CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 26: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears warms-up before the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Three weeks into the NFL season, there have been some really bad quarterback play. Here are three quarterbacks that need to be benched before next week.
With some teams unsure of whether or not they want to enter a full rebuild or still contend for a playoff spot, quarterback play has become extremely important early into the season. And so far, there’s been some horrendous quarterbacking all over the league. Now, for some of these quarterbacks, there’s usually one or two viable reasons as to why the play has been less than stellar but when it’s been consistently bad, that’s when changes are warranted.
After three weeks, the worst of the quarterbacks are evident. Some are veterans who should probably be worrying about what resort to spend their winter in rather than playing in the winter, while others are freshmen who have not shown that they have what it takes to be adequate field generals in the league. Regardless of where they fall upon this scale, they are negatively affecting their teams.
Three weeks into the NFL season, here are three quarterbacks who need to be benched going into Week 4:
1. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Week 3 stats: 6/20, 68 yards, 9 sacks, 5.8 QBR
Now, it’s easy to say a rookie quarterback getting his first start in the league is expected to struggle. And, it’s true, most rookies struggle especially when they were not penciled in as the starter coming into the season, as was the case with Justin Fields. Since taking over for an injured Andy Dalton last game — a game that the Chicago Bears somehow held on to win — the 11th overall pick from this year’s draft has looked awful.
Against the Cleveland Browns this week, Fields couldn’t even crack 70 passing yards, leading a very stale Bears offense. Although he didn’t turn it over, he wasn’t very on point with his passing attempts and the Bears loss 26-6.
In his three appearances so far, Fields scored his lone touchdown in game 1 on a QB scramble but hasn’t sniffed the end zone since. He’s completed exactly 40 percent of his passes for 138 yards and an interception. While it’s a fairly small and early sample size, Fields has shown little to no promise so far, and should not be starting for Chicago next week.
With Dalton still out, the Bears have the greatest quarterback handcuff on their team: Super Bowl champion Nick Foles. If Chicago decides to make a quarterback change, which they should, Foles is their guy. On several occasions, he’s shown the ability to be able to right the ship and inspire a locker room, this Bears team is in need of the same thing.