Five worst Week 7 performances: Three benched QBs may have played themselves out of starting roles

Three quarterbacks were benched in the early 1 p.m. ET window, and each may have reached the point of no return.

But they weren't the only ones with regrettable performances in Week 7. Below, we take a closer look at the five worst from Sunday.

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields | Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith | Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

Where do these three teams go from here? On Sunday, the Jets, Raiders and Dolphins saw enough from their starting quarterbacks, who combined to lead their teams to nine points on three field goals.

Fields was pulled at halftime of a 13-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers (4-3) a week after the Jets finished their London loss to the Denver Broncos (5-2) with negative-10 net passing yards. He was 6-of-12 for 46 yards while losing 21 yards on three sacks against Carolina before New York turned to backup Tyrod Taylor.

The Raiders (2-5) sunk to the lowest point of the still-nascent Pete Carroll era with a 31-0 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs, the franchise's worst shutout loss since 2014. Smith, who entered Week 7 with an NFL-high 10 interceptions, was 10-of-16 for 67 yards before being benched for Kenny Pickett.

As for Tagovailoa, he owes his teammates another apology after making amends earlier this week for throwing them under the bus following last Sunday's loss to the Panthers. The Dolphins (1-6) fell 31-6 to the Cleveland Browns (2-5), and Tagovailoa's wretched season continued, with the sixth-year pro going 12-of-23 for 100 yards and three interceptions before being pulled for rookie seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers.

None of these three teams are going to the playoffs this season, so it makes sense for each to begin plotting future steps. Per Spotrac, the Jets could save $10M against the 2026 cap by designating Fields as a post-June 1 cut.

Smith and Tagovailoa will be trickier to handle. Smith has $18.5M guaranteed in 2026, and another $8M becomes due on the third day of the 2026 league year. Tagovailoa's contract is even harder to get out from under, with $54M guaranteed for 2026 and a $15M option bonus coming within the first three days of the next league year. 

As bad as those numbers look, they aren't nearly as awful as the ones generated by the three quarterbacks on Sunday. Las Vegas, Miami and New York have a lot of holes to fix, and the three should start by making permanent changes at quarterback.

Minnesota Vikings red zone offense

The Vikings reached the red zone six times but only came away with one touchdown in a 28-22 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (5-2). Minnesota's opening drive stalled when center Blake Brandel's snap to quarterback Carson Wentz, starting his fourth game for the injured J.J. McCarthy (ankle), sailed over his head, resulting in a 32-yard loss.

A holding penalty on another possession wiped out a 4th-and-1 touchdown, while Wentz took a sack and intentional grounding penalty that kept Minnesota out of the end zone on two additional red-zone possessions.

New York Giants kicker Jude McAtamney

The Giants (2-5) experienced one of the most epic collapses in NFL history in Week 7, watching an 18-point lead with less than six minutes remaining evaporate in a 33-32 road loss to the Denver Broncos (5-2). The inexplicable result was made possible by the second-year Giants kicker, who missed two extra points, including one after New York took a late 32-30 lead, allowing Denver to win on a walk-off 39-yard Wil Lutz field goal.

McAtamney also missed a point-after try in the second quarter, and New York was unable to get the points back when attempting a two-point conversion after taking a 19-0 third-quarter lead. There's plenty of blame to go around for the Giants' unfathomable collapse, but with a reliable kicker, they would have won. New York should probably find one it can trust.