The 2023 NFL season entered its fourth week. While it is still early on in the year, NFL fans get a hint of seeing if their favorite team is a legitimate contender or if they should start preparing for next season (i.e. rebuild). Regardless (depending on how the team is playing), fans will be watching and evaluating each player on the roster to see how well they are.
Perhaps the most followed position in the NFL is at quarterback. After all, the quarterback holds the keys to the offense, and if they don't play well, the rest of the team's job becomes more difficult. In Week 4, there were instances of teams that lost due to the play of their quarterback.
Here are three quarterbacks who played like they should be benched next week.
3 quarterbacks who should be benched after Week 4, No. 3: Desmond Ridder, Falcons
Let's start things off with a quarterback who played in the early morning game on Sunday and that's Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons. The team used a third-round pick on Ridder in last year's NFL Draft after he shined with the Cincinnati Bearcats in college. Ridder entered his rookie season with tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London at his disposal. Earlier this year, the Falcons used their first-round pick on Texas running back Bijan Robinson. All of the tools were there for Ridder to bring the offense to the next level, like many had expected.
That hasn't happened yet, and it was evident on Sunday morning against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Falcons lost 23-7, bringing their record down to 2-2. Ridder didn't have a great game, completing 19-of-31 pass attempts for 191 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. One of his picks was directly in the hands of Jaguars cornerback Darious Williams, who returned it for a touchdown.
On the year, Ridder has thrown for 744 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 62.2 percent of his passes.
Given that first place in the NFC South is still within reach, how long until head coach Arthur Smith looks to make a change at the quarterback position? After all, they have Taylor Heinicke, who won games for the Washington Commanders through his three years with the team (2020-22).
3 quarterbacks who should be benched after Week 4, No. 2: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Browns
The Cleveland Browns had the opportunity to improve to 3-1 on the season in Week 4. While they lost star running back Nick Chubb for the season, their defense is among the best in the league. But this week, they were without another player on offense -- quarterback Deshaun Watson.
On Sunday, Watson was ruled out for Cleveland's game against the Baltimore Ravens due to a shoulder injury. Watson tried to throw during pregame warmups but opted to sit out, not feeling 100 percent. With that, Cleveland would turn to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who looked like a superstar throughout the preseason. This was his chance to help lead the team to a much-needed win over a division rival.
That didn't happen.
Thompson-Robinson threw 19 completions for 121 yards on 36 attempts. Out of his 17 incomplete passes, three of them were interceptions. One that stood out was his picked-off throw to Ravens defensive back Geno Stone in the fourth quarter.
It was a rough first start for Thompson-Robinson. It will remain to be seen if Watson will be cleared next week for their game against the San Francisco 49ers.
3 quarterbacks who should be benched after Week 4, No. 1: Derek Carr, Saints
One of the more shocking decisions this week regarded the New Orleans Saints. Last week, quarterback Derek Carr left the team's game against the Green Bay Packers with what was deemed a sprained AC joint. The injury was declared a week-to-week thing, but the expectation was that Carr would miss some time. In the days leading up to New Orleans' Week 4 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it sounded like Jameis Winston would play.
However, in the hours leading up to kickoff, it was announced that Carr would start for the Saints. It was pretty surprising, to say the least, and showed that Carr wanted to help the team win. The thing is, his play was bad enough that actually led the Saints to a loss.
The veteran and former four-time Pro Bowler struggled at home, completing 23-of-37 pass attempts for a measly 127 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The Saints didn't score a single touchdown on Sunday afternoon, falling 26-9 to the rival Buccaneers, who improved to 3-1 on the season.
With Carr failing to be effective on the football field on Sunday, maybe head coach Dennis Allen and the training staff urge him to rest up next week to ensure he's feeling 100 percent the next time he starts.
