The Week 12 NFL slate has provided us with plenty to pick apart at the quarterback position. The New England Patriots and New York Giants engaged in a classic rock fight. The Atlanta Falcons re-took first place in the NFC South with Desmond Ridder under center. And man, Bryce Young continues to look not great despite his No. 1 pick billing.
When deciding which QBs deserve a ticket to the pine, however, it's important to weigh a variety of factors. Who can replace them? What is the risk versus the reward? A postseason team generally isn't going to change QBs, unless under extreme circumstances. In the case of Young, the Carolina Panthers would be absolutely insane to bench him at 1-10. It's tank time, and these are valuable reps for a player who clearly needs them.
So, as the sift through the Week 12 games, here are the QBs who most deserve a trip to the bench — and whose teams could benefit from such a move.
Jets should bench Tim Boyle because we know how this ends
The New York Jets handed the offense over to Tim Boyle for Friday's matchup with the Miami Dolphins. It didn't go terribly well, as Boyle completed 27-of-38 pass attempts for 179 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the Jets' 34-13 loss.
It's difficult for any team to keep pace with the Dolphins' explosive offense, but it's especially difficult for a third-string QB starting the season cold in Week 12. Robert Saleh tried his best to keep the team afloat with Zach Wilson, but a change was inevitable. Unfortunately, Boyle doesn't inspire much confidence either.
The Jets are essentially out of good options. Wilson doesn't have it, but at no point in his five-year NFL career has Boyle looked the part of a viable NFL starter. He has a career completion rate of 63.3 percent while averaging 4.97 yards per attempt for his career. He's 0-5 as a starter, with four touchdowns and 11 interceptions to his name.
New York can't keep beating a dead horse with Zach Wilson, but... Boyle isn't any better. The Jets' next man up would be Trevor Siemian, who has six NFL seasons and 30 starts (13-17) under his belt. Siemian has been a career backup for the most part, but he has more touchdowns (42) than interceptions (28), which is a good start. His low 58.9 percent completion rate is a concern, but he has 7,027 yards to his name in 35 total appearances. He can sling it a bit, and it's hard to imagine him being worse than Boyle or Wilson.
Whatever it takes until Aaron Rodgers gets back.
It's time for the Patriots to bench Mac Jones permanently
The Mac Jones experience has been a net negative all season. For every flash of rookie season magic, there's a maddening mistake that completely deflates the entire Patriots offense. Bill Belichick has reached the end of the line in New England and it's fittingly because of Tom Brady's replacement. There's simply no path forward with Mac Jones under center.
New England has resorted to a silly game of "will he or won't he" at QB in recent weeks. Belichick will play coy about the Patriots' decision during the week, only to trot out Jones when the game rolls around. Jones has lost the confidence of his teammates and coaching staff, but he has started all 11 of New England's games this season. That needs to stop.
There's no point in continuing down this path. Jones won't have the job next season. The Patriots are fully focused on Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. At least, they should be. A Belichick trade looms in the future, too. A fresh start. But, there's no upside — in the win column or developmentally — to keeping Jones as the primary signal-caller. He isn't elevating the pieces around him and New England can still effectively tank without completely sacrificing decent offensive form.
Jones was god-awful once again in the Patriots' 10-7 loss to the Giants, completing 12-of-21 passes for 98 yards and two interceptions before the offense was turned over to Bailey Zappe. The Patriots have flirted with benching Jones all season. Perhaps now it's officially official.
There's only one problem...
New England can't rely on Bailey Zappe either
Bailey Zappe took over for Jones after halftime and the Patriots scored on his first drive to tie the game 7-7. From there, it was all downhill. He finished with 9-of-14 passes completed for 54 yards and one interception. He averaged 3.9 yards per attempt, which simply isn't enough in the NFL. Rhamondre Stevenson deserves credit for a big day on the ground, but New England's offense was otherwise impotent across the board.
Zappe has gotten a couple of bites at the apple now, and every time he's not good enough to firmly beat out Jones. The Patriots wouldn't keep sulking back to Jones every week if there was any tangible confidence in Zappe. In three appearances prior to Sunday, Zappe completed 10-of-25 passes for 104 yards, zero scores, and a pick. He was briefly successful last season — 2-0 in two starts with a 70.7 percent completion rate, five touchdowns and three interceptions — but that feels like a flash in the pan right about now.
There's a case to be made that the Patriots should give Zappe a full week of first-team reps before pulling the plug. Let him practice with the starters and open up the playbook a bit. It's difficult to enter midway through a game, often with a deficit because of your predecessor, and play effective, efficient quarterback. But... just don't count on Zappe performing meaningfully better than Jones, as low as the bar is.
New England had another option on the roster until Saturday when preseason standout Will Grier was waived. Maybe there's time to re-sign him to the practice squad and get him back in the mix. If not, the Patriots' third-string option is Malik Cunningham, who has spent the last several weeks focusing on wide receiver and special teams assignments. But, he was a five-year college quarterback at Louisville. That's his natural position. Maybe it's time to kick the tires and see what he can provide.