After another abysmal performance by quarterback Justin Fields in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, the New York Jets benched Fields for veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor to start the second half after falling behind 13-3 in front of their home fans at MetLife Stadium.
The change wasn’t enough for the Jets to earn their first win of the season, as they fell to 0-7 with a 13-6 loss. Head coach Aaron Glenn said after the game it was a “tough decision” to bench Fields. On Monday, Glenn announced he was undecided about who will start against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Week 8.
In addition to the Jets benching Fields, the Panthers also made a quarterback change after Bryce Young suffered an ankle injury after taking a sack. Veteran backup Andy Dalton replaced him in the third quarter, and Carolina announced during the Fox broadcast that he’s out for the remainder of the game.
Fields completed six of his 12 passes for 46 yards and ran the ball four times for 22 yards in the first half of Sunday’s game. He was sacked three times, including a crushing sack at the end of the first half that knocked New York out of field goal range.
The disappointing performance continued a run of recent struggles for Fields. In last week’s 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in London, he threw for just 45 yards while sustaining nine sacks for 55 yards for a franchise-worst -10 net passing yards.
Fields showed promise with a three-touchdown performance in a Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it’s been all downhill from there. He suffered a concussion in a Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and he’s been relatively ineffective since returning to the field.
As the NFL’s only remaining winless team, the Jets need to do whatever it takes to end their skid. Glenn will have to evaluate whether Fields or Taylor is the best quarterback to lead the team next week against the Bengals.
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