Yardbarker
x
NFL Week 5's worst QB performances: Browns must bench Watson
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) waits for a play during the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders at NorthWest Stadium. Peter Casey-Imagn Images

NFL Week 5's worst QB performances: Browns must bench Deshaun Watson

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers' turnover-filled game in London against the Vikings set the low bar for quarterbacks on Sunday, but several comfortably limboed past the four-time MVP's performance.

Here's our round-up of the five worst quarterback outings from Week 5.

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson

Cleveland has 230 million problems, and Deshaun Watson is all of them. We don't think anyone — in Cleveland or elsewhere — would be sad if the Browns never played Watson again. 

Since returning from an 11-game suspension in 2022 for violating the league's personal-conduct policy, he's been a disaster.

Week 5 was no different.

In a 34-13 loss to the Commanders, Watson was 15-of-28 for 125 yards and one touchdown. When accounting for sacks and rushing attempts, Watson's 38 dropbacks gained 106 yards, a ghastly 2.8 yards per dropback.

It was hardly defensible for the Browns to sell its future (first-round picks in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts) to acquire a player with multiple credible sexual assault allegations, and his horrific play gives the front office no on-the-field justification for its wayward moral compass.

It's time the Browns acknowledge what everyone outside of Cleveland has known for years. Watson has no business being a starting NFL quarterback.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen

Late last week, it was reported that several music superstars, including country singer Zach Bryan and rapper Drake, wouldn't submit their music for consideration for the 2025 Grammys. 

Why do we bring this up? Based on Bills quarterback Josh Allen's unsightly performance against the Texans, he may as well have told NFL awards voters he's not interested in being named this year's MVP.

Allen was 9-of-30 (no, that isn't a typo) for 131 yards and one touchdown. As The 33rd team noted, his 30% completion percentage was the lowest for a quarterback with at least 28 pass attempts this century.

Per Stathead, former Seahawks quarterback Stan Gelbaugh in 1992 was the last quarterback to have a completion percentage of 30% or worse with at least 30 attempts when he finished a 20-17 overtime loss to the Eagles 9-of-31 for 66 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

For a season that began with bold claims of Allen being the MVP favorite, being mentioned in the same breath as Gelbaugh, who completed 49.1% of his passes in six NFL seasons, is a steep fall from grace.

Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton

Dalton was as forgettable in Sunday's 36-10 loss to the Bears as he was in his lone season in Chicago. The veteran quarterback, meant to stabilize a dysfunctional offense, only highlighted Carolina's inadequacies in the loss.

He finished the trouncing 18-of-28 for 136 yards and an interception while also losing 20 yards on three sacks before being benched for former starter Bryce Young.

Fortunately for Dalton, his job appears safe. Head coach Dave Canales revealed he only threw Young into the fire because of offensive line injuries. (h/t The Athletic's Joe Person)

That might make Young the world's most expensive punching bag, but it also means Dalton will have the opportunity to produce more stinkers in the coming weeks.

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers

In New York's 23-17 loss to Minnesota in London, Rodgers was 29-of-54 for 244 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. It was just the sixth three-interception game of Rodgers' career.

"Obviously, that was below my standard," Rodgers said afterward. (h/t Yahoo Sports)

He struggled to read Minnesota's defense and overthrew multiple passes in the loss, New York's second consecutive game in which the offense was disjointed.

Rodgers' performance might be unfamiliar to him, but it's the standard he's set for himself in his brief Jets tenure.

Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew

The Raiders jumped out to a 10-0 lead on the road against the Broncos in an eventual 34-18 loss.

A poor decision by Minshew swung the game.

In the second quarter, Las Vegas drove to the Denver 5-yard-line up seven, 10-3. Minshew had a chance to extend the lead to 14 but threw a horrible pass intended for rookie tight end Brock Bowers.

Minshew rolled out of the pocket and threw the ball off his back foot, and it sailed over Bowers' head and into the arms of Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who returned the errant pass 100 yards for a game-altering pick-six.

Denver (3-2) scored the game's next 24 points following the interception to seal the easy win. Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce benched Minshew for backup Aidan O'Connell and wouldn't commit to a starter in Week 7 after the game.

Once he reviews the tape, his decision should be a lot easier.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!