out to dry with the NFL's worst supporting cast.

2. Daniel Jones, New York Giants

"Hello darkness, my old friend." — every New York Giants fan after Week 1.

The Minnesota Vikings stomped New York in Week 1, in MetLife Stadium. Sam Darnold looked the part for a Minnesota offense that is built to explode on a weekly basis. Daniel Jones and the Giants, however, were a step (or several) behind. He completed 22-of-44 pass attempts for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-6 loss. The Giants didn't score a touchdown, couldn't build a rhythm on the ground (74 combined rush yards), and most damningly, couldn't move the ball through the air.

Jones averaged 4.4 yards per attempt, which is positively abysmal. Still in the final year of his massive contract, what once made Danny Dimes the pride of NYC has long since dissipated. He's 6-5 and 230 pounds but he's not putting enough distance or velocity behind his throws. Sure, the Giants' O-line is a mess — Jones cannot shoulder all of the blame here — but plays like this are just unforgivable.

Remember Saquon Barkley? That guy was pretty good.

The Giants clearly have a lot to work on, but Jones was exceedingly poor last season and he appears to be carrying that negative momentum into the 2024 campaign. New York happened to ink Drew Lock to a $5 million contract early in the free agent process, not so subtly holding Jones' feet to the fire. Lock performed well in relief for the Seahawks last season and he profiles as one of the best backup QBs in the NFL.

Jones' contract makes it hard to pull the plug, but he's officially in the final guaranteed year of his deal. That makes it a bit easier to stomach if the Giants can't turn this ship around in a hurry.

1. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Am I cheating? No. No, I don't think so.

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Atlanta Falcons 18-10 in their season opener. Russell Wilson was named the Week 1 starter after training camp and preseason, but a nagging calf injury kept him on the sideline against Atlanta. Justin Fields, the Georgia native and former UGA star, got the nod instead. The Steelers didn't score a touchdown, but the offense moved well enough to support a vaunted defense.

Fields straight-up outperformed Kirk Cousins, he of $180 million. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 156 yards and added another 57 yards on the ground. It was not an elite performance, but it was enough to make the coaching staff think. Arthur Smith avenged his firing the best way he knows how — with a prolific, relentless ground attack — and Fields was an apt conductor.

Wilson brings more arm talent, but he's a decade older than Fields and on a steep decline. The mobility that once made Russ so dangerous in Seattle has sapped away and he's not capable of the clutch, needle-threading bombs that once landed him a Super Bowl ring. Fields is not a perfect QB, but he supplies more upside with his athletic dynamism, and he appears to have the full confidence of everybody in Pittsburgh.

This was not a game the Steelers were supposed to win. The defense deserves the majority of the credit for shutting the water off on Kirk Cousins, who managed 16-of-26 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. But, the offense was good enough, and several of those field goal drives probably end in touchdowns on a better day. Six scores is a healthy number, and the Steelers offense was hardly ever "good enough" a season ago. There are distinct signs of progress.

As such, there's a real chance Wilson gets benched before he even sees the field. If we do see Russ in Week 2, it will come with a well-known caveat — that Fields is right on his heels and ready to snatch the starting gig at the first sign of trouble.

Buckle in, Pittsburgh fans.